VETERAN LEADER

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 34, 9 August 1921, Page 2

VETERAN LEADER

RE-ELECTION OF SAMUEL

GOMPERS

LABOUP. PRESIDENT FOR

FORTIETH TIME

Samuel Gompers was elected president of the American Federation of Labour at the end of June for the fortieth time in the forty-one years the federation has been in existence. American papers record that he swamped John L. Lewis, head of the United Mine Workers, better than t'vo to ono, in the most sensational election the federation has ever held. The vot.-i was 25,022 for Gompers, against 12,62 - for Lewis.

Only bpee in tho forty-one times the federation lias elected a president has Gompers been defeated. That one defeat came in Denver in 1394, when John M'Bride, of the Mine Workers, "unhorsed" him.

Gompers's. re-election was declared! a sweeping endorsement of policies which Have madevtlie Federation' the most powerful Labour organisation 'in. the world. Most important of nil, it was regardpd as the decision of" organised Labour not to change leaders in the midst of.the perils which confront the trades union movement in the reconstruction period.

A demonstration lasting'forty seconds featured tho presentation of Gompers's name to the assembly at Denver, and auothsr long round of applause was tho greeting accorded the head of tlie Mine Workers when Ire was placed inWmination. A seconding speech for Gompea-s was the occasion for another demonstration. , ' ... . , '

Ths roll call barely had started when it became apparent that the election was a walkaway fox- the veteran, who has so long guided the activities of American organised Labour. Tho actors and artiste, first on the list, cast their 118 votes for Gompers. Lewis received his first votes, 94, from the barbers, their remaining 376 going to Compels. Cheers of Gompers's snpporters rocked tho auditorium as the votes piled' -up for their leader. J., M. Barnes, of tho cigarmakors' delegation, of- which Gompers is a member, delivered 68 votes to Lsivis, the ottoev 274 going to Gompers. Pandemonium broke loose when tho 2000 votes of the railway carmen, which had been claimed by Lewis's supporters,, were cast for Gompers. From that time on the result was not in doubt. It was' only a question of ho»w big a majority Gompers woiild roll up. T.h« 3521 voters of the carpenters, the 1420 of ,tbe electrical workers, and the 2700 of the | machinists went to Lewis, as. had beoii expected. Lewis's own delegation was split, Ho did not cast h's own 533 vote®. He received 2128, and 1586 went to Gomrjers.

GOMPERS THANKS CONVENTION,

Following the election, President Gompers made tho following statement to the convention :—

I cannot begin to tell you how delighted I am at tbe result of this election. This is the first time in my official causer that I have so'expressed, myself. What I have done in the past when I have been a candidate was done simply as a call to duty. "It is no gratification to tee to have defeated Delegate Lewis. That gratification comes from the fact that v news■p&per, a corrupting force owned by a, multimillionaire, an 8,000,000 horsepower mud-slinging machine—l refer to it in this way because the combined circulation of the Hearst papers reaches ■that total—caimot control the American Labour movement:'

My election will bring' no comfort either to Gary or to Hearst, f was told I write large and speak largely. I want to say.l will 'never write or apeak in a minor key, whether it be to Gary, a Cabinet member, a politician, or a member of the National Cong.ress, a multimillionaire, or to all the newspapers combined.' I prefer a, characteristic of boldness to' any other trait. "I was tempted to speak when I would rather have remained silent and do what I shall now do—call this convention to order."

Lewis then thanked*- his supporters for their and declared "there is no rancour in my mind." He' had, ho said, nothing but respect for Samuel Gompers, and was wholly satisfied with the action of the convention.

LEWIS DISAVOWS HEARST. "I ueverj saw William Randolph Hearst iv my life/ Lewis added, "and 1 never hoard from him either directly or indirectly, and either "to say or to infer, as has baon said and has been inferred, that he is or was back of me is an error. "I'know how-Hearst works. -I know that he broke a' strike at Deadwood through his actions sotap years ago, and-to-day a- union minaf is still unwelcome there." I ' NOMINATION OF GOMPERS.' G. W. Perkins, of the Cigarmakers' Union, put the name of President Gompers before the convention. "It is difficult to point out the multitude of reasons why he should be re•noniinated and triumphantly elected," said Perkins. "You know he has the Jhoral and physical courage that makes for leadership. What of hjs achievements? It is impossible to enumerate th&m, but you are as familiar with them as I am. He took a rope of sand, and made of it the strongest and best economic movement in the world. " It 1 has been charged he is a reactionary and slipping. Thirty-eight' years ago this man proposed what you selfstyled progressives now propose. Let me say this to you, you progressives': While ho was preaching this you have been howling the ' One Big Union' and I.W.W. If you had backed him up Labour would not bo in any danger today from tho open shop. " No man in the Labour movement, or in the United States, has ' been more lied about or more persistently abused than the president of tho American Federation of Labour, and it is because of his accomplishments. " If a newspaper can defeat tho head of the American Federation of Labour, then it can disrupt nnd destroy the morale in each one of the affiliated organisations The answer to-da.v should bs that tho men and women of Labour • are going to choose all their leaders for themselves. " They say he is petting old. In the last year he has made ISO addresses to Labour, organisations and travelled 38,956 miles, and ho made ono of his trips in an nil-plane. "Who is otomp.to say who our next president will, be—the Garys, the Hoarsts, the onen shoppers?., ' Or will you of tho A.F. of L. select him?" LEWIS NAMED BY GREEN. 1 Delegate William Green, of tho minfl workers, presented tho name of John L. Lewis, head of the"' mine workers, declaring ho had no word of criticism of any candidate, and particularly of Gompers, whom, he said, ho venerated. " Men who aspiro to the high position may do so," said Green.. " without being accused of trying to disrupt the organisation. There may be those who feel a change in leadership would injiiro our movement, yet men must be blunt if they do not know ,r ayeai number believe a change would bo beneficial.

. "A change of leadership is a mepv incident. .Mycandidate comes from Hie mine workers—a man of the mines. He came from that same school that gave

the Ataerican Labour movement the late lamented John Mitchell."*

Green lauded the leadership of Lewis in the 1919 coal strike, which "resolved itself into a contest between the United States Government and the men who work in the mine 3." "In. a contest between 400,000 men and the Government of the United States," he asked, "what chance did the 400,000 have?. We could only meet the crisis in the light of intelligence.'.' ' As already recorded, Gompers received a big majority. The convention sustained the committee's report . recommending that every effort to bring about affiliation with the international organisation be made, and that the Russian situation be considered in the hope that " freedom, democracy, and humanitarian principles will prevail." • . •■,-■•

A proposal that steps b» taken to roaffiliate the American Labour movement with the European organisations was almost unanimously defeated.

Refusal to combine with the International Federation of Trade Unions unless absolute autonomy \is guaranteed the American body was endorsed. ■ FACING SERIOUS TIMES.' "The American Federation of Labour faces serious times, undaunted and with confidence and courage," President Gompers declared in a formal statement subsequently. ; "There is a great gratification in the result of to-dayV election," said the statement. ."Our "trade union movement, has demonstrated that it will not submit to dictation from the forces of corruption or greed—that neither ihe Hearsts nor the Garys can chart our course or select our leaders.'

"Oar movement is united and is prepared to be aggressive in defence of the rights of, the toilers. It will not be swerved-.from its course. It will-be a sa.fl clay for the aspirations "df the working people ol our laud when corrupt and intriguing interests can either divide our movement, change our course, or destroy our leadership. The, ..vote to-day has demonstrated to ' the world that we have not yet come, upon that day. .

"The whole work of the convention, the resolutions and declarations adopted, the policies indicated, mean for the future a united, progressive, militant movement, following upon a progressive, fruitful, and militant past.

"For myself, I may say that the work of the convention and the result of-the election fill me with satisfaction, gratitude, and pride, not. for myself, but for our movement. I am proud of our movement, and: my 1 life shall be given to it in the future, as it has been for these many years, v We are facing serious time's; we face them undaunted and with confidence and courage."