The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-20
.GOMPERS ATTACKS HARDING MESSAGE
 ON BIG WALKOUTS
Says President Chose lnop- perfume Time For Deliver ing Address-WiII Oppose
 Legislative Suggestions
By AAeociated Press

Washington, August 1e.--Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, expressed the opinion today that President Harding had added to the difficulties of the present industrial situation by his message of yesterday, and likewise, had chosen an unfortunate time for it's delivery.
 The labor chief in \ critical dis cussion of the Presidents message announced that his organizations would oppose any legislation carry ing out the suggestions that the rail- road labor board be given power to enforce it's decisions. or to allow the federal government to punish crimes against aliens. such Gs those alleged to have been committed during the Herrin (Ill) massacre. while he de- scribed the Presidents proposals for legislation to control coal dfstribu- ton as probably impractical"
 Tt was unfortunate that the Pres ident should have gone to Congress yesterday" Mir. Gompers said. ''The coal miners had just effected an agreement with a part of the bitu- minous operators. On the morning before the President spoke, the rep resentatives of railroad workers and executives of the railroads were in conference over the rail strike. Progress was being made, but they
  When the executives came back in the afternoon, after hearing the Presidents speech. they were in a different mood. The meeting ad- journed."
 Resist Lesfsintto~
 In declaring that labor would re- sist legislation to give the railroad lahor board power to enforce it's de- cisions. MT. Gompers expressed faith that the people would not give up the principles of guaranteed free- dom, and that Congress will not en- act law to deprive working people of the right to strike" Such a meas ure, he said, would mean slavery. and that "railroad workers would have to go to work whether they felt like 1t or not.
 I'm not willing to believe the
  quences of his act" MT. Gompers commented s"If there can be eoms .pulsory labor laws for working peo- pie, will it not allay the probability of enforcing labor on every one, whether wage workers or Dot?"
 Mir. Gompers said that while the Herrin massacre was "a nasty piece of business." which nobody could justify" there was mo reason in it to override the constitution and set aside the rights of states" by sfving the federal government power to pro- tect aliens.
 Mir Gompers also criticised the Presidents statement that the coal strike had showed the country Fat the mercy of the United Mine Work CTS"
 F,"If high finance and big business can enforce wage reductions that de- stroy the buying power of the peo- p1e." he said, that will be a greater menace to the public than any or ganization of labor. The President is wrong when he says there was a conspiracy to stop trains on the rail- roads, and a conspiracy between the miners and the rail workers. Trains were stopped becausa locomotives were unfit for service. Knowing the heads of the railroad and m.ners unions as I know them. can say he was wrong in conveying the im- pression that they were consnirins against the government or the conn mon welfare"