The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-24
GOMPERS READY TO WELD GAVEL
 AT LABOR MEET
Aged Leader Expected To Rule FederatiOn's Po-
 litical Decision
By LYLE 0. WILSON

(LeaSed WlrO 10 Ine Age.neraA0:D
 NEW YORK, July 23.-Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor for, more than 40 years, virtually has isolated himself to gird for the most vigorous and perhaps the last political fight of his career.
 When the labor executive committee meets in Atlantic City the first week in August, Gompers probably will be the deciding factor in determing which way labor's strength will go in the coming campaign.
 Weeks ago Gompers was a sick man. Oyerwork had broken down his health. Friends feared that his "A years of activity were about at an end. But the aged labor leader refused to give up. Instead of hospitals he sought out an obscure hotel on Coney Island. There with a retinue of servants, sec retaries, doctors and nurses, Gompers approached the task of rebuilding his strength.
 Fit For Fray
 On the eve of the Atlantic City bat tie the snapping eyes of laborss dyna- mic leader show him fit again to bat tie the more 0bstreperous labor lieu tenants into line. Gompers will wield the gavel in the significant Atlantic City meeting.
 At his Coney Island retreat Comp CTS hid from his friends. Daily, per sons along the broadwalk may have seen a 74-year-old man being pushed around in a wheel chair. Some times he walks. Sometimes he takes long motor car trips over the highways which follow the Atlantic shore. But never a friend did the aged man talk to. This was through his own and his doctors bidding. No politics. or ma jor labor discussions were allowed to be presented to him.
 Recently a group of labor leaders, representatives of four of the railroad brotherhoods, made it known they would attempt to put the union label on the La Toilette Wheeler. ticket. The laborers were strong indorsers of Will liam Gibbs McAdoo when the Califor- nian's bubble bursted during the demo- cratic convention the railroaders then switched their support to the La Fol lette-Wheeler ticket.
 One leader made known the plan to have the labor executive council pass an indorsement of Senator La Toilette. But they struck snag with their plans. They recalled how vigorously and how effectively Gompers had hereto fore whipped the labor unions into line against indorsement of any third party movement.
 Have Been Fair
 They also recalled that Gompers had gone into a rest period here so as to be ohIa fO nit his fl1ll SfPnnOfh in tho ava cutive council meeting at Atlantic Gompers has the undivided support of many older lieutenants in labor's gen. eral executive-council.
 Then too, they figure Gompers may be waiting for the first words of John w. Davis, the democratic nominee. The democrats have always been fair to la- Dor. Some of the leaders figure Comp CTS wouldn't care to antasonize them until he was assured they would not adopt complimentary attitude.
 There is an undertow of sentiment in American labor ranks for labor's choice to assume the presidential chair. MacDonald's success in England and HerriOt's success in France has spur red this sentiment. If that feeling reaches far enough Gompers may find himself deposed as labor's leader. Gompers has been deposed on paper before, however, and always came out on top. He has a poker face" and that's the reason political eyes are fo- cused on him during his daily strolls of Coney Island boardwalk. The poli- ticians would like to know just what is going in Gompers' mind.