Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-18
Foes Plan United
Fight on GOn,pers

Continued from Page One
the larger unions, which take in whole
industries, are hardly represented on
that body.
Two of the largest bodies in organized
labor. the railroad brothcrhoods and the
machinists. are not represented at all
on the executive body Of the Federation.
In the executive council the follow
ing men represent larger unions; Nor
iison, of the typographers' Mahon. of
the street car workers; Green, of the
United Mine Workers; Tobn. Of the
tcamsters, and Duffy. of the car
penters. OF these only Green and
Mahon represent unions that take in
whole industries.
Represent Old Crafts
The other members of the council
represent the old fashioned small
crafts. Gompers, the cigarmakers:
Rickert. the United Garment Workers.
an organization that has almost been
driven out of existence by the rival
Amalgamatcd Garment Wor kcrs;
Fisher, the BARRIERS: Woll. the photo
engravcrs: Duncan, the granite workers,
and Valentine, the moldcrs.
The aim of the combination against
Gompers IL an effective one can be
formed is to defeat Rickcrt, of the gar
ment workers. Vol. of the photo
cngravers, who is Gompcrs right hand
man, and in training to succeed him,
and Fisher. of the BARRIERS.
The votes to defeat Gompers have t.
be found in the United Mine Workers,
one of the two largest organizations in
the federation, the railroad organiza-
tions, the carpenters and the ma
chinists. Lewis will have the support
Of the carpenters with $500 votes and
of his own organization with 300 votes.
1t will take more than 10000 votes to
elect him.
Machinists Oppose Gompers
The machinsts with 5000 votes are
strongly anti -Gompers. William H..
Johnston. the head of the organization,
| is an exceedingly able and ambitious
man. He has in the past had the sup
port of the railroad organizations IN
the federation in his efforts to become a
member of the executive council.
Johnston, with railroad mems sup
port, and Lewis with the aid of the car =
penters, should be able to agree upon n
program of Lewis for president of the
federation and Johnston for member of
the executive council and votes enough
to elect Lewis can probably be- found,
Several conditions favor Lewis. He
is not an especially strong and able
man. being distinctly inferior to Com
pers in force and skill as a leader.
Older and ablcr leaders may be con-
tent to see him president of the fedora =
tion and in this way they can enter
and perhaps dominate the executive
council.
Lewis presumably would have Ger
tain favor at the White House which
Gompcrs has not lie is a Republican
and was at one time considered for the
post Of Secretary of Labor by President
Harding. He is reported to have been
recommended for that place by Sccre-
tary Hoover.
Lewis a Conservative
He is, moreover, conservative. even
more conservative than Gompers. AT
the time of the coal strike last year he
decided to obey Judge Andcrson's order
of injunction, although GOmpcrs was
in favor Of dcfying the Court. Thi,
caused some feeling between Lewis ana
Gompers. but it is not responsible fOl
Lewis present candidacy which springs
rather from the desire of the bigger
unions to have more power in the fed
Grafton than they now possess.
An obstacle to "A combination upOr
Lewis is the ambition of Johnston, whC
may prefer to have Gompcrs continue
as president in the hope that he may
ultimately, when Gompcrs' rcgim,
breaks up. become president himself
Lewis was unwilling to see Johnston
advanced to membership in the OK
ecutive council last year, casting tn,
mine workers vote against him and fo
the Gompcrs candidate. Johnston ma!
be unwilling to see Lewis advanced t.
the presidency this year.
\ defeat of Gompcrs and rcorgan
ization of the executive council woulc
probably mean great changes in tn
policy of organized labor. The old
fashioned craft union would tend to Civ,
place to the industrial union. Johnston
machiniSts are no longer pure Graf
union. the automobile workers havinj
been organized rs a branch of his union