International attacked it for being too conservative. Its former President, Appleton of the British unions, was conservative and took the same stand as Gompers. Its new President, J. M. Thomas of the British National Union of Railwaymen, is often considered conservative in Great Britain, but in this country he would doubtless be called a Bolshevik because he supports the Labor Party, believes in nationalization of the mines and railroads, and supports the International Federation in its threat of direct action to prevent a new war. Most of the important trade union movements of Europe are affiliated with this International.
On the other hand, the Third or Communist International with headquarters at Moscow, Russia, has called into being another International Council of Trade and Labor Unions. This red International of Trade-Unionism has gained the support of a number of labor bodies even in this country, as reported in the press.
Besides these general Internationals of the unions, there are also international federations for specific industries, whose interests spread beyond the boundaries of one country. The seamen, for instance, held a conference last summer in Genoa, to decide important questions about their trade, and the miners had a convention in Switzerland, where they resolved, among other things, to help each other in the movement to nationalize the mines of the various countries. The United Mine
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