The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1931-05-15
Washington News Story Green
Is to Resign Strongly Denied
A. F. of L. President and Matthew Wo in Slashing State
ments Declare Yarn COncOcted from Gossip, Has No
Basis in Fact-Paper Made No Effort to Verify
Report.

Washington, D. c. (ILNS)-Wash-
ington Daily News, Scripps- Howard
newspaper, took the executive council
Of the American Federation of Labor,
in session here, by surprise, fabber-
gasted President Green and got Mat
thew Woll fighting mad by publica-
ton of story, based on gossip, say
ing that President Green was getting
tired of his job and that Matthew
Woll, vice president, was building
fighting machine to capture the job.
Both Green and Woll Immediately
communicated with the News and is
sued joint public statements, saying
in effect that in this case this Scripps-
Howard newspaper was "all wet" if
not worse 1t will be recalled that it
was Scripps-Howard newspapers that
contained slashing attack on the
A. F. of l.. just prior to the Toronto
convention, calling forth convention
rebuke
mo Truth in Story"
In his statement President Green
said:
"There is no truth in the story pub
lished in the Washington Daily News
on May that | intend to tender my
resignation as president of the Amer
lean Federation fo Labor at the meet
ing of the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor, which
is being held at the headquarters of
the American Federation of Labor, or
to the next convention of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, which meets
in Vancouver, British Columbia, next
October.
'It is difficult to understand the
basis for such a story. No inquiry
had been made of me by the reporter
or the News editor Regarding the
truthfulness of this story before it
was published. If such an inquiry
had been made | would have stated
IIidL ld0 liO ihbSbOiOAl WiAoSN'~A "
rendering my resignation as president
of the American Federation of Labor.
"When the reporter was asked why
he did not make an inquiry in order
to verify the report which he states
was the basis of his story, he advised
me that he refrained from doing so
because if he had done so other press
associations would have been advised
and thus he would have been denied
the opportunity of writing an exclu
sive story.
"While the duties of the president
of the American Federation of Labor
are very exacting and for the present
the work is very trying, | have never
signifed any intention of rendering
my resignation as president of the
American Federation of Labor"
without Slightest Foundation"
Vice President Woll said:
"The news item having appeared in
the Washington Daily News of May 5
to the effect that William Green was
to resign the presidency of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor and that
was seeking the assumed vacancy
thus to be created, and that those in
terested in my welfare were organ
izing Matthew Woll Clubs in Phila
delphia and elsewhere is without the
slightest foundation of fact, based en-
tirely upon premeditated assumption
and ruthless presumption and is
wholly untrue.
''In addition, ! wish to state clearly,
definitely and unequMocally that |
have not been, am not now and do
not, at any time, hope to be candi-
date for the position of the presi-
dency of the American Federation of
Labor-not that | in any way under
value the greatness of the position in
volved, the honor and influence at
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