The Connecticut labor news., 1923-07-20
GOMPERS ADVISES SENATORS TO WATCH THEIR STEPS WHILE
 DEALING WITH RUSSIAN SOVIET
Gives Ladd and King Some Valuable A. F.
 l.. Data and Questions
 to Put Up to TrOtsky,
 ct al.

/ Washington, July 2o--Samue1 GomPers, president of the American Federation of Labor, made public this week letter he wrote to Senators Ladd of North Dakota and King of Utah setting forth the questions which America labor wants answered to determine it's future policy toward recognition of Soviet Russia :, He transmitted the information IF the possession of the federation for the guidance of the. senators in the visits they plan to have with Soviet leaders
 Suggests Line of Inquiry
 MT. Gompers likewise forwarded to the senators, who sailed on the Pres ident Harding, copies of reports pre- viously prepared by the A. F. of L., giving additional facts and opinions on the present regime in Russia. The questions which he asks sthe senators to investigate and answer are these:
 "Is 1t true that there is no free press in Russia? Is an opposition press permitted to function2 Is the existing official press censored by tn. government? Are foreign correspond ents permitted freely to communicate their despatches?
 Are workmen permitted to organ ize without interference from the government? To what extent are workmen permitted to critieise the which they work?
 'tIs it true that the leading officials of the Soviet government, of the Communist Uarty and Of the Third Internationale are the same persons2
 To what extent is the Soviet gov hitting, the Third Internationa1e to conduct propaganda hostile to foreign governmentso
 Individually and unoficially, re- sponsible spokesmen of the Soviet government declare the government Is no longer strictly communist organization, but, on the contrary, 1t IS almost a model of such republics as the United States If this is really the case, why does not the Soviet government actually and officially change its character to conform to the declarations just mentioned?
 '1f the Soviet government IS will ing he acknowledge it's legitimate foreign obligations, why does 1t not definitely, at least in principle, go on record to such effect?
 It is claimed that the Soviet gov. eriment strictly adheres to it's prom that such governments as Czechos1o- vakia, Finland, Iatvia and Poland, not to mention Great Britain, all of whom have official relations with Russia, have strained relations with the Soviets, who, they charge, have not lived up to their agreements?
 MT. Gompers cited Turkeys dis missal of Soviet consu1s on charges of circulating communist propaganda, failure to pay Polish indemnity, Fin lands appeal over Eastern Karelia, and continued:
 'Is it the intention of American visitors in Russia to be Soviety 1 guests in Russia, even if part of their expenses are paid by themselves, l are such visitors to travel to Moscow only on the guest train and to stop 1t the guest hotels at Petrograd and Moscow, to visit only the guest factories, mines, model farms, 1 cooperative societies, trade unions,l etc, to witness army maneuvers, to i -ead only Soviet reports and statis- | ics, use Soviet paid interpreters, or | ire Americans planning to travel i freely while in Russia in order to 1 ind out what Is really happening be- hind the scenes"
 American labor stands determined y opposed to the dictatorship of big business and high finance, as 1t is op- posed to the dictatorship of the so- ,alled proletariat," the letter added. i MT. Gompers made clear the fedora ions antipathy is directed against spread of Communism, not against whatever form of government Rus ia chooses to have