The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-12
| ANDON MAKES
STIRRING APPEAL
BEFORE A. F. OF |.
Calls For United Effort oil
Workmen of Nation to
Aid in War.

all American workdngmen to place
their full and undivided force behind
the fighting men at the front and a
stirring picture of what labor may
expect N Germany wins the war
President A. A.. LIE don Of the Buff
falo chamber of commerce welcomed
today the American Federation OF
Labor at the opening Of its convention
here.
A former laborer himself, who has
seen first hand in Europe how troops
in the field give their lives and blood
for naught when workers at home en-
gage in disputes instead of putting
all their energy into keeping the fight
ing men supplied, Mr.. Landon APP
pealed to all labor to sink everything
in tremendous effort to do its part
to win the war.
President wilson," declared Mr..
Landon, 'shEs said we are fighting a
war for Democracy. We are not only
fighting a war for democracy, but a
war for industrial freedom and self
protection, a war to conserve that
which we now have
ct spent the summer OF 1915 and
1916 in France and Italy doing what
I could in helping them in their eff
their Industries so that they could
hold back the German army and pos
sibly defeat them. In 1915 England
was in very sad way.
''I was in England when the Prin-
cess Pat-Canadian regiment-was
literally cut to pieces. You know
they went in a full regiment Of 2,406
men and came out with less than
$50 men and eight officers. and most
of these wounded. I was talking to
a young Canadian officer from Mon
treal, who used to be a salesman and
therefore a worker In civil life, and
he told me they had run out Of am
munition, that the artillery had run
out Of shells and that they had tC
crawl out on their bellies. leaving
approximately 1850 men behind
dead and missing. They even had to
witness one OF their officers crucifled
before their very eyes.
And what was happening In Eng
land? A large shipment of NUM-
tions that I was assisting on was
completed and ready to ship and
could have been used and should
have been used In this very battle
upward OF so0. 600 gaeces Of ammunition
entirely completed with the excep-
ton OF q small firing pin. I was told
that they could not be delivered In
less than three weeks because work
men were taking thedr Usual summer
holiday. Think Of that, while their
own brothers and sons and relatives
were undergoing the hardships and
fortunes of He'll and the very nation
was In danger.
"And now we are In this war and
this convention Is to give the answer,
80 far as you are concerned. to the
American people. and to our allies
and last but not least to the en-
peror Of Germany. And I want to
say. too, that 80 far as we have gone,
the answer Is on the side of Ger
many. We are still washing our dirty
linen and we have not yet settled
down to realisation OF our condi-
ton The German propaganda Is
abroad In the land and may be num-
bered among your delegates, and
why not? They were In the House
OF Parliament I'M England. They
were in the duma Of Russia; they
were in the chamber Of deputies of
italy; they were in the chamber of
deputies in France; they had Greece
by the throat; and IL such is the case
legislative bodies, national. state and
municipal? And II there, repeat,
why not here: and If here, how are
we to know him? He won't tell us.
We can only Judge by his actions and
how he approaches this great prob
lem OF winning the war.