Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-13

nature, of very pleasant human ma
ture in that saying. 1t is hard to
hate a man you know. | may admit
parentheticaIly that there are some
politicians whose methods | do not
at all believe in. but they are jolly
good fellows.
DESERVES COOPERATION.
If they only would not talk the
wrong kind of politics with me, /
would love to be with them. And,
so IL is all along the line in serious
matters and things less serious. We
are all of the same clay and spirit,
and we can get together If We desire
10 get together. Therefore, my cOun-
sci to you is This: Let us show
ourselves Americans by showing
that we do not want TO go off in sep
aratc camps or groups by ourselves,
but that we want to cooperate with
all other groups in common enter
prise. which is to release the spirits
OF the world from bondage. | would
he willing to Sc that up as the final
test Of an American. That is the
meaning of democracy. l have been
very much distressed. my fellow
citizens, by some Of the things that
have happened recently. The MOB
spirit is displaying itself here and
there i'm this country. | have no SYM
patty with what some men are say
ing, but I have no sympathy with
the men that take their punishment
into their own hands; and | want to
say 10 every man who does join such
a mob that I do not recognize him as
worthy of the free institutions of
the United states.
There are someS organizations in
this country whose object is anarchy
and the destruction OF law, but
would not meet their efforts by
making myself partner in destroy
ing law. | despise and hate their
purposes as much as any man, but
4 respect the ancient processes of
justice, and I would be too proud
not to see them done justice, how
ever. wrong they are. And so |
want to utter my earnest protest
against any manifestation of the
spirit of lawlessness anywhere or
I'm any cause. Why. gentlemen, look
what il means. We claim to be
the greatest democratic people in
the world and democracy means
first of all that we can govern our
solves If our men have not self
control then they are not capable
of that great thing Which we call
democratic government. A man who
takes the Law. into his own hands
is not the right man to cooperate
in any form of or development of
law and institution. And some of
the processes by which the strug-
gle between capital and labor is car
ried on are processes that come very
near TO taking the law into your
own hands. / do not mean for a
moment to compare them with what
| have just been speaking of, but
l want you to see that they are
mere gradations of the manifesto
tions Of the unwillingness to CO.
operate, and the fundamental les
son OF the whole situation is that
we must not only take common
counsel. but that we must yield to.
and obey common counsel. Not all
&C the instrumentalities for this
are at hand. ] am hopeful that in
the very near future new instrument
talities may be organized by which
we can see to it that various things
that are now going on shall not
go on. There are various processes
of the dilution of labor and the
unnecessary substitution of labor
and bidding in different markets
and unfairly upsetting the whole
competition of labor, which ought
not to so on mean now on the
part OF employers-and we must in
terject into this some instrument
tality of cooperation by which the
fair thing will be done all around.
] am hopeful that some such instru-
mentalities may be devised. but
whether they are or not, we must
use those that We have, and upon
every occasion where it is neces-
sary to have such an instrument
tally. originated upon that occasion,
il necessary.
And so. my fellow citizens, the
reason that I came away from
Washington is that I sometimes
get lonely down there--there are
so many people I'm Washington who
know things that are not so; and
there are so few people in Wash
ington who know anything about
what the people of the United States
are thinking about. I have to come
AVA to get reminded of the rest
of the country: have to come away
and ,aliS to men who are up against
the real thing. And say to them:
L am. with you if you are with me-"
And the only test of being with me
IS not to think about me person
ally at all. But merely to think of
me as the expression for the time
being of the power and dignity and
hope of the American people.
PRESIDENT IS UPHELD.
Next in importance to the president
address was the report Of the executive
the keynote of the convention
20 be submitted today. Preliminary
committee meetings had indicated tina.
he policies of President Gompers and
his associates on the council would be
upheld by the rank and file of the feo-
grafton.
With an appeal to all American work.
rgmen to place their full and undi-
rided force behind the fighting men al
he front. and a picture of what labor
may expect If Germany wins the war
President A. A. Landon, of the Buffalo
of commerce today welcomed
he American Federation of Labor al
he opening of its convention here.
4 former labor leader himself, who
has seen first hand in Europe how
troops in the field give their lives and
bleed for Raught when workers at home
engage in disputes instead of putting
Ill their energy into keeping the fight
ng men supplied, Mr.. Landon appealed
10 all labor to sink everything in a tre-
nendous effort to do its part 10 win the
war
president wilson" declared Mr.. Ian.
Ion. has said we are fighting a war
for democracy. We are not only fight