The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-06-24
LEWIS BOOM SLUMP
Lady Workers Switch To
Samuel Gompers
BOTH SIDES FIGHT FAST
Supporters of Miners Head Are
Split 80, 900 Votes Claim For
Present President
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l

ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l
Denver, Colo, June 22-The
J. Lewis forces urging him for
the presidency of the American
Federator of Labor today showed
OBJECTIONS, delegates of the La
dies Garment Workers switch
ine their votes for Samuel Com
pers, while three delegates Of the
United Mine Workers are report
ed to have gone over to Gompers.
The Lewis forces still claim they
have enough votes to win, while
& !: the Gompers boomers are equally
confident that they will re-elect
S. thcir carsdidate,
Denver Colo. June zz-The John
Lewis boom for the presidency of the
American Federation of, Labor today
took slump Under Instructions from
their executive board, the delegates of
the Ladies' Garment Workers switch
ed their GAL votes from the mine
workers president to Samuel Comp
ers.
Three delegates of the United Mine
Workers commanding 1886 votes
were also reported to have deserted
their leader for Gompers. Frank Far
rington presid emit of Illinois
Mine Workers who has already an
nounced his opposition to Lewis was
reported on his way back to Denver
from Illinois, where ne had been call
ed ON business.
While the supporters of Lewis ad-
mitted that their own delegation would
be split they claimed sufficient votes
been pledged by the Metal Trades, the
railroad organizations which together
with the machinists union and the
carpenters and joiners, would elect
their candidate. Their lineup gave
them approximately twenty thousand
of the 1924 votes in the convention.
Claims of Gompers Supporters
Gompers supporters were claiming
the railway carmen, railway clerks
and electrical workers-three of the
largest -ailroad organizations. The
boilermakers, all the printing trades
and the federal employees unions, the
building trades organizations, with the
exception OF the carpenters and mould
ers unions, were also listed as sup
porting the veteran labor chief.
The Amalgamated Association Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers and mire, mill
and smelter workers have definitely
been placed in the Lewis column.
llG ucCldIcu, LIldI
they were sure of at least thirty thou
sand votes-nearly ten thousand more
than needed to win.
Labor leaders who were watching
closely the vote maneuvering declared
that the contest may be so close that
the PA votes Of the state central bod
les, trade and federal labor unions
and fraternal organizations may de-
eide the winners.
Modify Volseead Law.
The convention unanimously adopt
ed a resolution urging modification
of the Volstead act to permit manu-
facture and sale of beer Officers
and the executive council were in
structed TO work for a change in the
law and if this should not be sue
cessful, all unions would be called
on to petition congress.
After stormy debate the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor convention
disposed of the Irish question by
adopting resolution-trimmed of
its most drastic boycott provisions
expressing sympathy for the Irish
cause. The action of the conven-
tion completed the dealt of the sup
porters of the boycott declaration,
which they claimed had been drafted
by high officials of Irish republic"
The boycott supporters contested
every effort to bring the sympathetic
resolution to a vote, without it's
boycott provisions, by raising points
of order and attempting to have en-
tire matter referred back to the
committee for reconsideration.
a.