The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-09-29
Give LABOR DAY
ITS FULL VALUE
Celebration Should Mean More
Non Pleasure Seeking.
REAL PURPOSE OF THE DAY
It's Observance Should Be Marked by
Revivine Devotion to the Cause to
Which 1t Is Dedicated-Shoud Be
the Occasion For Strengthening the
Ties That Bind Workers Together.

Ties That Bind Workers Together
BY SAMUEL GOMPERS president of the
American Federation of Labor.
Through the efforts of the labor
movement the first Monday in Septem-
ber has been generally set aside as the
distinctively labor day Of the year, and
it is now practically a universal holi-
day The purpose of the day is to
needs and aspirations Of the workers
and to afford the workers themselves
time and opportunity to consider those
things which yitally concern them and
the labor organization through which
they are trying to work out their
ideals
Wherever the workers have been
through some crisis which has stirred
them to particular effort and reused
them to renewed sense OF appreciation
Of the meaning of the labor movement
the celebration for the day invariably
has a peculiar significance and arouses
deep seated feeling ana enthusiasm.
But, as IN every other relationship
where there is nothing hat has partic-
ularly stimulated to activity there is a
tendency toward a general lethargy In
the celebration of Labor day, and 1t Is
permitted to degenerate into sort OF
social holiday unmarked by anything
dlstinctiyely labor.
This Is a serious mistake Labor day
can have fits fullest value only when
there is associated with the celebra
ton Of the day efforts 10 call attention
to the purposes and the causes OF the
labor movement 1t should be day
for renewing devotion to the cause Of
labor, for Strengthening ties OF fra
ternity and for instilliug larger and
broader ideals which lead ont to i
wider field of activity and fuller ap-
probation OF the possibilities of the
labor movement
A Labor day properly celebrated does
much for the organized labor move
ment and gives that movement a pub
licity that can rarely be secured in
any other way. When the holiday is dis
! tinctiyely labor, labor news and labor
doings necessarily have first place in
all daily papers The greater the effort
OF the labor movement 10 place en-
phasis and prominence upon the do
ings and activity of labor, the ereater
will be the publicity we gain and con
sequently there will result better
understanding of the power ana possi-
billties OF the labor moyement-an un-
derstanding that can be utilized for
practical purposes during the whole
| year.
| 1t is therefore ur-ed that every cen
| trail body in the country plan for a
| distinctivcly labor celebration on the
coming Labor day There ought to be
a parade that will direct the attention
of the whole town to the cause Of labor,
which is the cause of humanity, and in
addition a general gathering of the
| workers of the community to listen ia
labor addresses.
The labor movement has made ire
mendous progress during the past year
On this coming Labor day we ought to
make known the story of that progress
to the whole nation and plan for great
er constructive work during the next
year. There are no limitations to the
work of the labor movement, no lin
itations to its power to bring better
ment into the lives Of the workers Of
this country or to establish mutually
helpful relations with the workers OF
all other countries
The labor movement of the United
States has reason to be proud Of its
achievements and to be gratifed mt th,
work that has been done for humanity
and civilization during the past year
Let US express this progress in an ade
quate way on Sept. f.