Evening star., 1920-01-13
GOMPERS NOW FACING
STRUGGLE AS LEADER
OFORGAiNIZED LABOR
Finds Industries in America in Fer
ment---Ranks of Workers Divided
Into Three Distinct Groups.

they meet and hagg'e over minute
edtails of agreements; the work out
complicated contracts; theJ' handle
ard invest considerable sums Of
money. The American labor move
ment, SO far as il is typihed by Com
pcrs, has the reputation of being the
most conservative labor BODY in the
World-as it undoubtedly is. 1t reach-
ed its very apex of power and honor
during the. war. 1t came as strongly
to the support of the government as
any chamber OF commerce or board
of trade. Gompers served on the
Council of National Defense and
other labor leaders were used and
honored in many ways.
All this vigorous and successful de-
velopment. ef course, has not been
without strong opposition. At every
convention of the American Fedora
tiOn of Labor for years before the war
Gompers had a fierce tussle for con-
troll with the radical or socialist left
wing of the 1aoVement-but always
Won out. Gompers has fought social
the result that in America the Old
craft union leaders still dominate
the movement while in England Sc
cialiStS are in control.
Criticisms by Socialists:
The radicals charge that the policy
of the American Federation of Labor
has been too narrow. too strictly
economic; that it has no social vision;
that it is essentially aristocratic: that
it has built up and protected the
skilled crafts, but tended to neglect
the great masses of unskilied. or for
eign, or negro labor. The progress
siVeS say that better hours and more
wages are not enough: that these
things will never finally content the
spirit of the worker; that he musi
strive for what many of them call,
often vaguely, industrial democ-
racy."
All OF these charges have some
bers in the \. +. OF l.. has never
been more than very small per
centage of the total number of work
ers. The last census showed over
27,000.000 wage earners in America
including agricultural laborers. do
trial groups. But of this 27.000.000
fewer than per cent were in labor
organizations affiliated with Gompers'
federation. Several of the greatest
industries, where unsl1illed or for
eign labor was largely employed.
steel industry. the textile mills. the
oil industry and others. On the other
hand. the mine workers. with many
unskilled and foreign 1aborers. are
firmly organized and affiliated with
the \. F. of l.; so are the hodcar-
riers.
This situation gave opportunity for
the socialists and radical labor or
ganizations like the !. w. w. to
come in. was at the Lawrence
strike in 1912. Here there were sew
eral old small, aristocratic craft
unions, but no attention had been
paid to the masses of the foreign
workers until the l. w. W. leaders
came in with their doctrine that the
interests of the whole working class
foreigners and unskilled. as we'll as
Americans and skilled, were Identical
that there should be one great union and
a place for every worker in the indus
trial organization. The idea carried like
wildfire, as it has in other industries.
Right or wrong, it was ray of hope
to thousands of neglected, underpaid
and overworked human beings.
Another charge brought by the
progressives was that the skilled
craft unions, strongly organized.
could make advantageous bargains
with the equally strong employers as
sociations and mulct the public. That
is the union, having a monopoly on
labor. could force up wages; and the
employees, having monopoly on the
industry, could force up prices-andthe
public would have to pay. And the
worst feature of all in this system,
as the great masses of workers are
now suddenly discovering, is that the
public" is made Up very largely of