The labor world., 1917-04-21
MINNESOTA LABOR
ENDORSES VOW OF
NATIONAL BODY
Pledges Absolute Allegiance to
Nation to End of World
Conflict

Organized labor of Minnesota.
through the executive council of the
State Federation of Labor, last Sum
day endorsed the recent stand taken
by the American Federation of Labor
and pledged the loyalty of the state
organization to the nation through
: the present war. The council adopted
this resolutions:
''The highest authority in the
American labor movement the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, has taken
counsel of a number of it's leaders of
thought and action, and has pointed
out the duty of its adherents in the
present tragical period of our coun-
try's life. Seeing clearly the trend of
events, the executive council of the
A. r. of L. called the officers of all
the national and international unions
affiliated with the federation, the Of
ficials of it's various departments and
the representatives of the four great
railroad brotherhoods into a confer
ence on the situation. The confer
ence was held in Washington, d. c.,
on Monday, March u, 1917, and at
the conclusion of it's labors it promul-
gated a declaration Of the principles
which should govern the organized
labor movement and the course of ac-
ton it should follow at this time of
extreme trial.
Voiced Faith of Masses.
This conference represented the
democratic ideals of the masses of our
population and gave voice to the faith
Of those masses. = 1t declared it's un-
relenting opposition to all forms of
autocracy, whether those of the
crowned and anainted despots who
WELD governmental power in foreign
lands or those of the gilded magnates
who seek to exercise industrial des-
pOtism in our own land. 1t declared
labor's adherence Of war and it's hope
that such a dire calamity might be
avoided for our people, and that they
might be permitted to continue cul-
tivating and developing the arts of
peace, human brotherhood and a
higher civilization.
But, fearing the worst, the men in
conference wrote into it's epoch
marking document this solemn and
binding covenant: we hereby pledge
ourselves, in peace or in war, in stress
or in storm, to stand unreservedly by
the standards of liberty and the safe
ty and preservation of the institutions
and ideals of our republic and they
closed it with this stirring call to
duty: With the ideals of>liberty and
justice herein declared as the indis-
pensable basis for national policies,
we offer our services to our country
in every field of activity to defend,
safeguard and preserve the Republic
of the United States of America
against it's enemies, whomsoever they
may be, and we call upon our fellow
workers and fellow citizens in the
holy name of Labor, Justice, Free
dom and Humanity to devotedly and
patriotically give like service.'
Pledges Absolute Loyalty.
''In accordance with this action and
in response to this call, the Mime
sofa State Federation. of Labor
through its executive council, in regu-
lar session assembled this 18th day of
April, 1917, hereby pledges it's abso-
lutte and unconditional loyalty to the
government of the United States and
it's determination to stand by and sup
port that government with all the
power and resources at the command
of the federation to the end of the
war that has been forced upon the
country against the wishes Of it's peo-
pie by the intolerable aggressions of
heartless foreign autocracy."