The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-02-11
FaV0RS MILITARY TRAINING

Workers Understand the Necessity For
Power and Its Uses--Labor Move
ment Has Never Advocated Abolition
of the Military Arm of the Govern
ment--Waee Farmers Are Loyal.
BY SAMUEL GOMPERS,
President American Federation of Labor.
A great majority of our nation are
agreed upon the necessity for adopting
definite policy for necessary national
defense. OF course, there is not unity
upon any one policy. Whatever plan
may be adopted, the organized labor
movement of America, which is direct
ly representative of millions of organ
lied wage earners an indirectly repre-
sentative of millions of more morgan
lied workers, demands that certain
fundamental principles must be re-
garded.
All policies and plans for national
defense must be determined by repre-
sentatives of all of the people. The or
ganized labor movement, which is the
only means for expressing the will and
the desires of the great masses of our
citizens, asserts its right to representa-
ton in all committees, commissions or
b. dies that decide upon military de-
fense.
Preparedness is something very diff
ferent from militarism or nayalism.
Both leave an indelibe impression
upon the nation. one for freedom and
the other for repression. Militarism
and nayalism are a perversion of pre-
paredness-instead of serving the in
terests of the people. the people are
ammunition for these machines They
are destructive to freedom and democ-
racy. Not only must entrance
to all institutions be freely and equally
accorded to ALL but the military must
be democratically organized democrat
ically ofIicered and under control Of
heads who are responsible to the citi-
Zens of the land.
In addition to the regular army. there
must be citizenship physically fit
ready and able to serve Equal oppor-
tunity for military training must be
provided for the citizenship generally
opportunity attended by provisions that
make it equal in reality and truly dem
ocratic.
All agree that physical training with
knowledge and the ability to bear and
use arms will have a wholesome effect
upon the health, strength and prepar-
edness of the people Of the United
States. If that training is given
through voluntary institutions organ
lied upon a democratic basis it will
have a wholesome effect upon the civic
life of the nation also.
The labor movement is militant The
workers understand the necessity for
power and its uses.
The labor movement has never advo-
Gated the abolition of agencies for the
enforcement of right and justice or for
the abolition of the military arm of
these shall be so organized as to pre-
vent their misuse and abuse as a means
of tyranny against the workers and to
prevent the development of pernicious
results that have grown out of militia
rism, the building up of separate mill
tary caste and the subyersion of civic
life to military government and mill
tary standards When military institu-
tions and military service are separat-
ed from the general life of the people
they become subversive to the ideals
of civic life
The rights and privileges of citizen
ship impose a duty upon all who enjoy
them. That duty involves service to
the nation in all relations of the com
mon life, including its defense against
attack and the maintenance of ma
tional institutions and ideals.
There are no citizens of our country
who are more truly patriotic than the
organized wage earners-or all Of the
wage earners-and we have done our
share in the civic life of the nation as
well as in the nations wars. We have
done cur share to protect the nation
against insidious attacks from within
that were directed at the very heart of
our national life and would have in
eyitably involved us in foreign compli-
falteringly for ideals of honor, freedom
and loyalty. Their wisdom and their
patriotism served our country in time
of great need No one can question
that the wage earners of the United
States are patriotic in the truest sense.
No one can question their willingness
to fight for the cause of liberty, free
dom and justice. No one can question
the value of the ideals that direct the
labor movement.
Every observer knows that there is
no peace-all of life is a struggle phys
ical and mental. Progress results only
from the domination of the forces max
ing for freedom and opportunity over
the forces of repression.
Cotton Workers Get Raise.
Between 10000 and $4,000 cotton