The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1935-10-18
TheCherry
" Where with our
we tell the truth
about many things, sometimes pre-
feundly. sometimes AippaRtly,
sometimes recklessly.

Once a year the American Fedora
tion of Labor holds what we call a
convention. In Europe they'd call it
a congress and a convention would be
a written agreement.
Anyway, the anual convention is on
in Atlantic City, famous resort on
the Atlantic, where many kinds of
conventions are held.
You can walk several miles on a
boardwalk at the edge of the water.
When winds blow high waves break
over the walk and you go elsewhere.
This convention seems likely to go
down in large type in labor's big book
of history.
It is that kind of convention.
Every once in so often issues get
big and serious and men get serious
and it seems as if the fate of man
kind hinges on the outcome.
And then there is tremendous dis
cussion and, finally, decision
Of course the fate of mankind does
Mt always hang quite where we think
it when we went to sleep last night,
but to each of US things are as WE
see them, not as someone else sees
them.
That's one reason why we have
issues and debates and hectic voting
And SO the convention faces big
issues and real issues. They are not
secrets. One involves the building
trades; one the question Of how fa1
and where industrial organization.
shall go.
There is great depth of conviction
and good deal Of feeling, naturally
for the one generally goes with tht
other.
Meanwhile employers, among 9th
ers, watch to see what will happen a
the end of it all
| Conventions are interesting things
Groups and knots gather here anc
there, talking endlessly
An observer wonders what they fnt
to talk so much about.
i
Quite probably each talker alsc
wonders after it is over and remem
bers but little of what was said.
But the talk goes on, endlessly
Men who ordinarily go to bed a
| 10 o'clock will stand around until /.
and and later, talking. 1t seem!
SO important to know the very las
word that is being passed around.
Often the air is full of rumors
Generally nothing to them, but the.
must be passed along So it goes.
A rumor will run through con
vention crowd faster than rail
through a down spout.
An American labor convention j
Of paramount Importance for on
main thing: 1t fixes American labo
policy for a year. 1t lays down the lav
which is to be followed and American
labor discipline is so good that usu
Tally the law is followed.
Of course there are a few delegate
lin every convention who come for fm
and take scant part in the serious
work. But their number is exceed
ingly small These conventions worl
hard really hard.
Three new international unions ar,
in this convention, two of them no
yet old enough to vote. The three
Pullman porters, auto workers, rubbe.
workers.
Enormous membership gains, too
solid new million paying dues.
Project the picture: What abou
next year? Where are we going
How viii labor's influence grow? An,
so on and so forth. But THIS on
is a great convention biggest sine
the postwar slump
The future ought to witness taste
and faster growth
And the little groups keep talking
it over in corners and leaning agains
walls and posts.
AT C0TINCII