Norwich bulletin., 1921-06-18
A. F. OF L. PLEDGES SUPPORT
 TO PACKING HOUSE WORKERS

Denver, June 1.-The American Fed eration of Labor in convention today un- animously pledged it's support to the packing house workers of the country in the.r fight against further wage reduc- tions
 The Big Five" packers were condemn ed fer attempting to reduce almost a million workers and all their dependenS to a degrading state of poverty with all its attendant deprivations" and thus cause an unfortunate condition that be- cause of its far reaching results will al so impede the progress of the nation
 Copies of the resolution were ordered submitted to President Harding, Secre- tary of Labor Davis, Secretary of Com morce Hoover, Secretary of Agriculture Wallace, Senator Kenyon and other leg islatlve representatives interested in tue packing industry and the packers.
 In making an appeal for organized la bor to keep up it's fight to free Thomas Mooney and Warren k. Billings, con victed in connection with the San Fran cisco Preparedness Day bomb plot, John Mooney told the convention that these men were kept in prison by "crimi- l nal conspiracy on the part of the state of California"
 The speaker, a brother of Thomas Mooney, said that the chamber of com- ce of San Francisco had engineer ei this conspiracy" He also mentioned two United States senators one of whom he accused of having c0I:lr. .buted one i thousand dollars "p blood mo..ey to aid the conspiracy" The otker, he said, go. ten thousand dollars for coercing a witness in the Mooney case.
 Interest in whether John L. Lewis, the president of the United Mine Work ! al | Gompers for reelection, continued at high pitch today.
 Lewis continued to maintain silence but it was learned that he mad estab- | llshed headquarters at a local hotel where representatives of the mine workers from all sections of the country were gathering. Practically all the exc cutive. board members of the organiza- | tjor were reported to be ln the city. That the mine worke"s' allegation is split on the candidacy of Lewis was learned tonight when Frank Harrington president of the Illinois distric. of Mine | Workers announced that Ee would not support the miners chief. He also de- clareG that two other delegates were against Lewis and would cast their votes against him if he decided to run. An interesting sidelight on the possi- | ble election contest developed today with | the arrival of J. B. Clinedinst, of New port News, Virginia, representing the Virginia State Federation of Labor He said that he had been sent here by his federation to cast its single vote for MT Gompers.
 The Virginia Federation, Clinedinst sad originally decided not to send a delegate because of the expense. When newspaper reports reached she organi za'l Ions officials that Gompcrs might bt opposed he said they instructed me tc reach Denver as quickly as possible with the lone vote of Virginia.
 The Federation also received a mess age from the Washington, |. C., Cen. tral Labor Council urging the re-elec ton of President Gompers as a reply tc the outside influences that are attempt ing to disrupt the labor movement ant endeavoring to undermine and destroy | it's leaders"