Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-12
GOMPERS EXPANDS
ON A, F. |. REFUSAL
To APPROVE DAVIS

(By the Associated ess.)-Samue'
Gompers Saturday amplified, in reply
| to a. second letter from William r.
Wilson, of the Democratic campaign
committee at Washington, the rea-
sens why the executive council OF
the American Federation Of Labor
considered John w. Davis undeserV'
ing of labors Endorsement as pres
| idential candidate.
The Gompers letter to Wilson Of
TODAY reiterates Mr.. Gompers' as
sertion that Mr.. Davis was not Re
sDOnsibIe for the draft or enactment
OF the Clayton law, and denies that
the Democratic nominee had part
in framing the labor of a humd :
being is not a commodity or article
Of commerce.
! Your letter makes reference to
| the eight hour law for governmen
employees" said Mr.. Gomperss Let
me remind you that the law was
| first passed by Republican con
gress" The labor leader relates N
| his version of negotiations which
prevented the wartime railway
strike, and again denies that Mr.. Da'
Wis or the supreme court earned the
credit.
| Calls Platform q tumble
Mr.. Gompers continues in part:
1T was Republican congress,
with Abraham Lincoln as president
that abolished human slavery in
America. If the reasoning employed
| in your letter were to be followed
| i. would logically ensue that labor
and the people must generally lfOr
all time follow the Republican par
| ty-the party of Coolidge and Daw4e
"a party which has shown itself
to be composed of and tied up with
the sordid interests of the mighty
few
'"That the Democratic party with
the martyred Wilson at its head en-
acted into law q fair conception o.
human relations and human fr2e-
dom can no more bind us forever
to that organiza ton than the eman-
cipatiOn proclamation could bind us
forever to the Republican party.
But the Democratic party recently
held its national convention for the
purpose of declaring the principles
upon which it now stands. Com
1912, 1916 and 1920 with the tumble
of the 1924 platform upon which Mr..
Davis is a candidate.
Hits Child Labor Stand
every principle of freedom and
justice which found expression in
the platforms of 1912, 1916 and. 1920
is conspicuous by it's absence from
the 1924 platform, which even fails
to recommend to the people for rat
ification the child labor constitll-
tional amendments. The farmers OF
that platform contented themselves
with taking some JUNCTION to their
souls because a few Democrats voted
for submission of amendment in the
house of representatives and the SEN
ate.
Seven years have passed since
you left the cabinet of Woodrow
Wilson and went into another ave-
nue. of life You must, however,
somehow be under the impression
that it is Woodrow Wilson who is
candidate for president in 1924, and
not John w. Davis, and that the
pl.ttorm is the platform Of Wood
row Wilson and. not Of John w.
Davis and the 1924 Democratic con.
yention.
by the way, permit me to add
that we should remember that the
war is over. With you and others
L trieC, to give service IN the war.
but | repeat the war is over and
[ am willing to forget and forgive
acts of omission and commission re-
Sitting from differences of opinion
during the war.
Is Sure Of La Toilette
LAS for international policies,
should such good fortune come to
the American people as the cleo
ton of Robert NJ. La Toilette to
the presidency. have as much
confidence in him as in any other
candidates for the presidency to
grasp the situation in establishing
and maintaining international good
will
Mr.. Gompers, in behalf of the ex-
ecutive council, also made public the
text of kilograms and letters ex-
changed between linn and Mr.. Davis
since the Democratic convention at
New York. He made known in adj
ditiOn the contents of telegram in
"Iting him to the notification cere-
monies at Clarksburg, w. Va. and
his telegram declining to attend.
Another development today at the
annual session Of the council here
was the refusal of Matthew VOL,
vice president, to retract the cOun
ellis attack upon the industrial re-
port of the Federated Council OF
Churches Of America. He informed
the Rev. Felix e. Johnson. of Phila-
delphia. who came here at the in
stance of the council of churches to
request that the A. F. of L., denun-
ciatioa~ of the report be Withdrawn,
and 1abor's objections to the report
could not be retracted as long as
the report stands in it's present Ian
guaGe."
The council elected James Wilson,
Of Cincinnati, president of the inter
national Pattern Workers League Of
America, as a vice president of the
council to succeed Joseph Valentine,
president of the international Moul-
ders' Union Of America. who yes
terday res: gned because Of i'll health.
Davis Asks Interview
The Gompers corresponding
consisted Of two letters and two tele-
grams. as given out by Mr.. Comp
ers, the first was a letter written
by Mr. Davis at New York on July