The Washington herald., 1921-06-20
Gompers Urges Alliance
To Fight Forces of
Reaction.
DECLARES A. F. OF L.
WORKS FOR IDEALS
Continues Efforts to Curb
Development of Radi-
calism.
Nv ROBERT ,. BENDER

Nv ROBERT ,. BENDER
DENVER Colo. June is.-The
time has come, in the opinion Oh
President Gompers Of the American
Federation Of Labor, for industrial
workers and farmers to stick to-
rether. Identical "enemies, ne
SAYS, are attempting to drive back
the positions attained by ootn
classes of producers, and closer
alliance and cooperation should be
established between them" for the
fight.
Gompers was presiding as chair
man over the convention Of LABOR
delegates here. a domain he has
ruled for nearly a score OF years
now, when / submitted some ques-
tions to him. Putting on one
sturdy black cigar after anotner'
he had been sitting there, hour
after hour, listening to the proceed
ings, now and then participating
IN them. keenly alert to any new
unexpected development from the
floor.
Considers Future Problems.
Now and then his eyes followed
the maneuvers OF friends of John
Lewis, who are trying to convince
the miners that he has chance to
beat Gorpers for the presidency.
But Lewis privately realizes and
admits that even IL he were a can
didate he couldn't beat the veteran
leader this year. so the bet Is now
that Lewis won't even attempt it.
Certainly Gompers and his friends
manifest not a shade OF concern
over the outlook. Rather. Gompers
acts and talks as IL his mind were
occupied entirely with the fedora
tion's future problems. This was
plainly shown in his answers to the
questions ! asked him.
Because Of the restiveness mani
Tested among farmers in the Middle
West asked Gompers IL he be-
heved the farmers should organize
with labor to a common end, and,
IL SO, whether any movement to
effect such a common force was in
prospect
Must Resist Reaction.
The same enemies" he replied,
that is the same type of enemies
that are attempting to stay the
progress of the American workers
in Industry are now seeking also to
drive back the advancement at
tanned by farmers in recent years.
workers in industry and toilers in
the neldS must seek closer relation
ship; they must have a closer alIi-
ance and cooperation to see that
we are not all crushed by reaction.
h.
to that end"
In response to a question Comp
ers replied:
We are never out of politics. we
are in politics now. but we have
never entered partisan politics. We
are not partisan to a particular
party. but partisan to a principle
the principle OF Justice. freedom and
humanity. And we are continuous
ly hghting and working in further
ance OF these principles and ideals"
Sees Threat to Labor.
Gompers has warned of what he
describes as a present day tendency
toward reaction. He says-it in
wolves a serious threat to the whole
labor movement. He sees il not
only in the business world but in
tion. For example. of President
Harding's proposal for a new de-
partment of public welfare, Conn
ers declared both to labor and IN
the farmers: "A drive is on to wine
out or weaken the Department of
Labor and to destroy the Depart
ment of Agriculture, the only two
government departments that repre-
sent all the producers of wealth
in this country. This is being done
under the pretense of trying to Gre
ate department of public welfare.
No one can tell were reaction leads"
A resolution will be adopted by
the convention opposing the pro-
posed welfare department. but in
the meantime. Gompers voice. the
oeltef that the present tendency to-
ward reaction will not long check
the labor movement
Moving Onward. He Say.
Ours is forward movement" he
SAID. even II we are halted for a
brief period. a period so brief as TO
De like shooting star on the hori-
zon Of industrial progress: we are
standing erect. moving onward and
upward"
and measures proposed to combat
the open-shop movement one might
be led to believe that this movement
was the greatest concern of organ
lied labor today. Yet Gompers in
response to the question, What do
you regard as labor's greatest prob
lem now?" replied:
TT Is internal not external Our
problem is to more thoroughly or
ganiZe the working people, to estab-
lish higher and better standards of |
life and work. 1t is vitality neces-
sary to overcome the misunder-
standings created and fostered by
an organized Misrepresentation of
the aims and purposes of the Amer
lean labor movement. We must
destroy the idea OF putting the dol
iar above humanitarianism in order
that the great and glorious institu-
lions of our country may not de-
cay"
Flights Labor Radicals.
The labor convention this wear
Is singularly free of the radicaIism
that has marked the two previous
ones. not even the question of Irish
freedom will develop into a serious
issue. The one big union idea did
not receive single vote. The sug-
CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE