The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-01

/ NlIlB CAbI ElIllSlS.
IN the United States, the Work
II ers' (CommunisD party has
fallen to a membership of less than
10000, or about half its strength of
five years ago. 1t has lost much Of
its former hold on the needle trades,
and is making slow progress in its
attempts to bore from within" the
miners union.
The I. w. w. retains a hold on
migratory workers of the Middle
West and Pacific Coast, and upon
the remnant of the radical miners
union of the Rocky Mountain area;
but it apparently has no hope of
becoming an inclusive national or
ganization.
The moribund Socialist party is
attempting a new birth in which
the old Marxist dress of "class war"
is discarded for an American in
dustrial democracy" aim and method.
Nomination this month of Nor
man Thomas of early American
stock and a former parSon, as So
cialist candidate for President, is a
part Of this process of American
izing" the party.
The American Federation Of La
Dor is led by the conservative aids
of the deceased Gompers. President
Green and his cabinet oppose in
dustrial unionism,' sympathetic
strikes" general strikes" and a po-
litical labor party.
Injunction abuses by Federal
judges are more widespread and re-
| strictive of labor's constitutional
rights than ever before, according to
the A. F. of L. and nonpartisan in
vestigators.
The Farmer-Labor party of the
Northwest barely survives through
the loyalty of its lone Representa-
tive, Senator Shipstead of Mime
sofa, who has apparently decided
not to run on the Republican ticket.
IN England, the British labor party
L has begun to lose by-elections,
though it still hopes to beat the tory
government and return to power at
The general elections next year.
Since the abortive general strike
a year ago there is wider cleavage
between left and right wing British
labor. with the Communist party less
effective and the labor party swing
ing nearer the middle of the-road
liberals.
In France, the Conservative
nationalist bloc of Poincare won the
general election Sunday.
Germany is expected in its cleo
tiCn to swing farther toward the
bourgeois Republican position, with
a loss for the Communists. Similarly
in Austria, the Socialists controlling
Vienna are unable to extend their
sway
| In Italy, Spain, Portugual. Greece,
Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Po-
land and Baltic countries varying
degrees of white" dictatorship have
suppressed extremist, and in some
cases moderate, labor parties and
union.
n II
INVESTIGATION Of alleged frau
4 dulent leases and monopoly con-
troll by large oil companies in the
rich Salt Greek field, adjoining Tea
pot Dome in Wyoming, has been
voted unanimously by the Senate.
Most Of the leases were made at the
close of the Wilson administration.
+
"The most harmonious Demo-
cratic gathering in years is the
general description of the Washing
ton meeting of leaders of that party,
which chose Claude G. Bowers OF
the New York Evening World as
keynoter and temporary chairman
of the Houston convention.
If any of the leaders had doubts
about the nomination Of Al Smith.
none was able to discover it.
Ten years after the World War,
Germany is the first nation to &C
cept without reservation the United
States draft of the multi-laterai