Evening star., 1937-06-13
BY ]. A. FOX.

Government Employees, a special COM
mittee from the executive council late
yesterday voted to recommend expul-
sion OF seven lodges already suspended
for rebelling against national head
quarters and launching an independ-
ent campaign against Government re-
trenchment legislation, pending In
Congress.
The action was taken at the end
OF an all-day session at the Hamilton
In which the charges against the seven
were aired, and was deemed "in the
best interests" OF the federation.
These findings will be referred to
the executive council, which, in turn.
will make report to the annual con-
vention Of the federation, opening in
Philadelphia September 13. 1t seems
certain that the committee will be sus-
tanned there, as federations cu=to-
marily are predominantly "conserv7-
tive as was demonstrated In Detro t
last September, when five 'libe~al'
groups were dropped on thinly-ve.led
charges OF being "communistic."
Overtures Made 70 C. l. %.
Before that time, however. the rec
commended expulsion may have becon~
useless gesture, because the seven
rebels already have attacked bot
the A. F. G. E. and the parent Amer
can Federation Of Labor, and have
made overtures to the Committee for
Industrial Organization.
The lodges involved are General
Accounting Once No 8. Labor u.
Agriculture 81. Interstate Commerce
So, Beltsville 1875, Works Progress l3o.
and Resettlement 2O6. Their tots;
membership is 1885
The committee said they were in
dividually and collectively guilty {.
the charges preferred against them.
but at the same time offered II
ollve branch to any members W.
may be out Of sympathy with II
, course the leadership Of the seven il,
pursued.
Invites Individuals.
On this. the statement said:
Individual members Of the seven
suspended lodges who signify a d.
sire to continue their membership in
| the American Federation Of Govern
ment Employees, in conformity with
their obligations rs members Of the
Federation, and who heretofore have
not been in accord with the actions
Of the above-named lodges which form
the basis for the charges preferred
against such lodges. will be afforded
an opportunity to continue their MEM
bership in the American Federation
OF Government Employees"
The disposition of these individual
cases rests on questionnaires sent out
by Charles I. Stengle, national presi-
dent, sounding out the sentiments of
each member. 1t was said in this con-
nection that, at conservative" estj-
mate, 200 of these questionnaires have
been returned. and that these are
Overwhelmingly in support Of the
national Office
| The method Of reaffiliation will be
dents-G. Carroll Dimond. Michael
D. Schaefer and Ira Y. BAN. The
| federation has conservative" lodges
in Labor, Agriculture and interstate
| Commerce which are not affected by
the suspension, but that still would
leave membership from four units ID
be cared for.
| Other Lodges Unaffected.
The committee council took no ac-
ton, so far as was announced, against
any Of the other lodges bha. have
announced support of the stand taken
by the seven. These include the
Railroad Retirement Lodge, set up
after its predecessor was removed in
the Detroit purge" and Loans anc
Currency of the Treasury. Units ir
several other cities have telegraphed
expressions OF support.
The hearing yesterday proceede1
in the absence Of any representation
from the seven lodges
The committee offered to receive on
spokesman from each lodge, but
would make no further concessions.
and negotiations for representation
then were broken of
When the inquiry got under way.
John Locher, president. and Frank J
Coleman, secretary, Of the Central
Labor Union, and James G. YAden
president Of the District Department
of the Federation. were the first wit
nesses 1t was said later by officers
that these testified as to the "disrup-
tive tactics" of the liberals" in c. L. U.
and department meetings, and that
the labor leaders also went into the
activities OF the accused at the recent
Maryland-District Federation of Labor
meeting in Hagerstown, Md, where
they were reported to have been active
| in behalf Of the c. I. O.
Stenxle Tells Of Split.
President Stengle then testified as
to the cause Of the split when he re-
jected the program OF the seven for
a militant campaign against congress
sional economy. and warned them
| against going on their own"
The suspension Of the seven fixes
that much firmer the Conservative
control of the District Department, In
which the factional troubles have CEN
| tered for more than three years. The
federation also lost two other groups
this past week. the Society Of Trans.
lators. and State Department lodges
quitting because they were out Of
sympathy with the leadership.
|
The Trial Committee. named by the
executive council, which had suspend
ed the seven pending hearing was
headed by Vice President James A.
Campbell Of Cincinnati. Other mem-
bers were John B. Murray, Boston:
Miss Henrietta Olding, New York. and
Cfmond. Schaefer and Balm, vice prcsi-