The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-02-06

Ellsworth Bass, secretary OF the
Central Trades Council. is in receipt
OF the following answer from Finly
Gray. anent the recent resolution of
that body favoring an increased navy:
I have your letter of the 21st inst,
enclosing a petition signed by your
self. r. G. Leeds, e. H. Harris. L. M.
Feeger. w. r. Poundstone and others
as representing union labor at Rich
mond, and asking for the construction
of battleships to furnish employment
to labor. In response thereto l must
advise you that I have already on
full consideration opposed this policy
and defended the American workmen
as against this claim as coming from
them, and that l am sustained in the
position l have taken, not only by
organized labor in this country, but
by the organized trade unions Of the
world.
Il have presented your letter and
petition both to the United States
department of labor and the American
Federation of Labor, of which Hon.
Samuel Gompers is president, and
am constrained to advise you that
your letter and petition have been re-
pudiated and resented as coming from
organized labor, and especially dis
credited as representing any senti-
ment as coming from the American
workingmen.
Outlines Defense.
II quote from my remarks on the
naval holiday resolution in the house
of representatives, and cite you to
page 80 of the current record of con-
gress in a full statement of my de-
Tense of the American workingmen
as against the construction of battle
ships to afford labor employment, as
demanded in your letter:
"Child labor, the sweatshop sys-
tenn and many of the villainies against
men and society have long been de-
Tended upon the ground of furnish
ing employment to labor, but this is
probably it's hrst use to justify pol
icy of war and human slaughter. l
deny that the laboring men OF Amer
lea stand for war. l deny that the
laboring men of America are asking
for human bloodshed to secure en-
ployment l deny that the laboring
men Of America are asking for the
destruction of human life that they
may secure wages. OF all then, let it
be said, to the honor and credit or
American workingmen, they have first
stood for peace and against war
1.-The resolution for a naval holiday
and protesting against increased naval
construction, to which I addressed my
remarks, was passed in the house of
representatives by an almost over
whelming majority.
II quote from the report of the Am
erican Federation of Labor delegates
to the British Trades Congress, 1913,
as showing the attitude of labor abroad
against your policy of increasing the
navy to secure employment:
Zone of the strongest impressions
made upon the minds of your dele
gates while attending the congress
was the prevailing sentiment against
international wars: There seems to
be a general sentiment that trade
unionists would not be pawns in the
game Of international war as played
by political or commercial Interests
for financial or territorial agrandize-
ment, and that the trade unionists OF
the world, bound together In bonds
of fraternity, strengthened by the an
nual visitations of delegates from
each country to the other, would en-
ter their most protest protest
against being rendered as food for the
cannon and other implements of war
at the behest of their despollers.
Il also quote from the report OF G.
w. Perkins, labor delegate from the
United States to the Trades Uunlon
Congress held at Zurich, Switzerland.
1913, as showing the intense opposl-
ton of labor in continental Europe
against the policy of military extern
sion:
Everywhere in Europe and espe-
cially continental Europe, there is
strong protest and terriffically bitter
feeling against large standing armies.
The expense for the maintenance and
the upkeep and overhead charges, in
Germany especially, is something ap-