The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-09-05
SPEAKS TO LABOR.
IN LETTER TO GOMPERS, WILSON
SPEAKS OF WORKMEN'S
LOYALTY.
Attitude OF Americans Who Oppose
COuntry's Cause COntrasted With
Devotion OF Soldiers and Sailors
Conference in Minneapolis.

proval OF the conference Of the Amer
lean Alliance for Labor and Democ-
racy, to be held at Minneapolis next
Tuesday, and the task it will Under
take Of suppressing disloyalty has
been given by President wilson in a
letter to Samuel Gompers, president
of the American Federation of Labor
and chairman of the alliance.
The letter, made public here today,
denounce those who seek to ignore
Americas grievance against Ger
many and insists that nation whose
citizens have been foully murdered
under their flag; whose neighbors
have been invited to make conquest
against it and whose patience in
pressing the claims Of justice and hu-
manity has been met with the most
shameful policy of turbulence and
treachery does not know it's own
mind and has no comprehensive rea-
son for defending itself"
while our soldiers and sailors are
doing their manful work to hold back
reaction in its most brutal and ag-
gressive form,' the president wrote,
I'VE must oppose at home the organ
lied and individual efforts of those
dangerous elements who hide disloy-
atty behind a screen of specious and
evasive phrases"
The letter follows:
my Dear Mr.. Gompers:
II am sure you understand that
my inability to accept the invita-
ton to Address the Minneapolis con-
ference Of the American Alliance for
Labor and Democracy is due only to
[ official necessity, and not in any de-
gree to lack of appreciation of the
Importance of the occasion. The
cause you and your fellow patriots
uphold is one with the cause we are
defending with arms. While our SOL
diers and sailors are doing their man.
full work to hold back reaction in it's
most brutal and aggressive form, we
must oppose at home the organizeG
and individual efforts of those dan
gerous elements who hide disloyalty
behind screen of specious and
evasive phrases.
L have read with real pride the
names Of the men and women who
are to take part in the Minneapolis
conference. Not one but has a record
of devoted service to fundamental
democracy; not one but has fought
the long, hard fight for equal Justice,
Drawing every bitterness that the
humblest life might know large
measure of happiness.
with all my heart want them t.
feel that their devotion to country
Is In no wise a betrayal of principle.
and that in serving America today
they are serving their cause no less
faithfully than in the past. 1 N.Y.
self have had sympathy with the fears
of the workers of the United States;
for the tendency of the war is to-
ward reaction and too often mill
tary necessities have been made an
exuse for the destruction of laborious-
ly erected Industrial and social STAN
dards. These fears happily have prov
ed to be baseless. With Quickened
sympathies and appreciation, with a
new sense of the invasive and insidi-
Gus dangers Of oppression, our peo-
pie have not only held every inch of
ground that has been won by years Of
struggle but have added to the gains
of the goth century along every line
Of human betterment. Questions Of
wages and hours of labor and in
dustrial readjustments have found a
solution which gives to the toiler d
new dignity and new sense Of So
cial and economic security. / beg you
to feel that my support has not been
lacking and that the government has
not failed at any point in granting
every just request advanced by you
and your associates in the name o:
the American worker.
mo ONE who is not blind can fail
to see that the battle line of democ-
racy for America stretches today
from the fields of Flanders to every
house and workshop where toiling,
upward striving men and women are
counting the treasures Of right and
justice and liberty which are being
threatened by our present enemies.
1T has not been a matter of sir.
prise to me that the leaders in Ger.
tain groups have sought to ignore our
grievances against the men who hove