Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-05-24
AN vERTURN IN
CONGRESS NEXT
NOVEMBER ASKS
THE A. F. Of |.
GomperS IndiCtS Lawmakers
Executive Department for
Incompetence on Cost Of
Living Issue, II
MUST DEFEAT FOES
AND ELECT FRIENDS
Cites Statistics to Show
That Corporation Profits
Are Abnormal, PreSCribes
Necessary Remedies,

sT "oRhiha JOURNAL SPECIAL LEAsEo wiRu,
Washington, May 23 (by the As
sociated Press.) The American
Federation Of Labor has issued its
expected call to the electorate for
AN oNerturn in congress"
Under the signature of President
Samuel Gompers, the current issue
of the American Federationist, the
official organ, carries an indict-
ment Of congress and the executive
departments for "incompetence on
the cost of living issue" and out.
ming a program of deep cutting
measures" declares:
There must be an overturn in
congress-. Enemies must be de-
featcd; friends must be selected"
Presenting an itemized list Of
corporation profits, similar to that
recently introduced in a speech by
senator Capper, of Kansas. Mr.
Gompers declares that while twenty
one enumerated corporations last
year received profits averaging AIS
per cent above normal. the average
cost OF living increased 90 per cant
and the average union wage 55 per
cent
The "deep cutting measures, :"
which Mr.. GOmpers writes will be
necessary ito guard the nations
distributing machinery against as
saults from the pirates of trade and
commerce" follow:
Immediate adjustment of wages
both in private employment and in
government service, to at least meet
the living costs that have out
stripped incomes by reason of this
era OF frenzied profiteering and
gambling
Immediate effective action to
prevent continued increases in the
cost of living.
IAN end to the kind of legislation
typified by the Esch-C -Cummins rail
road law and the Kansas court of
industrial relations law. There
must be an end of legislative re
preston, restriction and coercion
Not only must there he an end 10
the enactment Of legislation of this
character, but there must be a re-
peal of legislation already enacted
THE congress will do well to
give immediate and effective con-
sideration to the proposal of the
American labor movement that
control of credit capital be taken
from private financiers and placed
in the bands of a public trust To he
administered upon principles vol
untarv and cooperative in charac-
ter. This will strike a vital blow
toward eliminating the abuses of
profiteering and exploitation.
Congress should provide ir1mc-
diately for publicity for lnccme tax
returns.
"There must he Immediate steps
toward equalization of wages AMI
cost of living and effective steps to
prevent a new margin from replac-
ing the one to he dissolved This
means that there must he a per-
manent remedy for the high cost
of living"
"The working people of the Unit
ed States" continues Mr. Gompers.
are speaking in mandatory terms.
II those in control of the legislative
hestinles of the country 10 not un-
derStdnd the needs of the workers.
at least the workers themselves un-
derstand. They know tho restraint
which they have practiced. They
know the limit 10 their endurance.
Their dem ln'l - ho heard is n de-
mand which cnmnrphen Is tho vel
fare of tho country"
President Wilson proposed meas
ures for relief, Mr. Gompers writes.
but congress gave no heed" and
since the signing of the armistice.
the American political and indus
trial bourbons lad a source of
restriction and coercion"
The recent unsanctloned strike
of railway men, Mr.. Gompers char
acterizes as "a symptom of what is
the matter with America" Their
methods he deplores as foredoomed
to failure and in contravention Of
he discipline of the trades union
but, he argues, their
apneals for relief from increased
living costs were of long standing
and that they suffered postpone
ment after postponement"