The Connecticut labor news., 1921-02-25
CONFERENCE AT
(Continued from First Page.)

grafton, which has added to the con fusion and given employers an addition al weapon in their efforts to reduce the American standard of living" Enactment by congress of d law de Claring that labor organizations are not partnerships" and shall not be so treated III law or equity" is demanded | by organized labor i'll a declaration of principles adopted Wednesday by rep resentatives of the National and Inter national unions affiliated i'll the Amer ican Federation of Labor. The decar- ation, approved after an all-day con-
 ference at which Samuel Gompers, president of the federation, presided, also called for the immediate restara- tion of exemption from, or the repeal of all anti-combination and so-called conspiracy laws" Organized labor in the declaration set forth at length the principles for which it stands and calls upon the people of the United States to rally with labor, to the defense of our imperiled American institutions.'
 Employers are warned in the declar- ation that labor mot only insists upon retaining the present standard of wages and working conditions but declares its solemn purpose to continue its struggle to further improve those standards"
 lC QCCldI dllOll IIldTStQ some en- p1oyers" in the United States with sup porting "at times in secret" some of the ''insidious propaganda of radical Euro | pean fanatiCism' because of their com mon antagonsm to the trade move | ment.'
 Repeal by the states of all industrial court laws and all restrictive and cOerclve laws, was demanded, together with freedom from decisions of court holding trade unions and individual members thereof liable in damages for the unlawful acts of others"
 Other recommendations made by the conference Ill the declaration include:
 Prohibition of immigration for a period of not less than two years.
 More general application of the in itiative and referendum in the political affairs of the United States and of the states.
 Removal of the power of courts to declare unconstitutional laws enacted by congress.
 Election of judges
 Restoration of an adequate federal employment service.
 Administration of credit as a public trust in the interest of all the people.
 Investigation by congress of the activ- ities of private detective agencies i'll the HcIu OI ulQuSCTldl T6ldt1OnS.
 We call for united support in the protection of standards of wages and conditions already gained" the dec1ar- ation added, 'and we summon the work CTS to continued efforts to increase the | consuming power, raise the standards ] and improve the conditions Of life and | work"
 The "open shop" movement was de- | clared to be a campaign for a ''shop l that shall be closed to union workers, 1 and primarily a campaign designed to l destroy trade unions and to break down 1 and eliminate the whole principle of 1 collective bargaining"
 Alleged interruptions financial specu- i lat1on and .profteering was vigorously | denounced in the declaration 1
 It IS astounding but true," the ] declaration continued, that even after 1 so great lapse of time since the end l ing of hostilities there Is, so far as the l average family is concerned, practically l no reduction in the high cost of living. It IS admitted freely that i'll some com | modities there has been no appreciable l reduction in the retail prices at which l the working people must make their | purchases.
 We declare again that the govern ment has been and continues inpotent ! ln the face of criminal operations of | prohteers." The present state of unemployment described as "depriving fully three and one-half million workers of the oppor- tunity to earn living" was declared l to be due to the "rnal-administration of l industry and principally and primarily because of the studied and calculated l arbitrary policies of reactionary em- ployers."
 Every reduction of wages is a re- duction in the consuming power of the wage earners," 1t was stated, and a direct blow at the prosperity and we'll being of the cOuntry.'
 Through the establishment of indus trial courts the employers were charged with seeking to inject into American l industrial life device through which they may annul constitutional guaran- tees and deprive workers of freedom and of the right to function through their oranizations."
 It should be the purpose of the gov ernment to properly stimulate our ir- dustr1al processes" continued the docr- ment. It should be the purpose of gov ernment to make voluntary negotiations more easily entered into.'
 The conference also asked for public support and recognition of:
 ne rlght ot the working people Ot the United States to organize into trade unions for the protection of their rights and interests
 The right to and practice of co1lec- tive bargaining by trade unions through representatives of their own choosing.
 The right to work and to cease work 
 The declaration in conclusion urged enactment of federal legislation which shall protect the workers in their or ganized capacity against the concept that there is property right in the labor of a human being"
 A proposal that there be included i'll the declaration a demand upon congress for the repeal of the Volstead act was declared to be out of place in such a document