The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1920-06-09
FEDERATION MEETS
IN M 0 N T r E AL

tempt to enfoUce compulsory labor
by making strikes unlawful must be
resented at all costs, Samuel Gompers,
I president Of the American Federation
Of Labor, declared today in his address
at the opening of the federation's
fortieth annual convention.
have no fear as to what the re-
suits will be-" he said. GAS long as
| have life. and my mind is not i'm
paired, | shall stand for the right of
the men and women toilers of the
world to be free, untrammeled and I'M
owned by any force"
Denunciation of Bolshevism, profit
eering, the action of the United States
Government in invoking the food con-
troll law against the late miners
strike, and the failure of the Ameri-
can congress to take action to con-
troll the cost of living, are among the
outstanding features Of the annual
report of the executive council Of the
federation presented today to the
convention.
With the councils review of organ
lied labor's position and activities for
the last year was also presented "a
specific programme for remedy
The Cummings railroad law was de-
nounced, as was the Kansas law cs-
tablshing the court Of industrial rela-
tions. The high cost of living was
laid largely at the door of "big prof
iteers," while the report declared that
the United States Government, prin-
cipalIy through the Department of
Justice, "has conducted campaign of
stupidity"
Congress was assaiied for cutting
appropriations designed to carry on
the work of the collateral branches Of
the Department of Labor and Tor va
rious proposals, such as the sedltion
bill, which the report says the labor
movement was instrumental in
defeating.
In its references to the foreign field,
the report denounced what it charac-
terized as propaganda for American
Intervention in Mexico, and declared
that the executive council sees mo
justification for interferences," which
it argues would be in the interest "of
the exploitation of its workers and its
boundless wealth of oil and minerals.
The United States Steel Corpora
tion was assailed for it's refusal to
deal with the labor organizations in
the recent unsuccessful strike, and
the authorities of Boston also were
denounced for their attitude in the
celebrated strike Of policemen in that
city.
The workmen of Canada were con-
graduated for defeating the zone big
union" idea, and their stand was Char
acterized as "a magnificent triumph
for trade unionism and a vindication
of the purposes, policies and achieve
ments of the American Federation of
Labor"
The industrial conferences called by
President Wilson were characterized
as unsuccessful because "the employ
ers stubbornly resisted every attempt
at conciliation," and would not accept
any resolution on collective bargain
ing unless it was so worded as to be
anti trade union in spirit and to pro
vide encouragement and support for
company unions" The machinery
proposed by the second conference the
report attacks as in many respects
actually pernicious,' and it declares
that "the machinery designated by the
presidents commission is entirely out
of contact with the life for which it
was designated, and entirely untitled
for the needs of that life"
Existing machinery, the report de-
clares, lis superior in every respect.
AS programme of Specific rem
edy" for existing conditions, the coun-
ellis report proposes the following:
1--WE demand that the United States
Government be authorized to buy
standard commodities direct from the
producers and that these commodities
be distributed through regular retail
channels at retail price to be fixed
by the government. We demand that
this power be made use of as a cor
receive for profiteering, and we call
attention to the fact that the govern
ment has established precedent for
such action in its sales of surplus war
supplies. We demand that the United
States Government, through the In
ternal Revenue Department, ascertain
the amount of excessive war profits
extorted from the American people
during the years 1860, and that
these excessive war profits be taken
through its taxing power by the fed
eral government and applied to the
extinguishment of the floating debt of
the government and to the partial re-