The Washington times., 1920-12-31
LABOR FACING
/. BIGGEST FIGHT.
-GOMPERS
Workers Challenged by Forces
of Greed and Reaction,
Says A. F. L. Head.
BY MILDRED. MORRIS,
International News Service.

Labor faces year OF solemn
portent," Samuel Gompers declared
today, discussing the outlook for the
New Year.
But" warned the veteran head
OF the American Federation of Labor
''let it be repeated upon every oc-
casion TO those who seek to 90 back
ward, to those who seek by reduc-
ton of wages, by antagonism to the
unions, or by whatever means to re-
, store the weakening grip OF autoc-
racy in industry, there must be and
there will be every possible legiti-
mate opposition on the part OF
Labor.
MUST MEET CHALLENGE.
THE great forces of reaction. OF
greed. Of organized plutocracy have
thrown their challenge into the
arena. This challenge is backed by
power. No meckncss of spirit, no
smiling countenancc of moderation
Will serve To meet this brutal chal-
lenge. For this horr there Is need
ed the stern spirit. tn" set features.
the earnest will of fghting men"
TO the workers. the Nestor of the
American labor movement issued
| this new year message:
I'm this hour give hope TO hu-
| manity, give strength to tho cause
Of freedom. Crit your teeth and
| rCsniZc,
l Labor organized rs invinciblc BE
! linvincible' In defense of liberty
and justice, freedom and democracy,
be unbeatable. At this hour OF his
toric progress. when the enemies of
desperate effort against progress.
81 ould working people submit? NO
A thousand times, no."
Not one danger. but several, con-
front American labor, Gompcrs said.
"Wc have lived through a year OF
tremendous events he said. and
we face a year Of solemn portcnt.
REACTION THREATENS.
During the year that is to come.
tho issue, boiled down to it's essence,
will be progress against reaction.
At tho close of 1920. the American
Federation of Labor is an organiZa-
tion of 100000 of men and women.
| II is an organization OF fighting
spirit, ready for the struggle ahead.
I'VE find at this moment not one
danger, but several Centcred in a
propaganda which is profitable to
| those who conduct il. there is a
movement under way to break down
the organizations of workers through
the establishment OF the Eon-union
shop, miscallcd by its sponsors the
open shop.
This movement has for its aims
the destruction OF labors voice, the
destruction Of joint relations between
workers and employers, the destruc-
| ton of the whole structure of col
lectivc bargaining and joint agree
ments, which has brought so much of
democracy into the Industrial life OF
our people.
There is also the effort to carry
the affairs of industry into the realm
of politics through the establish
ment of the various kinds of Gov
ernmentai tribuncS and boards
which aim to make real collective
bargaining Impossible and to make
the relations between workers and
employers an endless litigation, the
lconsequenCc of which would prove a
disa ster OF the first magnitude.
UNEMPLOYMENT PERIL.
added to this is the heartless ten
dcncy of many powerful employing
interests to reduce wages and stop
the wheels of production entirely in
many cases, resulting in great unem-
ployment.
These are all issues that are be-
fore the workers of America. They
are. in fact. issues that are before
the whole people, but they arc of pri-
mary concern to the workers because
they mean to the workers everything
that makes for life and liberty in a
democracy"