The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-05-07
Idea Is "Piece of Idiocy"
Labor Leader Asserts
With Wave of Hand
AIMED AT FEDERATION
First. Step, He Says, in an
Attempt to Put U. S. .
out of Business
- .An Nnw York Tlmea

,Icd bv samuel Gompcrs, president
of Inc American Federation OF
labor. with sweep of the hand,
trailing a veil of blue smoke from
his cyer-present cigar.
THE one big union idea Is a piece
OF fiiocv," said the labor leader.
It Is designed primarily. according
10 Mr. Gompers. to put the Ameri-
rau Federation of Labor out of busl-
ness as n necessary step toward the
overthrow Of the government of the
United states. AS such IL Is a
scheme of the Russian bolshevlki.
asserts Mr.. Gompers, who says that
IL can never break up the American
Federation OF Labor or absorb It.
Neither will the federation of
labor be put out of business by
Henry Ford as he carries into effect
higher minimum wages and shorter
working periods, apparently leaving
nothing for which the workers may
fight through their unions, in the
opinion Of Mr.. Gompers. He says
that II every industry in the country
followed Ford in the matter of
wages and working conditions there
s,ll would be justification for the
continued existence of the American
Federation OF Labor, because there
is always something higher" to
which the worker must aspire.
Mr.. Gompers' views on the posi-
bllities Of the one big union move
mont were sought from him when
he arrived in New York City to ap-
pear as. witness before the Lock-
wood committee. He was seated in
an easy chair at the Hotel CONT
mental, Broadway and Forty-first
street. Asked why he thought the
one big union could never be ma
terlalized, Mr.. GQppers said:
We'll, the labor movement is like
on army. You can't expect to WELD
that army effectively when facing
the enemy II you undertake TO mix
up all into one unit the infantry,
artillery and cavalry.
Furthermore, any effort to build
up one gigantic union OF working
men will fail IL only for the reason
that II presumes to develop some
thing which on its face looks like 1t
is bigger than the government.
Violates Home Rule.
1t can never be done with the
consent OF the workers. In this
country there is too deep-seated a
love and respect for home rule. and
the contemplated one big union
would leave nothing of home rule"
Here the head of the American
Federation of Labor branded the
one big union scheme as a subter-
iuge Of the of-the bolsheviki, whose
bait the American working man has
too much sense to swallow. The
idea OF one big union also lent itself
10 the Vaccinations OF some en-
ployers who are trying to destroy
the American Federation OF Labor
Mr.. Gompers asserted that EN-
ployers were trying to promote the
plan with the belief that it would
cause the complete disorganizatior
OF the American Federation OF
Labor. Employers were interested
IN II simply because they recognized
" as means 20 an end, just as the!
dld IN the case of tle ], w. w. anC
othCr radical organizations.
The proposal TO have one biz
union has no following in this coun
lrN' continued Mr. Gompers. :"
nave no hesitancy in saying that tn,
leaders are either the most idiotit
OF men or else they are in the pa,
OF big business II they are not II
the pay OF big business, they are no
ohly IDIOTS, they are lunatics. Fo
lhls Is what the employers wan
zone. They want TO make serfs o
Iaoor by dividing labor. Their prop
time"
Mr.. Gompers then asserted tina
we designs of "big business" agains
lhe American Federation OF Iabo
were inst manifested when the IN
uustrial interests tried to make us
vi the western labor movement, the
Ine l. w. w. and the Benevolen
LABOR union which affiliated wit
ne industrial Workers OF the World
me history of big businesss ei
IoIIs 10 overthrow the America
iteration OF Labor through tn
uilzation of radical organizations,
somlIhued Mr.. Gompers, comes o
"oMn 10 the present time to tn
ols union and to w. u. Foster.
Jumpers and Foster at Chicago.
oster, the man who engineero
me Inflated steel strike of 1g1S ws
denounced by Mr.. Gompers at
nts'g'ins OF the Chicago Federatlo
vi LABOR on April ~ last. Fost,
vas present, heard all that the prei
nt OF the American Federation
auor had TO say about the one b
union and it's t'instigator" and trio
w. answer MrJGompers. Foster ha
Spqken In defense of the one b
'oh principle recently approx,
y me Chicago Federation OF Lab
,mNn passed resolution petition
- NHil'iicdI feuerdtlOn
LABOR to call a conference TO COZ
nutr sr the practicability of consol
adtlng all industrial unions into n,
,ehtral body. Although members
me chicago federation said this d
nol mean they could be merg,
NJ the one big union movemer
our, Gompers argued that
ger. 'uSh me
Back of that resolution" n,
nompers said, 'is the propagan,
ot radical revolution to oyerthrr
~ me constitution OF the United stat.
10 90 that. as Lenine himself sal
tne american Federation OF Lab
must be overthrown, and William
noster wants to become an autocr
OF America.
am greatly averse TO criticj
lhg any man who is not present
uetend himself" said Mr.. Come
put w. w. Foster represents one
Ihe most brazen examples of SO
ahointed and self-appointed lead
an the history OF the American lah
movement. Foster is Just back fro
Russia. where he was in touch wi
Lenine and Trotzky. judging frc
- CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT.