The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-09-30
LABOR WAS AWAKE
AND ION THE JOB

For ages it has been the custom
at times to throw oil on troubled
waters, but in the Tampico incl
dent the Mexican and American
labor movements threw "cOld wa
ter" on oil troubles. The Unionist
of Chicago, an ably edited monthly
trade union publication, says;
Tampico, port of trouble on the
Mexican coast, has again been In
the news because of the presence of
American warships. There is a les
son in this most recent episode.
Over night Tampico turned from
a peaceful city of flowing oil into
a center of reported turmoil arous-
ing the people of two countries.
Chronologically this is about what
happened: The Mexican government
decreed an increased federal tax on
oil. The American oil companies
doing business at Tampico closed
their plants, rather than pay the
tax By so doing they threw sew
eral thousand workers out of en-
ployment. Mexican law provides
that in case of summary disemploy
ment three months wages shall
be paid. The oil companies did not
comply with that law. The workers
protested. American warships were
ordered to Tampico. The ships
arrived at Tampico. Mexico famed
up in resentment Protests were
cabled to the American Federation
of Labor and through the Pan
4 o1, |
transmitted by President Gompers
to the State Department. The State
Department on the following dav
denied any purpose to interfere in
a Mexican labor dispute. On that
same day the warships were order
ed away from Tampico.
While the episode came to an end
without serious complications it'll
should serve to indicate how easily
complications may be created and
how easily nation may be placed
IN a troublesome predicament be-
fore its population is aware Of what
IS taking place.
The American people were not
aware that trouble was on the hori-
ION when they awoke to find that |
their secretary of the navy had sent
warships to a foreign port, for a |
purpose which the New York Globe
quotes was "to protect American
rights in the event they are jeop
ardized through labor troubles
growing out of unemployment in
The Tampico oil district"
If such statement ever was
made it was amply repudiated by
Secretary of State Hughes in his
letter to President Gompers, reply
ing to the inquiry of messages from
Mexico. In that letter Secretary |
Hughes said that "the presence of
the ships has nothing to do with
labor unions or with
disputes between employers and
The disavowal was sufficient
The purpose here is not to ques-
ton the intent, either of the orig
inal action, or of the subsequent
statements. but to show how quick
ly and with what inadequate warn
ing international storms may break
and how filled with explosives SEEM
ingly harmless moves may be.
The ease with which original
facts are forgotten. the speed with
which developments may move and
the general background of suspicion
must be borne in mind always in
dealing with Latin-American rela-
tons.
Rumors fly fast in every country
and in Mexico they surely fly no
less rapidly than elsewhere. Mexi-
Ill
lean warships had come to help
American employers defeat the
Mexican law in what amounted to
a lockout.
Undeniably there was in Tam
pico a powder-keg situation. That
is ended happily is fortunate. Meth
er nation wished it otherwise, of
course. The people of the United
States wish only peace and friend
ly, helpful relations. The people
Of Mexico reciprocate these senti-
ments.
But there are in the United
States a handful of powerful per-
sons who would like war and who
would not scruple to create a sit |
uation that would lead to war.
The latest Tampico excitement
has shown how easily excited men
might unwittingly run into a blind
alley, colliding at the blind end
Incidentally it has shown the value
to both nations of organized labor
movements, alert in the interest of
the common good.
The trade union movement has
said before, and it says again,
there must be constant watchful-
ness against those who would plot
disaster for the Western Hemis-
phere. In addition it PLEDGES that
the watchfulness of Labor itself
will be vigilant and that there will
be in the future as in the past no
hesitancy in sounding the alarm.
Labor is hopeful and determined,