The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-06-09
DEMANDS
IRE PRESENTED
At CONVENTION



similar to the Kansas industrial
court measure, to Unrestricted i'm
migration and to the use OF injunc-
don proceedings in strikes was
contained in . set of demands"
which Samuel Gompers. and Mat
thew A. Woll Of the American Fed
GRAFTON Of Labor, submitted today
to the resolutions committee of the
Republican national committee.
Legislation which proposes to
make strikes unlawful or to COM
pei the wage earners to submit
their grievances or aspirations to
courts or government agencies. is
an invasion Of the rights OF the
wage-earners and makes for in
dustrial serfdom and slavery" the
statement said, regarding the Kan
sas law.
Labor pledged itself. 1t added. to
uphold the federal law protecting
its rights against "unwarrantable
issuance of writs of Injunction,
either prohibitory or mandatory" !"
ut Is essential" continued the
statement, that additional legisla-
ton regulating immigration should
be enacted based on two fundamen-
tai priciples. namely, that the how
Of immigration must not at any
time exceed the nations ability to
assimilate and Americanize for
eigners coming to our shores, and
that at no time shall immigration
be permitted when there exists an
appreciable degree Of unemploy-
ment.
The Other Demands.
Other demands included:
!. Immediate relief from high cost
of living; extension Of the farm
loan act to credit properly organ
lied cooperatives: q monthly state
ment by the department Of labor
on the manufacture cost Of staple
articles; prompt federal investiga-
tion Of profits and prices and the
making accessible of all income
and other tax returns; observance.
enforcement and extension sof,~the
federal maximum eight-hour law
in all civil departments Of the gov
ernment; revision Of the federal
compensation law to care for those
not reached by state laws as well
as sufferers from industrial acci-
dents and occupational diseases; !;
exclusion from interstate commerce
of convict. labor products: repeal
of the labor provisions Of the
Esch- Cummins law; direct election
Of federal judges for terms not ex-
ceeding six years, and action to
! prevent federal legislation being
, held unconstitutional.
The statement also declared
against the use of force by the
United States in Mexico to COM
pei Mexicans to meet the demands
Of persons who purpose to "ex-
plot" Mexico's resources.
Mr.. Gompers vigorously de-
nounced certain provisions of both
the Esch- -Cummins railroad bill
and the Kansas law as attempts to
take from ''laborinng people the
| right Of owership of themselves, u
and added that strikes could not
be prevented in this way"
Even in slavery times" he add
ed, "the slaves took chance. and
you are not going to stop strikes.
You are not going to prevent men
from having hopes and aspirations
Of brighter and better day. This
| is not . threat; 1t is q statement
of fact"
No Excuse for Laws.
Mr.. Gompers further declared
that there was no excuse at this
time for such laws, because the
country was prosperous and Amer
ican labor was producing more in
dividually and collectively than any
working people on earth. II the
country were commercially bank
rupt, he added, there might be an
excuse for IAN extraordinary con-
| dition of affairs and means to meet
them"
A large crowd, including William
Jennings Bryan and q score OF SEN
ators and representatives, heard
Mr.. Compers. Senator Watson,
who had been absent from the
chair, resumed it to hear him.