The Connecticut labor news., 1922-08-04
COMPERS TO TAKE LABOR'S MESSAGE TO
 LEGION GATHERING
A. F. of L. President to Further Cement Friendship With
 Former Soldiers.

Sd1nuel 1OHlpeTS, pTcS1uenI or the American Federation of Labor, will the American Legion convention in New Orleans October 16 to 20, in elusive, along with Kenesaw Noun tain Landis, high commissioner of organized baseball, and other notables MT. Gompers was instructed by the labor convention in Cincinnati to at tend the legion convention following an address before the union men by Hanford Mac Nider, national com mander of the legion.
 "One of the most interesting and plea asurable events of the Cincinnati convention was the eloquent address you delivered" MT. Gompers has written Commander MacNider. ''tI heard many expressions of commen dation of your remarks. You made deep impression upon the delegates. Personally, 1 want to take this op- portunlty to say to you that 1 regard your address as another strong link in the chain binding together the American Legion and the American Federation of Labor"
 Commander MacNider, in explain labor and the American Legion, de- clares:
 "A small percentage of the public have a vague idea that the American Legion is opposed to organized albor. Nothing is further from the truth.
 No American citizen denies the right of laboring men to organize for the betterment and protection of their members; that is exactly why the American Legion Is organized for the ex-service men, There are radical and irresponsible members of all or ganizations who do hot reflect the true sentiments of the bodies which they purport to speak for, and do take 1t upon themselves to stir up antagonisms when there really should be nothing but cooperation and friendship.
 "Members of the American Legion have been accused of acting as strike breakers, hired police, scabs, night riders and antago1istic to all labor movements. This is not American Legion procedure. We want to call to their attention the fact that no pro- cedure is American Legion procedure except that arrived at in open meet ing. We can assure them that the American Legion has no invisible in side workings. The American Legion can no more be held responsible for acts of certain irresponsibles than can union labor be held responsible for the actions of some agitators who pose as their adherents.
 "When 1t comes to the protection of the home, women and children, property rights and public decency, and when all properly constituted guardians of public safety have failed and only then, men of the American Legion like all good American citi- zens and there will be just as many union men standing with them, intend to see that our communities have pro- lection and 1t does not matter wheth- CT such damage or threat comes from capital and paid strikebreakers or from strifers infamed by radical agl- tatorS.
 "No one believes in law and order more than the American Federation of Labor We have the best sort and closest kind of connection with that organization. The first national vice commander of the American Legion elected at Kansas City is president of an international union and labor lead- CT of many years standing. He, ,@1s working with us and for us to coun- teract impressions which are spread abroad by irresponsibel agitators whose sole purpose is to 9o every thing in their power to undermine an organization which they fear because it stands for public deeency, the in tegrity of this nation and respect tor it's lawful government, and to which every union man and American Legionnaire subscribes.
 Samuel Go.npers is one of the Legions good friends as this state ment from him testihes, That the pleasant >re1ations between the Amer ican Le zion and the American Fed eratio.n of Labor can be extended to every post and local union of both Organizations is my earnest and sin cere wish Thousands of union men are splendid Legion members. In my own state the American Federation of Labor not only endorses the Amer ican Legion but realizing that no or ganization can Stap ta1r on any queS- ton unless it has people informed or the real situation, the real purpose that underlies all such movements. l They urge all their eligible members l to ioin the American Legion and l work with 1t and in 1t to see that there are never misunderstanding "k have a resolution here in my pocket from the labor and trades l assembly Ot the largest city III lhy state voluntarily endorsing the Amer
 ican Legion with its present national program and officers. Ignorance IS l the cause of all our troubles. The
 only way the American Legion and | the American Federation of Labor
 can be treated fairly is to get each
 one to understand the other better l This has beeh practically accomplish ed all over the United States.
 There are certain wild periodicals
 and hare-brained wobbleys not rep
 resentative of anything but anarchy
 who are still battling to keep up the prejudice which their early efforts
 among the uninformed once seemed
 to- promise I predict to you the l American Federation of Labor and
 the American Legion will be found | or1-;po hand in hand through all the