The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-09-07

and Democracy has issued declara-
tion of principles and purposes and
has called upon the organized work.
ers in every city where there is a
central labor body for the formation
of local Alliances.
The declaration is ringing chal-
lenge to those who are untrue to
America and the cause of Democracy
and is strong and inspiring state
ment of the true principles of the
working people Of America.
The declaration, in full, follows:
The American Alliance for Labor
and Democracy submits to all the
American people the following state
ment of the purposes which called
it into existence, the principles it
seeks to inculcate, and the purposes
it aims to achieve.
We uphold as fundamental the
ideals of democracy and information
alism, politically as well as industri
ally. There are also the fundamental
principles and ideals of the American
Labor movement, and we hold furth-
er that never was the active asser-
tion and maintenance of these ideals
more urgently needed than at this
time.
AS believers in the great and
splendid vision of democracy and
internationalism, the fraternalism
and solidarity of all peoples, we as
sert at this time our unqualified
loyalty to the Republic of the United
States of America and our determi-
nation to do all that lies in our pow
er to win the war in which it is
engaged.
Loyalty to the ideals of free
dom, democracy and internation-
alism requires loyalty to Amer
lea.
Disloyalty to America in this
great crisis is disloyalty to the
cause Of freedom, democracy and
internationalism.
No national selfishness impeIled
this Republic to enter the war.
The impelling motive was the con-
suming indealism born with the es-
tablishment of this Republic itself
to preserve freedom not only for it.
self but for all nations, great and
small, and the body of international
law which all the free democratic
nations of the world respect and OBJ
serve and only the brutal autocra-
cies seek to dishonor and destroy.
In such conflict real standard bear
ers of democracy and true interna-
tionalists can have no hesitation in
supporting our Republic which has
made it's own the cause and interests
of all free peoples. 1t is therefore
in truth not Capitalists war;" but
a Freemans war.
Fully impressed by these facts, re-
alizing that noble internationalism
is implicit in our American concep-
tion of national existence, it shall
be our purpose to bring to the sup
port of the government all the moral
and material power of the working
class of the nation. 1t shall be our
task to interpret Americas demo-
cratic spirit and purpose in this con-
flict 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 in it's high purposes.
We aim to strip the mask from
those who in the name of democracy,
antimilitarism, and peace are engag-
ed in the nefarious propaganda of
treachery to all that these noble
words represent. We Indignantly
repudiate the claim that this propa-
ganda - Whlch, be II remembered,
brings JOY and comfort to German
autocracy-has the support of the
labor movement of America. Not
even at the behest .of the so-called
Peoples Council will the organized
workers of America prostitute the
labor movement to serve the brutal
power responsible for the infamous
rape of Belgium = the power that
would subject Russia to a worse des-
potism than that of the Romanoffs.
Democracy will not be served
by the victory of autocracy, by
letting the Declaration of Inde-
pendence be supplanted by the
Kaiser's fiat.
Militarism will not be checked