The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-06-18
DEMAND
PLATFORM
ENDORSE
Two Million Organized Rail.
road Workers to Ask for
Government Owner
ship.
A. F. 1oF L. CONVENTION
Chief Business Today is Election Of
Officers With Gompers to be
Reelected Almost
Certain.
A. F. 1OF L. CONVENTION
By Ralph F. Couch, United Press

by Ralph F. Couch, United Press
! Staff Correspondent
MONTREAL, June 1S.-lndorse-
ment of government ownership OF
railroads with democratic operation
will be demanded of the democratic
platform at San Francisco by two
imillion organized railroad workers,
President Heberling, of the switch
mems union. announced here To-Day.
; Heberling is one of the leaders of
the railroad group which yesterday
forced Endorsement of government
ownership from the annual conven-
Ition of the American Federation OF
Labor here over the protest of Pres1-
dent Samuel Gompers.
i The action of the railroad group IN
putting their program up to the
democratic platform committee v1rru-
ally means asking the democratic
party to indorse the Plumb plan for
tri-partite control of railroad opera
! tion by the public, government and
workers. ., 81,
| Backed as we are by the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, as result
Iof the overwhelming majority it gave
our plan yesterday, it is difficult to
! imagine that the democratic party
can deny u.s." said Heberling.
| VIM. j. Bryan has pledged his sup
port to the plan, Heberling said
! Heberling added that should the
democrats refuse Endorsement, as
sis tance will be sought from the
! labor party which is. scheduled 70
hold it's nominating convention in Chi
cago July II.
| Organized labor of the United
States now is rapidly plunging into
militant policy OF active partic1pa-
ton in politics, it is strongly indi-
Gated at this convention. The trend
is all towards party affiliation as op-
posed to the non-partisan particfpa-
ton advocated by Samuel Gompers.
Election of officers, scheduled for
i2:30 p. m, is the most important
work to be undertaken by the con-
,vention today
| Reelection Of Gompers by acclama-
tion seemed certain.
Secret Meeting Called.
! MONTREAL, June 1S.-President
Samuel Gompers at noon today called
a secret meeting of the executive
council of the American Federation
of Labor in annual convention here.
L
to lay before the council the question
of whether he should run for re-elec-
tion as president.
Members of the council were under
TODD to be unanimous for Gompcrs
to accept reelection.
The election was scheduled as the
first business of the afternoon ses.
sion.
OIL 1T 70
ally by acclamation, the convention
ndicated late yesterday.
No delegate has planned to run
a gainst Gompers, SO far as could be
learned up to noon today.
Everybody is for him, strong" said
President John L. Lewis, Of the
United Mine Workers.
Some delegates planned to force
the nomination and election Of Comp
ers. even if he declines TO run again.
The question of the election OF
eight vice presidents was expected to
precipitate a hot fight in the conven.
tfon. This also was to be taken UP
by the executive council.
Gompers has been head of the fed
Grafton for fortyeight years. He was
defeated for reelection in 1894, bur
went back to his original trade OF
cigar making and IN 1895 was again
elected.
Misfortune struck the veteran labor
leader in the past year Death took
his wife and aged father.
A year ago Gompers' daughter died.
Gompers is in his seventy-frst year.
He celebrated his last birthday m
January by spending the entire day
at his desk.