Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-05
CONFERENCE CALLED
BY SAMUEL eoMPERs CON-
vENEs IN MINNEAPOLIS.
TO ASSEMBLE MORAL
AND MATERIAL POWER
Gompers Announces Declaration Of
Principles as Loyalty to Ideals Of
Freedom, and Determination to Aid
in Winning War in Which Nation IL
Ensasea-To unnask Treaehcry.

Minneapolis. Sept. 5.-The American
Alliance for Labor and Democracy, or
ganized for the purpose of squelchins
the activities of paciiists AMI pro-
the nations labor forces up solidly be-
hind the government N its prosecution
of the war, opened a three-day loyalty
conference here. Frank p. Walsh,
chairman of the United States c,minis-
sion Of industrial relations, acted as
temporary chairman.
Speakers at today's session de-
nounced as disloyal and seditious the
activities of the Peoples Council of
America for Democracy and Terms of
Peace. which was barred from holding
its proposed national peace conference
in Minnesota, ard John Spargo. one of
the, former leaders of the socialist party
who severed connection because Of
the party's stand on war. declared that
several weeks ago reports had reached
troops in Russia that American labor
bodies would demand peace thru the
Peoples Council m. citing.
What can nelp the enemy more than
such startling reports. rising as hey
do from the activities of the pru-
German organiZations?' said Mr..
Spargo.
Minneapolis, Sept. Samuel Com
pers. president of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor and chairman of the
American Alliance for Labor and
Democracy, which opened its national
conference here today, outlined the
purpose of the organization as the
assembling for support of the govern
ment "aH the moral and material pow
er of the working class of the nation"
ut shall be our task" de said, "to
interpret Americas democratic spirit
and purpose in this conflict to our fell
low workers, especially those of for
eign birth, and to combat every form
Of propaganda, no matter by whom it
may be carried on, which tends to
weaken the loyalty and devotion of the
masses and their willingness TO strive
and sacrifice for the nation and its
high purpose"
Declaration of Principles
The complete declaration Of prin-
ciples as announced by Mr.. Gompers
is as follows:
"As believers in the great and
splendid vision of democracy and inter
nationaiism, the fraternalism and SOL
ldarity OF the peoples, we assert at
this time our unqualified loyalty to
the Republic of the United States Of
America and our determination to do
all that lies in our power to win ths
war in which it is engaged.
Loyalty to the ideals Of freedom,
democracy and internationalism re-
quires loyalty to America.
"Disloyalty to America in this crisis
ID disloyalty to the cause of freedom,
democracy and internationalism.
mo national selfishness impelled
this Republic to enter the war. The
impelling motive was the consuming
idealism born with the establishment
of this Republic itself to preserve
freedom not only for tself but for all
nations, great and small, and the body
of international law which all the free
democratic nations of the world re-
spect and observe and only the BRUTAL
autocracies seek to dishonor and de-
stroy. In such conflict real stand
oAA DSfAASAS Va ASAuoSAdSy dNu True
tnternationalists can have no hesita-
ton in supporting our Republic which
has made its own the cause and inter-
ests of all free peoples. 1t therefore
|in truth not Capitalists war;" but
a freemen's war.
Fully impressed by these facts,
realizing that a noble internationalism
is implicit in our American conception
of national existence, it shall be our
purpose to bring to the support of
the government all the moral and
material power of the working class
of the nation. It shall be our task
to interpret Americas democratic
spirit and purpose in this conflict to
our fellow workers, especially those of
foreign birth, and to combat every
form of propaganda, no matter by
whom it may be carried on, which
tends to weaken the loyalty and de-
votion Of the masses and their will
ingness to strive and sacrifice for the
nation and its high purposes.
To Unmask Treachery
ave shall strip the mask from those
who in the name of democracy anti
militarism, and peace are engaged in
the nefarious propaganda of treachery
to all that these noble words repre-
sent. We Indignantly repudiate the
claim that this propaganda which, be
| it remembered, brings joy and comfort
to German autocracy-has the sup
port Of the labor movement Of Amer
lea. Not even at the behest Of the
so-called peoples council will the or
ganized workers of America prosti-
tute the labor movement to serve the
brutal power responsible fori the in
famous rape Of Belgium-the power
that would subject Russia to worse
despotism than that Of the Romano6s.
Democracy will not be served by
the victory of autocracy by letting the
Declaration of Independence be sup
planted by the kaiser's fiat.
"MilitArism will not be checked by
the surrender to. the power which has
organised all the resources of civili-
zation to the need of imposing its
iron rule on the world.
peace will not be secured to the
world through the subsection Of the
FREQ and Democratic nations