Recommendation

Samuel Gompers, patriarch of the American Federation of Labor, has long taken the attitude that the Federation is not in politics. That stand is an ideal for which he has waged and won many bitter battles. His belief is that the Federation may justifiably recommend to its members that they vote for given policies and for given candidates on the basis of their records. He holds equally strongly that the Federation is a labor, not a political, body, that its interests would be more hurt than helped if it became identified with any party--even a Labor Party.

Last week the Executive Council of the Federation, its highest body, assembled in Atlantic City in its regular session, which was, of course, private. In going to that meeting, Mr. Gompers announced that the Federation would cling to its (to his) time-honored policy.

There was considerable talk that the LaFollette supporters, led by the railway brotherhoods, would seek to. get an out-and-out endorsement for the La Follette Progressive ticket, thereby breaking the Federation's policy. If this was their aim, which it is now permissible to doubt, they failed. The Executive Council stayed close to its policy; but by endorsing LaFollette and Wheeler as independent candidates, by endorsing their platform, by denouncing the Republican and Democratic candidates and platforms, it threw its moral weight behind the LaFollette Progressive movement.

The National Non-Partisan Political Campaign Committee, a subcommittee of the Executive Council, issued its report, of which the following are the salient points:

Republicans. "The Republican Convention gave Labor's representatives a brief and curt hearing. The Republican platform ignores entirely the injunction issue. It fails to deal with Labor's right to organize or the right of the workers, even in self-defense, collectively to cease work. That platform sustains the Railroad Labor Board, with all that it means in the direction of governmental coercion of wage-earners. It fails to recommend the ratification by the States of the Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.

"The Republican Convention nominated candidates unacceptable to Labor.

"Its candidate for Vice President is one of the most outspoken enemies of Labor and is the founder of an organization dedicated to the task of writing, into all political platforms, planks calling for the anti-union shop--an organization which also encouraged and supported the Daugherty injunction against the railroad shopmen."

Democrats. "Labor's representatives submitted to the Democratic Convention identical proposals to those submitted to the Republican Convention. At this Convention an extended hearing was granted. The Democratic platform pledges that party to legislation to regulate hours and conditions of all labor, a proposal against which the American Federation of Labor has struggled throughout its whole history. It is silent as to the injunction. It does not meet the Railroad Labor Board issue. On that point it is so equivocal that the enemies of Labor may well feel that their desires will be met. It, too, fails to recommend the ratification by the States of the Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.

"The Democratic Convention nominated candidates unacceptable to Labor."

LaFollette Progressives. "There remains the candidacy of Robert M. La Follette and Burton K. Wheeler--the first an independent Republican, the second an independent Democrat, running as such.

"These candidates have proffered a platform in which the economic issues of the day are met in a manner more nearly conforming to Labor's proposals than any other platform.

"This platform pledges a remedy for the injunction evil.

"It pledges the right to organize and collectively to cease work.

"It pledges protection of the rights of free speech, free press and free assemblage.

"It pledges abolishment of the Railroad Labor Board. It pledges a measure to annul the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws permanently unconstitutional.

"It declares for direct election of President and Vice President and election of Federal Judges.

"It recommends prompt ratification by the States of the Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.

"It pledges subsequent Federal legislation to protect child life.

"On international affairs this platform does not conform to Labor's proposals, but it does, more fully than any other political platform, meet Labor's views in relation to domestic economic issues.

"We cannot do other than point out this fact, together with the further and perhaps more important fact that the candidates, Mr. LaFollette and Mr. Wheeler, have throughout their whole political careers stood steadfast in the defense of the rights and interests of the wage earners and farmers.

"We call upon the wage earners and the great masses of the people every where, who stand for Freedom, Justice, Democracy and human progress, to rally in this campaign to the end that the representatives of reaction and special interests may be defeated and the faithful friends and servants of the masses be elected.

"Cooeperation, thereby urged, is not a pledge of indentification with an in dependent party movement nor a third party, nor can it be construed as sup port for such a party, group or movement except as such action accords with our non-partisan political policy. We do not accept government as the solution of the problems of life."

Thus was the deed done. It had been anticipated, but it remains, nevertheless, the greatest success which Messrs. La Follette and Wheeler have so far achieved.