The Washington herald., 1922-06-13
''In No Mood to Give Up
Liberties" He Tells A.
F. of L. Convention.
NONUNION SHOP
PLAN ATTACKED
'Big Stuff" Predicted as
Preliminaries Are
Curtailed.

CINCINNATI, June 12.-OrganlZed
labor's fighting mood was empha-
sized today at the opening of the
forty-second annual convention of
the American Federation Of Labor
here.
In response to numerous fowery
welcoming addresses from local and
State dignitaries. Samuel Gompers.
president of the federation. told
the convention and the country that
Labor Is in no mood to give up
the liberties guaranteed US by our
Constitution. to be taken from US
by any subtle reasoning or assump-
tion Of power. no matter whence
II emanates.'
The convention opened with the
usual fanfare of trumpets and blaro
of bands playing The Star-Span-
zled Banner" while the hundreds
of delegates stood more or less at
Kanization were hurried through.
Even Gompers cut his speech short.
Labor Is Ready, He Says
The reason Of the scant attention
paid TO details was not hard to find.
All tho leaders of this convention
count its mission as of the most
Importance, not only as of today
but as affecting the future.
1t was this spirit which Gompers
typified and spoke for in his open
ing speech. Gompers gave labor
= here and in other countries the
credit for the armament conference.
which. he said, accomplished little
compared to what remains to be
done. He assailed those who are
trying to put over the American
plan." or nonunion shop plan.
He warned labor's antagonists
that labor has its eyes open; knows
It is facing a fight, and Is pre-
pairing in this convention to take
the aggressive.
To Tackle Child Labor.
"I feel that our time lis exceed
= ingly precious" said Gomrers, In
cutting short his opening address
He and other leaders have passed
the word that committees must get
to work promptly and clear all
routine Of organization out of the
way. Nobody knows Just how the
big stuff" in this convention is
going to develop, but that big
stun" Will be here no one doubts.
On Wednesday Gompers an
nounced, the first big problem -
child labor-will be tackled. Speak
ers of national fame, including Sem
stor La Toilette. will take part in
an all-day discussion of the ST..
preme Court decision knocking out
the child labor laws.
The big fight that is looming be-
fore the convention is the issue that
took President Gompers to Chicago
several weeks ago-industrial form
of unionism.
At that time the Chicago Fedora
tion of Labor had passed a resolu-
tion asking Gompers to call a con-
ference of the international presi-
dents of unions to consider ANAL
eamation of allied unions so that
there would be only one union in
each industry. When informed of
this action Gompers rushed to Chi
cago. There he denounced the reso-
luton as a one big union affair and
waded into William q. Foster. its
sponsor. whom he characterized as
Lenin's emissary to this country
having as an object the overthrow
Of the present form of government
nority in each international union
The delegates of the International
brotherhood of Railway Clerks and
Freight Handlers introduced a SINH
lar resolution today. This was done
as a result of the railway clerks
convention last month at which the
resolution was adopted and the
delegates to the American Fedora
tion of Labor convention instructed
to use every effort to have this con-
vention adopt II.
Wants Conferences.
Gompers in his attack on the nor-
union shop plan. declared:
The open shop, as our adversar-
les term their antagonistic move
ment. or. when they cloak IT hy-
pocritically, the American Plan
robbing patriotism of its most glor-
ious name and committing a devil
ish act. Is not the result of confer
ences. There can be no genuine
conference between employers and
employees unless the employers and
employees stand upon an equal foot
ing of responsibility and power.
Conferences are what We want,
conferences in which the employ
ers and employees can sit and ex-
change their ideas on wage and
working conditions. This conven-
ton is a conference or a congress
of the chosen representatives of the
rank and lille of the men and wo-
% men who toll today in all lines Of