Evening star., 1924-08-07

John w. Davis at Clarksburg, w Va,
august H. 1924, was referred to the
| executive council of the American
Federation OF Labor following the re-
ceipt of your telegram of August l.
by and with the approval OF the
executive council. l am submitting
to you the following statement:
Question Before Council.
Three months ago the executive
council of the American Federation
of Labor directed that the executive
committee, next meet in Atlantic City,
n. j., August l, to transact such bust
ness as required the attention of the
executive council. including the de-
fining of the attitude of the American
Federation of Labor in the further
ance Of it's non-partisan political
campaign. On Friday. August l, and
before the receipt Of your telegram,
the question of determining cur po-
litical course was made a special or
der OF business for Saturday. The
suggestion of letter coming from
you was mentioned during the dis
cussion on Saturday. but the execu-
tive council deemed itself fully com
petent to deal with tas~ problems en-
trusted into it's keeping Tor consider
alton and action. 49,
You know, of course, that the OFF,
GERS OF the American Federation of
Labor are fully informed of all that
franspired in connection with the
enactment of the Clayton law, espe
cially sections and 90. We are like
wise fully informed as to all who
rendered valuable services in that
legislation. We must dissent from
the conclusions related by you. This
dissent is borne out by records and
facts readily available. At an op-
perfume time these records and facts
will be fully set forth, in none of
,,b Ink not yiS
Adamson Saw Issue.
Regarding your statement that 1t
was the Supreme Court decision up
holding the Adamson law which pre-
vented a strike on the railroads OF
the country, and giving Mr: Davis
credit for having won that decision
and thus preventing the strike, let me
recount facts with which you are ia
miliar and which are in direct conflict
with the statement in your letter.
president Wilson appointed com,
mission of four-Presfdent Daniel
Willard of the Baltimore and Ohio.
Secretary of the Interior Franklin h.
Lane, you and myself-for the pur-
pose of mediating and preventing
strike.
an agreement between the railroad
brotherhoods and the representatives
of the railroads, and that agreement
was signed in the presence or the
commission of which you and L were
decision was handed down, and con-
1t was this agreement, and not the
sequently before any one had knoWl-
edge of what that decision, would be.
Supreme Court decision, wnlcn pre-
vented the strike. You may recall,
as 1 do, the statement made. by the
late w. S. Carter, then president of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive F1re-
men and Enginemen. Mr.. Carter SAID,
as the agreement was signed by US
all. 'Gentlemen, this is the dawn of
new day. and those present gem
orally felt that he voiced the convic-
tion of all.
No Credit to Davis.
.It was the machinery of the labor
movement and not the Supreme Court
and Mr. Davis, which prevented the
threatened strike.
THE executive council appreciates
your advice regarding the early
struggle and career of Mr.. Davis. IL
likewise has weighed in the balance
his later utterances and courses, as
socia tions and training. We are con-
fident that our judgment and action
But quite apart from this, your
request that our executive council
should adjourn to go TO Clarksourg
and there reconVene after consioef-
ing his acceptance address is utterly
impossible and inconceivable. The
suggestion could be made with equal
propriety that we attend the accept
ance ceremonies of President Coolidge
SO as to prevent being charged with
party partisanship."
of our organization in such matters
as this, but brief word may clarity
the situation to you. The American
Federation of Labor national non
partisan political campaign commit
tee, appointed by authority OF .ne
vention and with the approval OF the
executive council, is charged with the
duty of presenting labor demands to
the political conventions. 1t is then
charged with the duty of considering
the records of candidates and plat
forms adopted by the conventions.
All of this proceeding has been car
ried out this year precisely as IN
every other campaign since 1905. our
committee held many meetings and
considered all facts, records and plat
forms seriously and at length. The
document adopted here was the re-
port of that committee, the American
Federation of Labor national non
partisan political campaign commit.
tee. Not only the matters to which
you draw attention, but all available
were considered and
weighed, and our judgment then
was expressed in the report submitted
to and adopted by the executive
Davis Asked Conference.
You may not know that John W.
Davis, for whom you now speak,
wrote me, under date of July II, ask
ing conference at time convenient
to me at Brighton Beach, where
was for q. time recuperatins from my
Illness. Mr.. Davis asked me to fx