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Show Demands Overturn In Congress Con-gress and Charges Incompetence. OUTLINES PROGRAM OF RADICAL CHANGES End of Legislative Repression, Frenzied Profiteering and Gambling Must Stop. WASHINGTON, May 23. (By The Associated Press). The" American Federation of Labor has issued Its expected ex-pected call to tho electorate for "an overturn In congress." Under the signnturo of President Samuel Goinpors, tho current Issuo of the American Federatlonist, tho official offic-ial organ, carries an Indictment of con press and tho executive departments for "incompetence on tho cost of living Issue," and outlining a program of "deep cutting measures," declares: , "There must be an overturn in congress. con-gress. Enemies must be defeated; friends must be elected." Corporation Profltc. Presenting an itemized list of corporation cor-poration profits, similar to that recently recent-ly introduced in a speech by Senator Capper of Kansas, Mr. Gompers declares de-clares that whilo twenty-one enumerated enumer-ated corporations last year recolved profits averaging 435 per cont above normal, the average cost of living increased in-creased 9G per cent and the average union wage 65 per cont The "deep cutting measures." which Mr. Gompers writes will bo necessary to "guard the nation's distributing machinery ma-chinery against assaults from tho pirates pir-ates of trade and commerce" follow: immediate Adjustment of Wages. "Immediate, adjustments of wages, both in private employment and In the government service to at least moot the living costs that have outstripped Incomes by reason of this era of frenzied frenz-ied profiteering and gambling. "Immediate effective action to pro-vent pro-vent continued increases in the cost of living. I "Immediate effective action to prevent pre-vent continued increases In tho cost of living. "An end to the kind of legislation typified by tho Esch-Cummlns railroad law and tho Kansas court of Industrial relations law. Therd must be an end of legislative repression, restriction and coercion. Not only must thero be an end to the enactment of legislation of this character but there must bo a repeal ol legmmuun mruuuy uuuuiuu. Control of Credit Capital. "The congress will do well to give immcdatja andieffectlve consideration to the proposal of the American Jabor movement that control of credit capital capi-tal be taken from private financiers and placed In tho hands of a public trust to be administered upon principles princi-ples voluntary and co-operative in character. This will strike a vital blow toward eliminating tho abuses of profiteering and exploitation. "Congress should provide immediately immediate-ly for publicity for income tax returns. "Thero must be immediate steps to-jward to-jward equalization of wages and cost of living and effective steps to prevent a now margin from replacing the one to be dissolved. This means that there must be a permanent remedy for the high cost of living." Working People's Demands. "Tho working peoplo of the United States," continues Mr. Gompers, "are Bpeaklng in mandatory terms. If those In control of the legislative destinies of the country do not understand the needs of the workers, at least tho workorB themselves understand. They know the restraint which they have practiced. They know tho limit of thoir endurance. Their demand to be heard 1b a demand which comprehends the welfare of tho country." Wilson Relief Measures Unheeded. President Wilson proposed measures for relief, Mr. Gompers writes, "but congress gavo no heed," and since the signing of the armistice, "the American Ameri-can political and industrial Bourbons laid a source of plunder, restriction and coercion." Tho recent unsanctioned strike of railway men, Mr. Gompers characterizes character-izes as "a symptom of what is the matter with America' Their methods I he deplores as foredoomed to failure and in contravention of tho discipline of the trades union movement, but ho argues their appeals for relief from Increased living costs were of long standing and that they suffered "postponement, "post-ponement, after postponement." |