The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-11-20
SAM G0MPERS HARD hit
BY THE Big LANDSLIDE
Played the Democrat In Name of Non
Partisanship and Loses Prestige
In Labor Movement.

Washington. = Probably no man in
public life has received such a COM
plete reputation and such severe
bolw to his personal prestige from the
defeat Of Governor Cox Is Samuel
Gompers. president of the American
Federation of Labor.
At first pretending to hold the labor
movement aloof from partisanship, he
declared against the formation of
national labor party. He did every
thing possible to kill it when its lead
ers met in Chicago to form platform
and name a candidate Then he did
what he has always done heretofore
an dwhat he was expected to do again.
He came out with a partisan"
statement in the American Fedora
zionist for Cox and the entire Demo-
cratic tickeet. As Democrat, he had
swallowed the league of nations hook,
line and sinker, just as President VIII
son had brought 1t back from Yer
sailles. The fact that the President
had helped to nullify the labor bill of
rights so as to change 1t from labor
is not a commodity or article OF COM
merce" to labor is not merely a COM
modify or article of commerce" made
no difference to him. And the fact
that Senator Cummins, of Iowa, had
originated this principle of law made
no difference. Cummins is Repub-
lican, and that was enough; he must
be blacklisted and punished.
What is the net result of Gompers'
political efforts in the interests of the
Democratic party? Cummins was re-
elected by two to one vote in Iowa.
Watson of Indiana. Moses of New
Hampshire. Brandegee of Connecticut,
and Wadsworth of New YorY, whom
he had particularly inveighed against,
were reelected by tremendous major
tiles. Cox was smothered. In a state
ment Gompers now says that the cleo
ton is mot satisfactory in every re-
spect" and deplores the plunge to-
ward reaction. But Democracy will
right itself at the proper time"
For Gompers personally the defeat
Of Con means the end of the veteran
labor leaders ascendency over the De
partment of Labor Not only has his
son been chief clerk of the department
as the eye of his father there, but he
has at all times had the ear of the
President and has dominated the en-
tire organization, including Assistant
Secretary Louis F. Post. In doing sc
he has been bitter against the Repub-
lican party, bitter against the Repub-
lican Congress, and, as is generally
recognized, unfair in his attitude to-
ward the good things done by them.
Consequently, he will have less in
fiuence with the ne administration
than with any in the thirty years he
had headed the labor movement. He
can no longer dictate, and the good In
fiuence he might have exerted he has
largely lost because he had utilized
his Office as a Democratic politician
and with an incoming Republican ad-
ministration he must go out too.
The passing Of the influence OF
Gompers. however. will have a benefl-
cial effect upon the labor movement in
general, not because Of its passing
but because the Republican admin
istration will reorganize the Labor
Department so as to stamp out Of il
Socialism and other radicalism and SC
as to make 1t such an organ Of real
benefit to labor In fighting its battles
for it that 1t will gain the confidence
of laboring men everywhere for its
fairness and usefulness. The depart.
ment was organized under an act
passed during the last year of the Taf
administration and the Wilson admin.
istration was the first to organize It
William d. Wilson has been secretar,
Of It for eight years and Louis +. Pos
has been assistant secretary of II tina
long. Most OF that time II has beer
considered dead letter. The new ad
minlstratlon proposes TO put new IN,