The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-27
By k,FB. MIDONALDs tLsassd Mirsase The Ass-Hsfaid)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2o.--The ac. cession to power of the labor party in Great Britain brings sharply to the front the attitude of the trade union movement in this country toward sim. liar political action. < | At present, organized labor in the United States is divided into two great camps-those opposed to participating in politics as party and those beliey. ing in the organization of movement similar to that in England.
 The main strength of the first group is to be found in the American Federa- tion of Labor, where Samuel Gompers, its president, steadfastly has opposed Iparticipation by4f his organization in the various political movements which thaye sprung up in this country from time to time. " 5 2. .se4 r On the other side the powerful rail. road brotherhoods and several strong units of the A. F. of L., notably the graphical union, stand firmly for the formation of labor party.
 Fears Weakening Of Movement , F.. Gompers has argued that to form 6 labor party would only weaken tho trade union movement and divert it's attention from the purpose of its for nation; namely, bettering of working conditions and obtaining higher wages and shorter working day.
 | We do not view the accession to power of the labor party in England as victory for labor." ,Gompers de- ix.lo d o,.ao ktS,,A x,,o ...a LA for the Independent labor party, which is the socialist party in the amaJga. mated labor party there." f. The labor victory in England then, according to Gompers, is not labor victory. but a triumph for a purely political party-the English socialist party. Gompers pointed to the British situation as proof that political vic tory cannot be achieved by a purely labor party.
 But, despite the fact that the A. F. of l.. takes it's stand against the for nation of labor party, it does not scorn the ballot as weapon. Instead of working through q movement labeled as labor it works through the ex- isting political parties.
 Effective Political Body Tn each c0ngreSSlOnal district 1t Is welded into effective bodies through it central trades, council, and before each election every member of the or ganiZation is acquainted with the pref. erence of the central body in the form of inducements of candidates.
 The advocates of labor party have joined in the conference for progressive political action, which is composed of trade unions, farmers, cooperative or ganizations and radical and progres. xive political party groups.
 Already labor parties have been in- augurated in several states. In Mime sota, where it is called the farmer labor party, the railroad brotherhoods, the farmers cooperative organizations and the scattering remnants of the so- cialist party united to elect Senators Johnson and Shipstead. In North Dakota, the trade unions participate in the non-partisan league movement, which inturn works through the repub- lican party, and in West Virginia a real labor party has been formed.
 The situation at present, then, is this: There is no national labor party, and trade unions in the United States are exerting their power at the ballot box through existing means.
 It has been freely predicted, however, by even the most enthusiastic sup lorters of the labor party idea, that an effective organization cannot be formed in this country for at least 10 tO 15 years