Evening journal., 1920-11-13
ELECTION BLOW
FOR GOMPERS
Collapse of His Campaign
Plans May Undermine
His Prestige
LABOR LOST ALMOST
ALL ITS BIG FIGHTS


The prestRe OF Samuel Gompers, vet |
Gran president OF the American Fed !
Grafton OF Labor. and may prove en- |
barrassing 10 him In his EFFORT 10 keep !
his hand upon hc vast body OF men |
for whom NJ is the spokesman
Notwithstanding Mr.. Gompers' claim
OF a few days ago that labor had de-
fealed no less than. "hfiy-timo serv-l
er-n in the last election. the American
Federation lost virtually every impor-
iani fight II made. beginning with
Governor Cox and extending down the
line.
'The RESULTS OF the campaign do not,
OF course. represent a defeat fer an
labor. since the heavy Republican
vote in almost every industrial ccnier
shows clearly that tens or thousands
OF union WOrkingmen, as we'll as nom
union workers. disregarded the ilat or
their leaders and voted for Harding
and Coolidge.
But these suits represent defeat
FOR The political chiefiains OF labor,
the head OF whom is Mr.. G0mpers. 10
was he who created labOr's nOn-par-
lisan" committee and presided over
g. 10 was he who appeared upon the
hustings and advised his followers TO
support Governor Cox. The blacklist
~ candidates for the House and sen
ate was made up IN The national head
quarters Of the American fcderltion
in this City
Mr.. Gompers has Indicated that half
hundred men whom he and hi5 as
sociates opposed went into the dis
card a week ago. but 70 Is regarded
as significant here that he has not
called the names OF these men, al
lhourh a scOrs Or more or newspaper
correspondents have requested. that
they be ldc public.
So far as the surface is concerned,
labor has very little 10 how for The
lenOris put forth In the campaign. lis
candidate for the Presidency went
down under an avalanche OF V0ie5. \
House and Senate, both overvlie'lm-
ingly Republican, have been elected,
and almost ey'ry man AGAINST whom
/ The G0mpcrs nDnpartisan committee
Iarrayed itself has been returned 10
/ iCOngress with an increased majority.
There may be many rand dates. or
/ course. who were not conspicuous
figures. whom organized labor Killed
on. but 10 Is certainly true that In
the most important contests Mr.. Com
pers and his political organizers were
Unsuccessful.
I'm this connection. the case Of Gov
lernor Henry J. Allen. OF Kansas, IS
lparticularly interesting. As the a0thOr
land foremost ch ampiOn OF the Kan
sas Ind1atria Court, he was more
bitterly assailcd by organized labor
than any other candidate In the coun-
try, none excepting senator Hard ns
Ian The forces OF labor were thrown
inio the fight against him. and al one
time csPtain OF The Governors friends
were apprehensiVe for the outcome.
But Allen was reelected by ma
iol-ity siughtly IN excess or tOoUuO
lie was voted for by Democrats and
Republicans alike, who did not pro
} pos. 90 eee him driven from public
life because Of his program for indus
trial peace In his state.
natOr Cummins. or Iowa, also wa.
marked for defeat lic was mo-
: frOwnsd upon so much, because ol
; lhis authorship OF the railroad re0r'
ranization bill as because OF his plan
} for the compulsory arbitration or Ia
Thor disputes. a plan which failed ol
/ enactment. but for which, Mr. Cum
! lmins never made an apology. Th'
labor politicians employed every pos.
, lsiblc means OF preventing his return
I TO iho senate. but ne, too. was re-
elected by decisive majority.
NJ Likewise Senators Curtis, or Nan
sas: Wadsworih, OF New York. an(
B7andegas, % Connecticut, were black
p listed for their votes on the are ira
I ion section q he Cummins-Esci
lhiu. but in each instance they Wer
. re-elccied by heavy maioriiics. sen
aior Watson, Of Indiana, was. anotne
s. Ion that list, as was spencer, uf Mis-
souri,. and LenrOOl, OF Wisconsin. Ip
3 | light against Lenroot was particularly
-lhilter but ne won even with hi
party split against him
In the House. Representative Escl
Z was defeated in the primaries by
! combination between labor and tn
liza Toilette forces. Wlflc the Con
a | gressman's fri nds insist mat labo
- played only - minor part In the con
lest, The primary result undOuDledl
was a labor victory, potential. II no
= But labor gained mighty little b
q Mr.. Esch's defeat. lie Will be sue
lceeded as chairman Of the House Com
> lmi.icc on Interstate and Foreign Com
% Inn rec by Representative WinsloW, o
lMassachus rs. a wealthy manufac
!, turer and man who voted for a IA
stronger anti-slriko prov son in ill
I railroad bin that Mr.. Esch was viii
!, ing 70 stand for.
Representative Stanley Webster. q
4 washington. who offered a straight
u out antistrikc provision in the bill.
~ provision which Mr. Esch rcicctc,
u and who. therefore. incurred the hos
!, lirily OF labor On a most violent form
IL was re- lected by a large majority.
- Mr.. Blanton, OF Texas. the chi,
~ labor "baiier" in the House and th
y ut. aversion OF Mr.. GOmpers, was r,
u nominated and reelected, wherea
Representative sims, OF TennesSe
'e Who was auihor Of the Plumb bi
Ze plan. was defes ed for ranOfhinaiion
. As II appears TO the casual observe
pr labor derives very little comfort frOl
'r lhe elections just held. .llso IL Is moi
8, apparent now than ever before ihl
mo labor vote is not deliverable eh
te mcni. Some OF them may be intll
ne need by their leaders, but the gre
bulk OF them go their own way