The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-10-17
BY MANUEL GOMEZ

senting the labor movement Of the
western hemisphere. At it's congress
held in Mexico City, December 1924,
Matthew Vol, proclaimed the Mon
roe Doctrine of American haborp
modelled on the imperialist doctrine
of the U. s. government. BY this
phrase plagiarized from capitalist di
plomacy the Pan-American Federation
of Labor declared a monopoly on all
workers from Alaska to TERRA del
Fuego, and denied foreign" interna-
tionals any jurisdiction. The organi-
cations forbidden to interfere" with
the labor movement of the western
hemisphere were the Moscow Red
Trade Union International, the Berlin
anarcho-syndicalist International. and
the Amsterdam International FEEDER
alton of Trade Unions-still too revo-
lutionary for the A. F. of L.
The grandiose gesture of the Pan
American Federation of Labor is
based on the claim that a majority of
the countries of the western hemis-
phere are affiliated with it. Geogra-
ply lists twenty independent coun-
tries in this hemisphere; the Pan
American Federation lists twelve ma
tional labor declarations as affiliated
members.
If this figure were correct there
might at least be a numerical basis
for the labor imperialism of the P. A.
F. L.
An analysis of its boosted member
ship however tells another story.
THE twelve countries listed by the.
4 P.A.F.L L. as it's members are the
q. S.. Mexico, Ell Salvador, Hondu-
ras, Nicaragua, Peru, the Dominican
republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Co
lombia, Venezuela and Porto Rico.
Porto Rico, represented in the
p. "A. F. L. by the Federation Libre
de Trabajadores" has been an Am
erican colony since 1898. AS such it
should logically be affiliated with the
A. F. of L. But merely by being
listed as a member of the P. A. F. L.
it has been raised to the dignity
of an Independent country. Thus
without firing shot, the P. A. F. L.
has liberated an oppressed people.
Nothing remains now but for the
state department to recognize their
independence. Though CELEBRATING"
Porto Rico, the A. F. of L. 1.-THE head
of the P. A. F. L.. has long ago IAN
nexed" Canada, which helps to swell
the A. F. of L. membership list.
Nicaragua with a population of $50
900 has five general declarations of
labor. Only one of these, the "Fede-
racion de Obreros Nicaraguense" be-
longs to the P. A. F. L.
Ell Salvador, with a population of
100000 also has several general Ia
Dor declarations. These are loosely or
ganized and are rather mutual bene-
fit societies than real labor unions.
Two of them - la Confederation de
obreros del Salvador" and the Union
Obrera Salyadorena" - are affiliated
with the P. A. F. L. These two organi-
cations claimed in 1921 a combined
membership of 1000. Neither of them
sent delegate to the last p. A. F. L.
congress. In fact the labor movement
in Ell Salvador is so backward that
there is not single labor paper in
the country. Equally significant is
the fact that in the case of Salvador.
William Green is willing to admit
dual unions to the P. A. F. L., while
allowing the A. f. of L. to scab on
dual" unions in the United States.
THE Dominican Republic has a 20.
puIation of about 100000 of which
5000 are organized workers. It's prin-
cipal labor organization La Herman
dad Communal Nacionalista" (the Ma
tional Communal Brotherhood) is af-
filiated with Pan-American Fedora
ton. Unlike other Central American
members of the p. A. +. L. the Domini-
can organization was represented by
a deieqate AT the last p r I. cnn-