Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-12
LAbORASkSSEAT
FOR PEACE TABLE
Executive Council Of 4. T. of L. Makes
Such Demand In Report to the
Buffalo Convention.

Buffalo. n. Y, Nov. 12.-Demand for
adequate and direct" representation
Of wage earners at the world peace
conference is made in the annual re-
port of the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor, sub
mitted today to the federation in con-
vention here. The report declares that
the world war must wipe out all yes
tiges of the old conceit that the ma
ton belongs to the ruler"
Questions raised by the war occupy
virtually the entire report. No room
is left for doubt that the United States
government has the unanimous sup
port Of organized American labor in
the war, and it is asserted with equal
emphasis that the vital interests of the
average citizen demand that he have
voice in the readjustments to come
with the dawn of peace.
Optimism over labor achievements
In the last year is tempered with a
warning that benefits obtained from
: emergency opportunities must be
| based on principles of human welfare
/
of the nations necessity Freedom Of
expression is upheld, but the report
says those who abuse the freedom of
the press to undermine the nation S
| free institutions should be punished as
traitors.
President Wilson's war address to
congress is included in the report
with the declaration adopted by a
meeting Of union officials last March
when IT was seen to be inevitable that
the European confagration would
spread to America Under the head
ing Labor and War" the report says:
Under all circumstances il is tbs
duty Of any government to protect its
people against wiifull ana wholesale
murder. =. A people unwilling tC
make the supreme sacrifice in support
OF the government which undertakes tt
make that principle good are unde
serving TO live and enjoy the privilege
Of free. democratic government.
| The d4ty OF wage-earners in the wal
is emphasized particularly in the sec
! ton of the report devoted TO peace
terms" which advocates an interna
tional agreement to secure peace ant
the SETTLEMENT of the present wa,
without "vindictiye" indemnities o.
i; territorial changes. The section says
at is an imperative duty from whicl
there is no escape that wage Garner
as well as all other citizens of thi
republic support cur government in it
righteous effort to defend principle
Iof humanity and TO establish deInoc
Tracy In international relations. Be
cause we desire permanent peace it
| cur duty to fight and sacrifice unit
these purposes can be achieved
When nations can send representa-
tives TO negotiate peace terms in &C
cord with this concept, we maintai
that the basic provisions of the peac
treaty should be formulated with re
gard to the rights and welfare of tn
= men, women and children constitutin
/ the nations rather than the govern
ments of the nations. The government
should be only an instrumentality {
the people instead Of dominating an
acuating their lives. This terrifi
war must wipe out all vestiges of tn
old concept that the nation belong
to the ruler or government.
"We hold that the same principle
should apply to relations between NJ
tons and that secret diplomacy shoul
be replaced by diplomatic represents
tives responsible to thegeople of the
own people and received by either th
parliament of the country to whic
they are accredited or by a represent;
tive of the people, responsible to Their
Working people have never bee
properly represented in diplomatic a
fairs The future must be constructe
upon broader lines than the past. "
insist, therefore, that the governmei
of the United States provide adequa
and direct representatives of wag
earners among the plenipotentiari'
sent to the peace congress and urs
upon the labor movements of 9TH
countries to take like action