The Washington times., 1920-06-28
LABOR ARRIVES.
W|TH15PO|NTS.
Gompers and Large Delegation
at San Francisco to Present
/ A. F. of L. Platform.
NJ WILLIAM G. SHEPPERD.
(wrtttea Exclusively fer the later
national News Servtce1


asttoaAI News service.)
SAN FRANCISCO. June 2s.-Into
the sunshine OF California. out OF the
wetness OF Montreal. have come Sam
uei Gompers and a delegation OF mas
ters OF labor. fresh from the Cana
dian convention OF American labor.
This Is how they stand In American
politics. with their 100000 votes, at
the opening OF the Democratic con-
vention:
The Republican convention in Chi
cago threw them down. They make
no bones about It. Out OF nfteen
proposals which Gompers made to the
platform committee. only one item
n plank against convict-made goods
entering into interstate commerce
was accepted.
They have come to San Francisco
to give the Democrats a chance to
accept the fifteen proposals. How
many OF these suggestions the union
leaders actually believe a political
party can accept is not known. but
the fact remains that Gompers him
! self. together with William Green.
/ secretary Of mine workers; and Mat
thew Wool. of the Supreme Labor
! Council, are here to demand that the
Democrats accept every item of the
fifteen.
LABOR SITUATION CRITICAL.
The labor situation is critical say
, the leaders. 1t may not seem at this
moment, during the excitement of the,
convention. a supreme issue. but dur
ing the struggle Of the campaign be-
tween the Republican and the Demo-
cratic candidates it may possibly ap-
pear a paramount question.
That the labor men are prepared to
be turned down by the Democrats was
apparent toda'. They are ready for
it. Though .ney appear to believe
that a turp down is out of the ques-
tion, they have learned enough pol
itics ~ appear to expect what you
kno'' you can't get.
y. talk with Matthew Woll, a leader
o the American Federation of Labor,
Indsomest and youngest of Americas
labor guides, member of the labor
delegation which walked out of
President Wilson's Industrial Con-
gress. justifes every statement above
as to labor's position in the political
situation.
BACKED BY PUBLIC.
1--WE think we've got the American
people behind u.s." said Woll. That
day Gompers and the rest of us got
up in Wilson's industrial Congress
and walked out Of the room. breaking
up the congress, we fully expected
that the whole American public would
blame us for our action. To our sur
prise we have discovered through the
Intervening months that the Amer
lean public supported us. We have
learned to place our trust in the
mine rum of Americans"
That the Republicans disappointed
the labor leaders at Chicago is a
statement Woll does not hesitate to
make.
I'VE have come to San Francisco"
he declared, "to ask that the Demo-
Gratis go further than the Republicans
to answer our proposals.
1.-The issue in the United States to-
day is that between the man and the
dollar. The Republican party at Chi
cago announced itself for the dollar
and for vested interest in capital. We
have come to San Francisco to ask
the Democrats to declare themselves
in favor of the man against the dol
lar. We have tried to put into fifteen
points the ideas which we have in
mind.
MAY VOTE FOR DEBs.
srf Democrats refuse to follow our
suggestions, then We'll know that the
two leading parties are against u.s."
The writer asked Woll what labor
would DO IL the Democrats followed
the Republican lead.
'History has shown said. that
swings toward extreme reaction such
as we are now experiencing in the
United States are always followed by
periods of radicalisrn.
'Tt Is difficult to predict what will
follow IL both the Democratic and
the Republican parties declare them
selves against the interests of or
ganized labor; but the time may come
when we shall find II necessary to
seek some other party. To say the
least, IL the Democrats go wrong, the
labor party will be partly split be-
tween the Republicans and the DEM
ocrats.
"And some of us may vote for that
man in Jail, Eugene V. Debs.
'NThere must be a party in the |
United States of some kind that will |
represent the ideas and needs OF the |
people who work and will respond. to |
their requests and necessities"