The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-22
.U|VBR|DLED PRESS
:. NEEDED: ! IN AMERICA
Selfish, Opposing Interests For
bid Publication $of Real
News, Says Walsh.
FREE PRESS BASIS OF
FREE GOVERNMENT
Workers Must Have Protection
Against Discharge to Claim
Independence.

WASHINGTON, D. c., July "a
zsassssasae great need Of the present is an
honest, free and unbridled press
declared Frank P. Walsh, chairman
of the committee on Industrial rela-
workers in Union Square, New York
city, on July 4.
THE privately owned press, the
privately owned newspaper, is newt
ably corrupt press and a corrupt
newspaper. throw down this chal-
lenge to every newspaper in the coun-
try today. I care not whether the
man who runs the paper is person.
ally honest or not, he cannot have a.
newspaper and press service, where
the economic interest Of the man or
men who own it are not opposed to
the interests of the great masses of
the people. That selfish opposing
interest forbids the publication of the
real news in the interests of the
masses. Of the people, and makes the
privately owned press corrupt. We
must have a press of the people, by
the people and for the people if we
are to have laws and social condi-
tions and government of the people,
by the people and for the people"
Economic Independence Needed.
The basic thought of Mr.. Walsh s
address was that the independence of
the worker today is economic inde-
pendence.
Progress can only be made,%' he
said, "froll political independence to
economic independence, and indus
trial freedom. There can be no free
race unless the workers have abso-
lutte protection against arbitrary dis
charge, unless they are protected by
their own organized economic power
in, the right to an eight hour Gay and
unless their right to g. decent living
wage is in their own power. These
things are not subject for arbitra-
ton, but belong Of right, to the work.
: He traced ths beginning nj and pro-
gress of political institutions, and how
in the lives of men like Thomas Jef-
ferson and Abraham Lincoln <politi-
cal independence was grounded on
industrial and social freedom.
Thomas Jefferson" Mr.. Walsh
said, 'long before his immortal Dec
laration of Independence, set the is
sue >squarely when he abolished in
the Virginia house of burgesses the
old privilege of the eldest born to get
FL Of an inheritance. When one Tory
pleaded at least to let the Oldest son
have twice as much as any other Jer-
ferson declared unless you can prove
to me than one man can eat twice as
much an another man, I deny his
right to twice the necessaries of life
of another man. The right of men
to start equal and to have equal op-
portunities is basic in American in
dependence. 1t was declared again
in the noble words of Abraham Lin
coin fourteen years before his Eman-
cipation Proclamation, when he said
'Inasmuch, as most good things are
produced by labor, it follows that all
such things of right belong to those
whose labor has produced them. But
1t has so happened in all ages of the
world that some have labored and
others have without labor enjoyed a
large proportion Of the fruits. This
is wrong and should not continue.
To secure to each laborer the whole
product of his labor, or as nearly as
possible, is a worthy subject Of any
good government
True Independence Denied.
Mr.. Walsh showed how these ideals
of true independence and industrial
freedom have been prostituted and
have been denied to the great mass
of the working people. To get these
facts of social injustice and cruelty
and Of monopolistic incompetence
out to all the people, Mr.. Walsh de-