Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-02-09

Ine SuOJOlleO INaSStSSS. NS'ii'e
the attitude of American organized
labor on the subject of national pre-
parednesS, are taken from the speech
of Samuel GomperS. president OF the
American Federation of Labor at the
convention of the National Civic Fed
Grafton in Washington on January Is
Henry L.. Slobodin has said: The So
eialists had many occasions. during the
last So years. to deliberate upon TINS
problem and declare the socialist attltuue
on military preparedness. And not once
did the socialists declare against prepared
ness. On every occasion they declared
that the socialists were. in their own way,
in favor of military preparedness. me
socialists always We're against staholhs
armies and huge military establishments.
But they always were and now stand COM
mitted In favor of UNIVERSAL. MILL
TARY TRAINING AND n CITIZENS
ARMY"
Recent dispatches from Berlin say that
the executive committee of the socialist
party has by a vote of ~ to II adopted a
resolution censuring 20 socialist members
of the reichstag for attempting to thwart
the party's policy by declining to vote IN
favor of the war credits.
Quite in contrast to this vacillation IS
the consistent attitude of the American
Federation of Labor.
A great majority of our nation are
agreed upon the necessity of adopting a
definite policy for necessary national de-
tense. or course there is not unity upon
any one policy. Whatever plan may be
adopted the organized labor movement of
America, which is directly representative
Of millions of organized wage earners and
indirectly representative of millions OF
more u~norganized workers, demands that
certain fundamental principles must be
regarded.
Wants Representation on Committees.
All policies and plans for national de-
tense must be determined by representa-
tives of all of the people. The organized
labor movement which is the only means
For expressing the will and the desires OF
he great masses OF our citizenship, as
serts it's right to representation In all COM
nittees, commissions or bodies that decide
lpon military defense.
Preparedness is something very different
rom militarism or navalisrn. Both leave
an indelible impression upon the nation,
one for freedom and the other for repres-
sion. Militarism and navalism are a per-
version of Observation-Disclosures of serv-
!ng the interests 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 ac-
corded to all. bur the military must be
1emocTatically organized, demOcratically
oficered and under control of heads who
are responsible to the citizens of the land,
In addition to the regular army there
must be a citizenship physically fit, ready
and able to serve. Equal opportunity fol
military training must be provided for the
citizenship neutrality-suspicious. attend.
I'd by provisions that make it equal il
reality and ruly democratic.
All agree that physical training with
knowledge and the ability To bear and us,
arms will have II wholesome effect upol
he health, strength and preparedness %
he people of the United States. Ii tina
raining is given through voluntary insti
buttons. organized upon II democrats,
basis, 1t will have a wholesome effect up
on the civic life of the nation also. " .
Labor Stands For Military Defenses
The labor movement has never advo
.ated the abolition of agencies for the en-
.orcen1ent of right and justice. Or for III
abolition of the military arm Of govern
nent, but it does demand that these shal
oe so organized as TO prevent their mis-
use and abuse as a means of tyrann.
against the workers. and to prevent III
development of pc,nicious results TIA