Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-10-19

was right. stood by you because I be-
I'eved YOU were right. II ] had been the
OF man who was willing TO stand by
you when you were wrong, fwonld never
have dared to stand by You when yon were
right. against such opposition a. at that
time ! encountered. have stnod for short.
er hours of labor. ! have stood for q let.
ter wage for the lnborer. for better housing
for giving the laboring wage.
better living conditions snd better
and safer working condition.. ! have stood
10 give him and his. wife and children the
chance to make Of themselves all that
American citizens should make Of them
have stood, and always shall
stand. for everything in tht interest Of
justice far the laboring mans But | have
always stood. and always I shall stand.
against yielding anything tilrongh fear Of
Of threats. believe in the great
principle of arbitration, believe in in
v0king the action of the government to
help labor: hut ] also believe ia invoke
sucSi action will in the end he rIinons to
labor. M well as to the c6dniry. il it il
not exercised with wi-dem and fearless
ness and the spirit of exact 'justice to all
the parties concerned. II these questions
are not settled right. then ,sSme time they
will have TO he unsettled. ana infinite trOu
BILE is thereby laid up for us in the future
The only way We can settle them right is.
by deliberation, after all the facts have
been put before a cksnterEted and com
petent body, and the judgment of tina,
body obtained thereon. This is the course
that even now ought 10 he4pursied az re:
CARDS the Atkinson bill. LTD Cooperation has
been deferred until after Congress- assem-
bles. Congress should hold'it up until a
proper commission shall investigate The en-
tire subject; and then thu Adamson- bill
should he enacted either arnnrhanged. or
with whatever changes md additions
the report Of such dispassionate com
mission may show to be- Desirable and
necessary.
= labor leaders who are shortsighted may
at the moment get from a man in public
Office who is not actuated by justice. more
than from a man who is ac:uated by JUS
tice. But the Iaboring people as a whole
cannot afford to accept such gains. II IN
just legislation is given them for improper
reasons. then unjust legislation against
them may be enacted for improper reasons.
More than any other people in the country
the wage workers should insist on just and
fair action. There is grave reason to be
lievs that in the course President Wilson
has followed he did violence to his own
real convictions. Until he became a can
didate for office. he was a bitter. nngen.
erous and often unjust critic Of labor
unions. have before me speeches and
letters Of his made and written in 1905.
1907 and 1919. in which Mr.. Wilson says
among other things that labor unions
drag the highest man down to the level
of the lowest" and in speaking of the cap
i~talistic class, he says that there is an.
other equally formidable enemy and it is
that class formed by the labor leaders Of
this country" and again 81 am a fierce
partisan of the open shop" and again "The
usual standard of the employee in our day
is to give as little as he can for his wages.
Labor is standardized by trade unions and
this ia the standard to which it is made
TO conform. need not point out how
economically disastrous such regulation of
labor is. Our economic supremacy may be
lost because the country grows more and
more full of improbable servants" These
we're the u~tterances of Mr.. Wilson when
he was president of a university and had
neither fear of nor desire to profit by the
labor vote. In Mr.. Wilson's History Of
the American People" he explicitly stated
that the Chinese ought not to be excluded
from this country because it is better to
-.. ll..> la,n %1,n Il l., 70 hoya tho i'm.
migrants we now get from Europe. His
words we're: "The Chinese are more to be
desired as workmen than most Of the
coarse crew that come crowding in every.
where at the Eastern ports" Now he
turns round and says: "Our gates must be
kent open" to those whom he thus denomi.
mated a coarse crew." Since he went into
politics he has again and again. necessarily
and continuously, reversed himself on what
he had professed to he his deepest convic'
tions prior to entering politics, and in
each ease the announced change Of con
viction agreed with what at the moment
seemed to be his political interests.
If it is alleged that President Wilson
has been actuated only by principle in
connection with the !Adamson law, then
| ask why he has failed to apply the same
principle to the railway postal clerks
where he has full power. Estimating sis
DAYS to the week. these postal clerks. op
Grating between New York and Pittsburgh
are required to run 205 miles per day (fol
the present administration has reduced the
number of crews from six to fve), where
AZ the present traiamen's agreement re
uuires only l55 miles per day. which is tt
be reduced still further by the Adamsor
Jaw. The only possible explanation of Mr.
Wilson's action in one case and inaction If
the other is that only 400 men are affected
in that case where the government hal
full control Of the hours of labor, where's
$4,000 n,en are supposed to be affected b,
the Adamson bill.
Mr.. Gompers has recently established
| himself MS the especial champion of Mr.
Wilson, and claims joint credit with MIR
| eign affairs SO far as Mexico is concerned
He asks labor to support Mr., Wilson spe
l.cifcalH on the ground of Mr.. Wilson
attitude in Mexico, which, he states, h
! has helped to secure. He says, for exam
pie, that he was largely instrumental il
securing the recognition Of Carranza il
Mexico, because of Carranza's sympath.
with the labor movement there. For tn
details of what | speak, ] refer you t
Senator Falls recent speeches, where tn
exact quotations are given. Mr., Com
pers states that when all other agen
cies failed in the effort to secure tine ret
o%gnition of Carranza by President Wilson
Gompers interviewed on September &c
1915. and Mr.. Wilson'S recognition @
Carranaa Immediately followed. Nj
Gompers continues by saying that Cal
rama was recognized as the friend Of tn
working people in Mexico. On Septembe
I'd. 1915, Mr.. Gompers appealed for tn
support of laboring men for Mr.. Wilson o
the ground Of Mr.. Wilson's policy as n
CARDS Mexico. He thus tied himself u
with Messrs. Wilson and Carranza az on
of the triumvirate which exercises supren
control in Mexican matters. This makes.
worth while for the workers to whom NJ
Gompers especially appeals to study WIN
' IL. Tul f-sa~I .-l ala,