Evening star., 1922-08-20
C0MPERS ASSA|LS
PRESIDENTS PLAN
Message to Congress Has
Increased Industrial Trou-
BILE, He Declares.
WILL FIGHT LEGISLATION
Proposal to Augment Labor Board
Power Called Plan to En-
slave Workers.
WILL FIGHT LEGISLATION

American Federation of Labor, ex-
pressed the opinion yesterday that
President Harding had added to the
difficulties of the present industrial
situation by his message of Friday
and likewise had chosen an unfortu-
nate time for its delivery.
The labor chief in a critical discus
sion of the Presidents message, an
nounced that his organizations would
oppose any legislation carrying out
the suggestions that the Railroad
Labor Board be given power to en-
force it's decisions or to allow the
federal government to punish crimes
against aliens such as those alleged
to have been committed during the
Herrin, ILL.,, massacre. while he de-
scribed the Presidents proposals for
legislation to control coal distribution
as probably impractical"
TT was unfortunate that the Presi-
dent should have gone to Congress
yesterday" Mr.. Gompers said. The
coal miners had just effected an
agreement with a part Of the btu
minous operators. On the morning
before the President spoke the repre-
sentatives of railroad workers and
executives of the railroads were in
conference over the rail strike. Prog
ress was being made; but they took a
recess over the noon hour. When the
executives came back in the after
noon, after hearing OF the Presidents
speech, they were in a different mood.
The meeting adjourned.
To Oppose Legislation.
''It is a matter Of common knowl-
edge that Senator Watson, republic
an, Indiana, who was a member of
the House, was a representative of
big business and before his election
to the Senate was a lobbyist and is
now believed to have close relations
with the President. was in frequent
communication with the executives
in New York. Notwithstanding, un-
til the President spoke, 1t seemed
the matter was being worked out to
the satisfaction Of both sides. He
could well have deferred to await, a
cooler and later judgment Of the sit
uation. 1t was misapplied psychol-
ogy to go when he did"
In declaring that labor would re-
sist legislation to give the Railroad
Labor Board power to enforce its
decisions Mr.. Gompers expressed
faith that the people will not give
up the principles of guaranteed free
dom, and that Congress will not en-
act a law to deprive working people
of the right to strike" Such a meas
ure, he said. would mean slavery"
and railroad workers would have to
20 to work whether they felt like it
or not"
I'm not willing to believe the.
President had in mind the full con-
sequences of his act" Mr.. Gompers
commented "If there can be compul-
sorry labor for working people will it
not raise the probability of enforc-
ing labor on every one, whether wage
workers or not?"
Denies Conspiracy.
Mr.. Gompers said that while the
Herrin massacre was "a nasty piece
of business" which nobody could
justify" there was no reason in it
70 override the Constitution and set
aside the rights of states" by giving
the federal government power TO pro-
tect aliens.
What is in the back of the heads
of those who father this sort of leg
islation Is that it might be used as a
method giving federal protection to
aliens while using them as strike
breakers" he asserted.
Mr.. Gompers also criticized the
Presidents statement that the coal
strike had showed the country 'at
the mercy of the United Mine Work
ers"
IF high finance and big business
can enforce wage reductions that de-
stroy the buying power of the pco-
ple," he said, that will be a greater
menace to the public than any or
Eanization of labor. The President
is wrong when he says there was a
conspiracy to stop trains on the rail-
roads and a conspiracy between tae
miners and the rail workers. Trains
were stopped because locomotives
were unfit for service. Knowing the
heads of the railroad and miners
unions as / know them, l can say he
was wrong in conveying the impress
sion that they were conspir.ng
against the government or the COM
mon welfare"