Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-11-21 | Page 3 | Labor Reaffirms Loyalty to Nation

LOITYIO ITI Pacifist Element Entirely Silenced; Sweeping Resolution Reso-lution Passes. BUFFALO, X. T., Nov. 20. Without a dissenting vote the American Federation Federa-tion of Jvahor today reaffirmed its unswerving un-swerving loyalty to the country and a determination to stand behind the na-t na-t ional administration until peace comes. The pacifist clement, which yesterday mustered a small minority against President Pres-ident Gompers's attitude in support of 1 the war, was silent. The resolution containing the declaration declara-tion was reported favorably by the resolutions reso-lutions committee. It was sweeping in scope. The course pursued by President Gompers in callinif a. conference of the national and international officers of the federation at Washington on Jfci rch 1- was approved a nd all his subsequent actions and those of the executive council coun-cil with reference to the war were concurred con-curred iu. The pacifists declared that they were unaware that the resolution was to come up today. They made no move for a reconsideration, how ever, and it was pointed out that while their fight yesterday yes-terday was based on a vote of confidence confi-dence In President Gornpers, today's resolution reso-lution called for a declaration on' a clear-cut clear-cut question of loyalty to the country. This resolution, with others from the committee on resolutions, occupied virtually virtu-ally the entire day. Vice President James Duncan made a report at the afternoon af-ternoon session on his trip to Russia as a member of the commission appointed by President Wilson, and Gifford Pin-ehot, Pin-ehot, speaking for the federated board of farm organizations, asked for closer relations between the farmers' organizations organi-zations and the American Federation of Labor. The only resolution that caused extended ex-tended dea te related to the organization organiza-tion of negro labor. It was submitted by Delegate Murphy of San Francisco, and embodied in its preamble a resolution adopted by the international Negro league and presented to the San Francisco Fran-cisco labor council tor indorsement. The negro league's resolution specifically referred re-ferred to the "southern states" as the scenes of wrongs inflicted upon the ra.ee. The resolutions committee, reporting to the convention, assumed no responsibility responsi-bility for the statements in the preamble of the Murphy resolution, and recommended recom-mended reference to the executive council coun-cil of only that part of it referring to organization of the negroes. O. D. Gorman of Georgia protested against the reference to the southern states remaining in the record and moved as an amendment to strike out the entire section. "The slaughter at East St. L-ouis came as a result of thefts by starving negroes enticed away from their southern homes,' Gorman said. "I defy any delegate dele-gate to point to a single instance of a. negro being killed for robbery in the south. I resent this reference to 1 he southern states. The treatment of the negro in the south is better than it has been in the north." Finally the report was amended by the resolutions committee to read : "Your committee cannot be responsible responsi-ble for and rejects the statements contained con-tained in the preamble of the resolution," resolu-tion," and as so amended the report was adopted. In his address on Russia., Vice President Presi-dent Duncan expressed confidence in the ultimate-formation of a stable and lasting last-ing republican government there. "Give them an opportunity to develop their new democracy, and there will be born in it a national spirit that will be worth fighting for," he said.