The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-02-23
PARTY.
MEANS DEFEAT
SAYS G0MPERS
Political Organization Playing
Directly Into Hands Of
Enemies
WARNS AGAINST DISASTER
Declares Votes Going to Work.
ers' Candidate May Defeat
Best Man
WARNS AGAINST DISASTER

Washington, Feb. 23-Formation
of political labor party would be
detrimental to the interests OF labor
and exactly in line with that which
is most ardently desired by those
who seek to- oppress labor Samuel
Gompers declared in letter to VIII
liam Mitchell of Indianapolis, lead
er of the Indiana state labor party
made public here today.
Mr.. Gompers wrote in reply to a
telegram from Mitchell and his as
sociates supporting the; action Of the
Indiana state labor party In opposing
the political declaration OF the Amer
| ican Federation of Labor, calling on
| organized working men to elect their
! friends and defeat their enemies.
Mitchelrs telegram declared in favor
of making the fight solely through d
labor party.
QUESTIONS CONCLUSIONS e.
"By what right,' Mr. Gompers
wrote, do you assume to declare the
work and the policy OF the American
Federation of Labor to be impract-
cal. Surely the results achieved in
| the interests of the workers demon
! strate the utter fallacy Of your as
sumption.
"By your declaration you assert
the practicability of the course you
declare you will pursue. What ex-
| perience have you had with your po-
litical party upon which to base so
assurd a claim
when you shall have. learned the
lesson of the real struggle OF labor
and the cause for which our move
ment stands you may become penl-
tent for the gross injustice you have
done by your pretentlon and your
COURSE,
EFFECT WOULD BE DlSAS-
TKIOUS
"The effect of a separate political
labor party can only be disastrous
to the wage carners of our cOustry
and to the interests of all forward
looking people. The votes that would
90 to labor party candidate would
in the absence of such candidate, &C
% the best man in the field. In nc
case would they go to an enemy OF
labor.
There can be no hope for success
of labor party candidates.. The ef
feet, therefore, of political labor
party will be to defeat our friends
and to elect our enemies.
Labor can look upon the forma
ton of a political labor party only
as an act detrimental to the inter
ests Of labor. and exactly in line Witf
that which is most ardently desired
by those who seek to oppress labor
"The welfare of American human
ity demands in this hour of nationa
crisis that there be success at the
polls, This no time for experiment
ing with political theories which are
proven false at the outset. The
workers of America must seei the
tactics Of success. They must have
results.
'tResults will not be obtained 'by
injecting a labor party, so-called, in
10 the struggle.
RUSHING TO DISASTER
''Those who are determined to bt
blind to the facts of the present ant
> past will. of course, rush on to dis
! aster and calamity. This the Amer
, ican labor movement will not do. 1
, rejects and repudiates the fallacie'
of blind theories and will have moth
/ ing to do with those treacherous fol
lies that are suited only to the pur
: poses of labor's enemies.
: "Your telegram is an affront to thu
s labor movement and an assault upol
:: the interests of that great body o
r Americans who are determined tha
the present campaign shall result
not in the destruction of our liber
c ties. In the opening OF the way tt
{ national progress and the enlarge
: ment of opportunities for human
| ...o1e,,o r,fot,- op1 hanninoSSS