The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 7, 1919, Page 8

Labor Demands Profiteering Stopped Federation Convention Supports Efforts of Trade Commission Against Big Packers—Urges Government Ownership of Railroads Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. RGANIZED labor has placed it- self squarely behind the fight of the producers and consumers of the United States against the private monopolists of the nation’s food supply. It has pledged its fullest sup- port to the efforts of the fed- eral trade commission to bring ! the Big Five meat packers to book. It has demanded that food profiteers, as well as i profiteers in the clothing industry, shall be forced to stop holding goods in storage for speculative increases in market prices. | More important, it has voted unanimously to insist upon government ownership and democratic control of the railroads of the country under the Plumb plan, worked out by the railway workers’ organization. It is taken for granted that gov- . ernment ownership of the railroads will be followed by the purchase of the stockyards, stock cars and cold storage warehouses, which are naturally a . part of the railroad system. : “nents of a sympathetic strike " were beaten. " mittees of congress on the con- Action upon these three vital issues, drawing still closer the bonds which unite the wage-workers and the farmers in their national organizations, has been voted unanimously by the thirty-ninth annual convention of the American Federation of Labor, meeting at Atlantic City, in which 550 del- egates took part. The delegates represented big international unions, such as the carpenters, United Mine Workers, and machinists, city labor councils, state federations of labor, and many local unions - affiliated directly with the American Federation of Labor. Probably not 10 per cent of the delegates were of the so- - called radical element. This was shown by the forcefulness with which the advocates of recognition of soviet Russia were voted down, and propo- to secure a new trial for Tom Mooney in San Francisco That the pro- nhouncements in favor of a war against profiteers, and a strug- gle for government-owned and democratically controlled rail- ways were the verdicts of con- servative men and women is beyond question. The resolution aimed at the Big Five packers reads: “Whereas, = the American Federation of Labor is not un- mindful of the revelations re- cently made before two com- trol of the food interests of this country; and “Whereas, this control is of great danger to the future wel-" fare.of this country, since in- creasing masses of the people are unable by honest toil to live in health and comfort; there- fore be it PLEDGES SUPPORT TO TRADE COMMISSION “Resolved, that the Ameri- can Federation of Labor sup- port the federal trade commis- sion in its efforts to secure remedial legislation in the meat packing industry. That the American Federation of Labor especially call the attention of congress to the extension of the control of the meat pack- ers over the preparation and sale of unrelated food prod- ucts, which has proceeded so rapidly in recent years that the absolute control of the food of the nation is passing into the hands of the five tion. packers, while the legitimate manufacturers and distributors W and act as though they expected labor 5 n"fi:w{’.&f&(flbfigzflfiypg‘—gfi-fi% of food products other than meat are in danger of destruction. That copies of these resolutions be sent to all members of the senate and house inter- state and foreign commerce and agricultural com- mittees.” . On the subject of the food and clothing profiteers who hoard supplies, the convention voted to prepare and press for enactment by congress a law embody- ing the substance of this resolution: “Whereas, it has become the practice of manu- facturers, producers and others to accumulate and hoard large quantities of commodities, food prod- ucts, dairy products, goods, wearing apparel and articles entering into the manufacture of wearing _apparel; and “Whereas, such practice leads to artificial condi- tions of distribution, panics, speculation, price-fix- ing, industrial unrest, impure and deteriorated goods, food and food products, wearing apparel and articles entering into their manufacture, being dis- posed of in ways and by methods other than by natural distributive methods; now, therefore, be it “Resolved, that this body call upon the con- gress of the United States and the legislatures of the various states to enact laws compelling each and every box, barrel, bottle, can, carton or container of such goods, or food products, and each and every article of wearing apparel or article entering into the manufacture of wearing apparel, to bear an imprint of the date of its growth, origin, production or manufac- ture, and if any such foods, food products, dairy products, wearing apparel or articles entering into the manufacture thereof, be stored, the WELL NOW LETS BEASON THIS opT AND POT QURSEWES IN EACH OTHERS —Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris. There are still a great many employers in the United States who cling to the obsolete idea that the best way to prevent strikes is to break them. fairness to the workers will do more to prevent industrial disputes and increase produc- A -great many of the employers who use the first method are the most loud in their assertions that “capital and labor should be partners,” and then go back to the factory to be the silent partner, and mighty silent at that. HICH IS THE BETTER WAY? ’ There are others who believe that date of such storage to be imprinted thereon, and be it further “Resolved, that this body shall call upon the congress of the United States and the legisla- tures of the various states to provide in the aforesaid laws a time limit within which any of the aforesaid stamped foods, food products, wearing apparel, etc., shall be offered for sale to the consumer, on penalty of confiscation, or fine, or both.” On government ownership and democratic con- trol of the railroads, the resolution introduced joint- ly by the delegates of all unions employed in the railroad service, and which was adopted, reads: GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP OF RAILROADS URGED “Whereas, there is now pending before the Amer- ican people and their representatives in congress the political solution of the railway.problem; and “Whereas, every human industrial activity, the life of every community, and the happiness and the prosperity of every citizen, are dependent upon the solution of this problem; and “Whereas, it is demanded by the private owners of these properties, as the condition on which they will resume the control and operation thereof, that the people of America guarantee them privileges which they have not hitherto enjoyed, to wit, the right to earn a guaranteed return on the property _investment account of the railway companies; and “Whereas, such a guarantee would make valid as a 'direct obligation of the people of the United States all fictitious securities, stock dividends and discounted bonds issued by the railroads without consideration and representing no service to the American peo- ple; and “Whereas, in order to make good such a guarantee, rates must be raised far in excess of the level now fixed, or, in de- fault of such increase in rates, wages must be reduced far be- low the level now fixed; and “Whereas, there has ‘been presented to the senate com- mittee on interstate commerce, and will shortly be introduced in congress, the plan for a re- organization of this industry, originating with the railway employes; and “Whereas, labor’s plan so presented provides for immedi-, ate public ownership of these properties, the protection of every honest dollar actually in- vested, and the assurance of an adequate return on such in- vestment without any increase in rates; and “Whereas, labor’s plan pro- vides for joint control of the industry through a board of di- rectors representing equally the wage-earner, management and the public; and “Whereas, labor’s plan pro- vides for the full protection of all the rights and privileges of the wage-earners as a class without invading the rights of any other classes .of society, and at the same time throws wide the golden gate of oppor- tunity for the full develop- ment of the powers of initia- tive, inherent in every individ- ual; now, therefore, be it - “Resolved, that the conven- 3 tion hereby approve, indorse /f" 5 and adopt the plan for the cenrrs ?eorganization of the railway industry presented to the sen- ate committee on interstate commerce on behalf of the railway employes; and that we hereby pledge ourselves to use every legitimate endeavor to plan into law.” promote the enactment of this