The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-24
DISREGARD OF ALL
 |NJUNCT|ONS PLAN OF LABOR UNIONS
Demand Law Declaring Labor Organizations Not Co-part-
 nerships and Shall Not Be So Treated
By Associated Press

-f@N~r"~"~--
 Washington, February 2s.-Enact- that labor organizations are not CO., partnerships and ball not be so treated in law or in equity is de- manded by organized labor in declat ration. of principles adopted tonight by representatives of national and inter- national unions affiliated in the Amer ican Federation of Labor.
 The declaration which was approved after an all-day conference here, at which Samuel Gompers, president of the federation, presided, also called for the Immediate restoration of exemp- tion from or the repeal of all anti combination and so-called conspiracy laws"
 Condemning the use of the i'm
 Junction under present laws. the
 declaration inserted thut the "0nIy
 immediate course" through which
 labor could find relief .Iies in n
 flat refusal on the part of labor
 to recognize or abide by the terms
 of injuncttons which seek to pro-
 bibit the doing of nets which the
 workers have n lawful and guar
 antecd right to do..
 "Labor realixess fully the conse-
 Quences of sucA n c0urse,v 1t was
 added, "but in the defense. of
 American freedom nnd of Amer
 ican institutions it Is compelled to
 adopt this course, be the conxc-
 quences what they may"
 Organized labor in the declarat ton sets forth at length the principles for which 1t stands and calls upon the people of the United States to rally with labor Ito the defense of our i'm : periled American Institutions"
 Employers are warned in the dec laration that labor mot only insists upon maintaining the present stand ards of wages and working conditions. put declares its solemn purpose to con finue it's struggle to further improve those standards''
 EMPLOYERS PLAYED
 The declaration charged some employ CTS" in the United States with support ing 'at times in secret some of the "insidious propaganda of radical Euro pean fanaticism" because of their com mon antagonism to the trade union movement"
 There is unscrupulousness and a nat ural attitude for intrigue in this fanat- ical propaganda the statement said which makes 1t a most subtle menace to every democratic ideal and institution in our country"
 Repeal by the states of all industrial court laws and all restrictive and coer- cive laws, including the commonly known open port law of Texas, was demanded together with freedom from decisions of courts holding trade unions and in- dividual members thereof liable in dam ages for the unlawful acts of others"
 Other recommendations made by the conference in the declaration included:
 OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
 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 service.
 Restriction of credit in the interest of the people
 investigation by Congress of the ac- tlvities of private detective agencies in the field of industrial relations
 The declaration also called upon the workers to resist the efforts to destroy the trade unions whether by the false pretense of the open shop" the usurped authority of courts through writs of in junction or otherwise,
 We call for united support in the pro tection of standards of wages and con ditions already gained" the declaration added, and we summon the workers to continued efforts to increase the consum- ing power, raise the standards and i'm prove the conditions of life and work
 SCORE OPEN SHOPS
 The "open shop" movement was de- clared to be a campaign for "a shop that will be closed to union workmen, and primarily a campaign designed to de- strcy trade unions and to break down and eliminate the whole principle of cot lective bargaining." Alleged interruptions financial specula- ton and profteering was vigorously de- nounced in the declaration which said that the "unscrupulous pirateers If finance having squeezed the consumer throughout the period of the war. are now broadening their field and enriching themselves by squeezing both the pro- duce: and the consumer"
 "Tt is astounding, but true," the declar- ation continued. that even after so great a lapse of time since the ending of hos tilities there is. so far as the average family is concerned. practically no re- duction in the high cost of living. It is admitted freely that in some commodi- ties there has seen no appreciabie reduce tion in the retail prices at which the working people must make their pur- clases.
 I've declare again that the government has been and continues irnpotent in the face of the criminal operations of profi- teers and must therefore accept the respcnsibility for great portion of the and resentment of the people against those who have filched ther