The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-18
bTEPS BEING TAKEN
 ID OPURGE. LABOR OF RADICAL LEADERS
Executive Council Determined
 to Deal EmphaticaIIy With Attempts of Reds to Bore From Within
By Associated Press

k# rect steps to eliminate radicatism |# iron, any control in organized la SH box and to meet the menace of i'm "A ercasing unemployment are being 1T taken by the American Federation zH of Labor through its executive 3X council in session here.
 ;E Already a decisive victory over radi- lzsal elements within the organization lInas been achieved at one point and the iIkar reaching nature of the conferences llPf the council for the past week, deal |Ikng with economic problems. appeared |tkonight to foreshadow some ;4ction looking to closer cooperation bet tWeen labor and capital to meet unemploy- ment.
 I Conservative leaders in the federa- ' tion have pounded away on the radical I *Iquestion for several months, insisting Hon a more determined stand by the ocn- |1ltrolling body, but reports of increasing ' Unemployment have now brought that
 subject into a position of equal imoor- #tance.
 8 Although leaders were reticent today, Hit developed that there was a feeling
  N that it should deal emphatically with i the attempts of radicals to bore from 4 within. They were said to feel that q Hconservatism must characterize labo-'s | leadership.
 m This sentiment was based on two ' premises: First, that organized labor Ii cannot hope to exert great power in Y ensuing years if it's foundations are
 weakened by the permeation of certain
 I< vi 1r,1 fl tt,fa next administration will be cons svva- live. As to the latter, it was said in YEome quarters labor could gain little Xfrom the new Congress unless it estlb- Hlished policies of a conservative nature.
 ERVATIYES SHOW STRENGTCON
 In the reorganization of the com.1it- 1 tee to unionize the steel workers, the conservative element showed its strength. It eliminated from the com- rnittee John J. Fitzpatrick, chairman. and William z. Foster, secretary, both of whom participated in the direction of the steel strike last winter around which clustered intimated and out spoken radicalism Fitzpatrick was re- placed by M. F. Tighe, recognized conservative in labor policies, and Fos> ', ter gave place to J. G. Brown, slso a known conservative.
 President Gompeis of the federation has declared against the unrestricted admission of radicals from Europe on several occasions. and the federation itself Is having no intercourse with foreign labor groups of radical turn. Fedora ton leaders expect to go before congressional leaders at every oppor- tunity to check the rush of immi g.a n ts from the radical sections of Europe and Asia. Increased restrictions will be urged, 1t was said.
 Immigration also has bearing on the question of unemployment, recognized by
 the labor men to be increasing at a rapid
 rate. The situation was characterized by
 several labor officials today as somewhat
 alarming and they felt that the council
 should take steps to deal with it. Con-
 tinued admission of immigrants thous-
 ands of whom are without skill or trade
 was regarded as only adding fuel to the
 fire ip the face of an already menacing
 condition.
 ! RAY ROLL DECREASES SHOWN
 The department of labor made public today statistics showing that during Oc- / tober there were decreases in the num-
 Der of employees in ten industrial plants
 as compared with October a year ago.
 while only four plants had enlarged pay
 rolls Although the number of reporting |. concerns was small, officials accepted the N figures as indicating the trend. N It was declared that the real reduc- x tons in employees, particularly in the tex-
 tile industry. had become of importance
 only this fall and reports obtained by va-
 rfoas branches of the government were
 said to indicate further decreases in
 scores of thece plants.
 There was no indication as to means
 which may be adopted by labor to reach
 common ground with capital on the
 subject of the radicals. It may be, how
 ever, that pressure against the radicals
 would be exerted by refusing sanction to
 their strikes, Unless grounds for the
 walkout are uncompromising, according
 to the labor heads. It was regarded cer-
 tain, however, that employees and em-
 ployers would be able to get together
 on specific problems when such present
 themselves.
 Speakers in the executives council con
 ference continue to blame capital for au
 tccratic and in some cases inefficient
 management The council was described,
 however as proceeding towards the es-
 tablishment of a policy which employers
 might indorse should unemployment
 compel labor to ask for jobs rather than
 ssk what the employer will pay.
 The number of men and women with
 cut work now was said to point to a
 reduction in the number of controversies
 between labor and capital this winter.
 While labor officials refused to admit
 existence of the situation, government
 data reported an evident desire amonS
 more workers to retain their places on
 the pay roll.