Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-21
HOT At TACKs
ON A, I. Of |.
STIR LEADERS
Gornpers and Morrison
Show Unusual Activ-
ity Addressing People.
Producers Consumers
Coop. Bank With
500. 900, 900, Plan.
BY HARDEN COLFAx
Special Correspondent Of The Tribune

Copyright 1921, by The Tribune.
Washington, March 2O.-Attacks on
the American Federation Of Labor
from within and from without, led on
the one hand by the more radical fac
ton in labor which is dissatisfied with
the leadership of Samuel Gompers, and
on the other by the powerfully financed
and strongly organized open shop cor
porations, is stimulating the fedora
ton to unwonted activity and labor or
ganizations to new experiments design.
ed to place greater economic power in
the hands of the working men.
The federation itself is undertaking,
~ a result Of the recent conference
to place its point of view before the
public and men prominent in the labor
movement, notably Mr.. Gompers and
Frank Morrison, secretary of the fed
Grafton, are being sent on speaking
tours to address mass meetings in the
larger cities.
Large Meetings Arranged.
Large meetings are being arranged
throughout the country in connection
with the views of the official spokes-
men of organized labor on such topics
of the day as the openshop, or "Amer-
lean plan," the situation in the packing
plants, labor's defiance of injunctions
and the railroad problem may be pre-
scented. Among labor organs generally.
however, the present is being taken as
a time Of experiment along lines des-
ignated to protect the economic in
terests of the workmen. An ambitious
project of this character is that to
establish the producers and consumers
cooperative bank, which aims to Gre
ate branches in many important cities
and which hopes to raise for all the
banks a capital of $1OO,O0O,OO0 among
the labor union members of the coun-
try. =
Philadelphia, with the establishment
there Of bank having a capitalization
Of $5,OOO,OOO. The central labor union
of Philadelphia has Endorsed the plan.
and shares Of stock are being sold at
$50 each.
Trustees to Run Bank.
The idea is to conduct the bank
through trustees under the dictation OF
trusted employees, not interests Of a
corporation. Wheaton Barker, at one
time prominent in the Populist move
ment, is one Of the promoters Of the
plan. The object of starting in Phila-
deiphia is to report to widest possible
circles of working men and it is eas-
timated that industrial plants nearby
that city bring larger number
Of working men in a radius than 81
most any where else. Plan has not
received the official approval of the
federation, although the international
Association of Machinists has taken
the lead in banking organization
through obtaining control Of two large
banks here in Washington.
The railroad organizations have long
been at work on a plan to establish
bank in Cleveland in order to make full
use Of the $40 100000 Of available as
sets the railroad brotherhoods are SAID
to possess, and unions in many parts of
the country invested funds in the State
Bank Of North Dakota because they
did not wish to have their money used
in loans to 'open shop employers.
This growing "class consciousness
on the part of labor is the cause OF
the discomfort with the policies Of Mr.
Gompers. The men opposed to him
admit that for 20 years or more there
was been much talk Of throwing
Gompers out at each of the con7en-
tons Of the federation but they also
say that labor has rarely. in this corin-
try been in more perilous position
than now, and they contend that the
.Gompers' regime is mainly responsible.
Labor in Europe, it is pointed out. is
much stronger than before the war.
but here a relentless war is being
waged against organs of employees. and
so effectively. that unions are really
seriously threatened in many places. A
more definite and conservative pro-
gram is essential say the opponents OF
Mr. Gompers, to effective leadership
of trade union movement.