The Daily Worker

PURCELL AGAIN TELLS A. F. OF L. NEED OF UNITY
Jurisdictional Dispute Rages After He Speaks

By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

ATLANTIC CITY. N. J., Oct. 13 Another plea for world trade union unity was hurled into the A. F. of L. convention here today by Arthur A. Purcell the British fraternal delegate.

Purcell got the floor again when President Green presented him with a gold watch as the gift of the delegates. Other gifts were presented to the other fraternal representatives but Purcell came first-and he was the only one who spoke at any length or had anything worth while to say.

All Headed for Emancipation.

"I accept this gift not for myself but as an expression of the solidarity of the workers of America and of England" declared Purcell. "We may have our differences but we will manage to work together because we are all headed in the same direction, the unity of all labor, the emancipation of the workers of the world in every part of the world."

But within a few moments the delegates showed how far the American Federation of Labor would have to go to catch up with workers of other countries by plunging into a bitter jurisdictional dispute between the Teamsters' Union and the Railway Clerks' organization.

American Sort of Unity.

President E. H. Fitzgerald led the fight for the Railway Clerks, claiming that whatever teamsters, chauffeurs, helpers and workers in garages that the Teamsters' Union is seeking, are so tied up with other work over which the Railway Clerks have jurisdiction that they cannot be segregated.

He was supported by Delegate G. H. Nicholson. President Tobin of the Teamsters, who is also treasurer of the federation, replied, claiming that the jurisdictional laws of the A. F. of L. gave the teamsters and chauffeurs in question to his organization. He stressed the fact that his union had been chartered in 1899 and claimed the Railway Clerks was a "war baby" union anyway and even at that the teamsters would only take one-fifth or one-seventh of the membership away from the Railway Clerks.

The executive council's report favors Tobin's position and demands that the Railway Clerks carry it out within 90 days or suffer the loss of their affiliation with the A. F. of L.

No decision had been reached at adjournment.

Votes Rap at Secession.

The convention voted condemnation of secession movement of American Federation of Express Workers taking the occasion to condemn any tendency toward the establishment or fostering of a seceding organization in any industry.

With no discussion the convention unanimously adopted the report of the committee on shorter workday demanding that eight hours of work be the maximum and citing instances where the workday had been cut down much more. The resolution cited the revolutionary changes that had taken place in industry increasing production.

Support was also voted the striking textile workers in the Willimantic, Conn., plant of the American Thread company. President Thomas F. McMahon of the Textile Workers spoke for the resolution, pointing out that this corporation was controlled by the English Sewing Cotton Thread company of Manchester, England so that its American name didn't mean anything. The 2,500 strikers are opposing a wage reduction.

President John L. Lewis of the Coal Miners' Union has arrived in the city. Altho he has not appeared in the convention, he has already given a banquet to some of the German labor delegates, who again seized upon this opportunity to attack the Communists.

ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., Oct. 13. It remained for the Gompers' memorial services, held at the A. F. of L. convention here, to bring out in bold relief the servile role played by the red baiting "socialists," who still cling to their positions in some of the international unions, especially in the needle trades organization.

Silent during the discussion on immigration, on child labor, on the organization of the unorganized; uttering not a word of protest during the fascisti speech of "Major" George L. Berry, of the Printing Pressmen's Union, fresh from the American legion convention, although their own international conventions had gone on record against the fascisti movement, these "socialists" rose sublimely to the occasion and presented the convention with a marble bust of the late Gompers, with whom they co-operated during his closing years in his attacks on the progressives in the trade unions.

This toe-licking role of the "socialists" found its exponent in Max Zaritsky, head of the Cap Makers' Union, who made the presentation speech, offering the bust of Gompers to the delegates. He did this not only on behalf of the anti-progressive regime in his own union, but also on behalf of the Kaufmann regime in the Furriers' Union and the Sigman administration in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. For this Zaritsky, Kaufmann and Sigman, all delegates in this convention, received the hearty applause and commendation of all the stand pat delegates.

Socialist Fakers Doomed

This in spite of the fact that power is slipping from under both Kaufmann and Sigman in their own organizations, presaging the time when Zaritsky will go the self-same way in his union, in which he now carries on a red-baiting drive more vicious than anything that has yet developed in this A. F. of L. convention.

This is the role that the "socialists" have played during the years since the war. It was last year that Sigman at the El Paso Texas convention unable to restrain himself until Gompers death, presented a bust to the late A. F. of L. head while he was still alive.