Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-08
LABOR ON GUARD TO PREVENT
WAR WITH MEXICO.
BY George r. West, of the Committee
on Industrial Relations.

BY George r. West, of the Committee
on Industrial Relations.
While every big special interest
newspaper and every jingoist in
the country is shouting for war
with Mexico, five official representa-
tives of the Mexican labor movement
are meeting with the executive coun-
Gil of the American Federation of La
Dor in complete harmony and friend
ship.
At the federation headquarters in
Washington, the common interests of
the peoples of the United States and of
Mexico are being emphasized in the
conferences that are proceeding with
a view to removing misunderstand-
ings and preventing war.
The Washington meetings are his
toric as being the most effective eff
fort ever made by the workers of two
countries to avoid war. Mexican dele
gates to the conference are in close
touch with First Chief Carranza, while
American labor through President
GOmpers is making its wishes known
to the American administration.
The Mexican labor representatives
include Carlos Lovera, Baltazar Pages,
Luis Morones, Salvador Gonzalo Gar
cia and Colonel Edmund Mortimer.
They are here at the invitation of
President Gompers.
Women and children will join with
the men of Mexico in resisting Ameri-
can occupation, the Mexican delegates
told Washington newspaper CORES
pOndents who had asked what would
happen if the American troops are
not withdrawn
The interview was arranged in the
nfflno af tho IND, ioI
relations by Lincoln Steffens, who led
the Mexican people
I'VE represent so Mexican labor
unions with a membership Of 100, 0O0,'
said Carlos Lovera, of Yucatan, and
chief spokesman for the Mexicans
I'VE realize that it is quite possible
we shall have to go to war when we
have no quarrel, and we are here to
do what we can to prevent it. 1t may
be that we shall fail, just as labor
failed in Europe.
Since we arrived here we have
learned that the American people do
not want war, and especially the work
ing people. To a certain extent we
can carry that news to the MexicanS
and give them that impression, that
the American people have no quarrel
with US and do not want war We be-
interests, and not by the people
Mr. Carranza does not want war,
nor do the men around him
AS far as we know, we don't think
there is anyone in Mexico that wants
war.
Labor and the government of Mex
leo are working together. The gov
eminent recognizes US, and the labor
movement agrees to help the constitu-
tiOnaliSt revolution. We had regiments
in the field, under our own officers.
They were called the red batalIions.'
when we have d big strike now,
the military does not help the en-
plOyers. They do not interfere. they
do not help US, but they leave us free
to use the strike weapon. The gov
eminent of Yucatan is helping all they
can. We have the 8 hour day and the
English week of A hours. We quit
work at Il o'clock on Saturday morn
ing and are paid for the full day.
On the day we left Mexico, we had
the first actual distribution of land in
Yucatan."
The Mexican delegates were told
that Americans say Mexicans are
treacberOus. They said that the Mex
leans believed the same thing about
Americans. Asked why, Lovera said:
In the first place, the war in 1S4S.
The United States took California and
New Mexico, and Texas, near
~ half our country. General Grant
and many other Americans have con-
demned that war. After that, the Unit
ed States government and press tried
TO support the Diaz government, which
was bad for the Mexican people
Then there was the part we believe
Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson took
IN overthrOwing Madero. He was
friend of Huerta and used his inf1u-
ence to put Huerta in power.
Now we see a punitive expedition
taking heavy artillery into Mexico to
capture a bandit. They have set their
base $50 miles south of the
border. Besides, they are talking of
building military railroads. Do Won
use heavy artillery to chase bandits?
Even Mr.. Carranza would not be