The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-09-05
Democracy Cannot Come Through
Victory Of Autocracy, Gompers
Tells American Labor Alliance

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. s. Samuel
Gompers Of Labor and chairman of
Federation 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 as
sembling for the support of the gov
eminent "all the moral and material
power of the working class of the ma
ton"
ut shall be our task" he said, ito
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 1t
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"
The complete declaration of princi.
pies as announced by Mr.. Gompers is
as follows:
/. assert Our Loyalty"
las believers in the great and splen
| did vision of democracy and interna
| tionalism, the fraternalism and solid
arity of all people, we assert at this
time our unqualified loyalty to the
Republic Of the United States oil
America and our determination to dc
all that lies in our power to win the
| war in which it is engaged.
Loyalty to the ideals of freedom
| democracy and internationalism re
! Quires loyalty to America.
'Dis1oyalty to America in this crisis
is disloyalty to the cause Of freedom
democracy and internationalism.
"No 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 free
| dom not only for itself but for all ma
lions. 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 a conflict real stand
ard bearers of democracy and true in
ternationalists can have no hesitation
| in supporting our Republic which has
| made its own the cause and interests
of all free peoples. 1t is therefore in
truth not a Capitalists war;" but a
freeman's war.
Bring Workers Support.
Fully impressed by these facts
realizing that noble internationalism
is implicit in our American conception
Of national existence. 1t shall be ou1
purpose to bring to the support of the
government all the moral and material
power of the working class Of the ma
| ton.
"1t shall be our task to interpret
Americas democratic spirit and pur
pose in this conflict to our fellow
workers, especially those Of foreign
birth, and to combat every form OF
propaganda, no matter by whom il
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 purposes.
eve 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 com
fort 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 prosti-
tute the labor of Belgium-the power
that would subject Russia to a worse
despotism than that of the Romanoffs.
democracy will not be served by
the victory of autocracy, by letting the
Declaration of Independence be sup
planted by the Kaiser's fiat.
"Not BY Surrender"
"Militarism will not be checked by