Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-11-16
TEXT Of PRESIDENT WILSON'S ADDRESS
TO FEDERATION OF LABOR DELEGATES;
NO PEACE until GERMANY IS BEATEN


rendered more onerous by the war
but also that we shall see to It that
the instrumentallties by which the
conditions OF labor are improved are
not blocked or checked That we must
do. That has been the matter about
which ! have taken pleasure In con-
ferring from time TO time with your
president, Mr.. Gompers.
Now to stand together means that
nobidy must interrupt the processes
OF our energy, II the interruption can
possibly be avoided without the abso.
lutte invasion OF freedom, To put ii
concretely, that means this: Nobody
has Il right stop the processes OF labor
until all the methods of Cancellation
and settlement have been exhausted;
and might as well say right here that
| am not talking to you alone. You
sometimes stop the courses OF labor.
but there are others who do the same.
and | believe that am speaking Of
my own experience not only but of
the experience Of others when | say
that you are more reasonable In a
large number OF cases than the CAPT.
talists.
II am not saying things to them per-
sonally yet. because | haven't had a
chance. But they have 10 be said not
IN spirit Of criticism because would
like to see all the critics exported. But
In order TO clean the atmosphere and
come down 10 business. everybody on
both sides has got 60 transact business
and the settlement is never impossible
when both sides want to do the square
and right things.
Therefore my counsel TO you Is
this: Let US show ourselves Ameri.
cans by showing that We do not want
to 20 OF In separate groups by our
selves but that we want 10 cooperate
with all other classes and all other
groups In common enterprise which
Is 10 release the spirits of the world
from bondage.
Il would be willing to set that up as
the final test Of an American. That "a
the meaning OF democracy have been
very much distressed, my fellow citi.
zens, by some Of the things that have
happened recently The mob spirit Is
displaying itself here and there In this
country have sympathy with what
some men are saying but | have no
sympathy with the men that take their
punishment into their own hands and
want to say to every man who does
join such a mob that do not recog.
nize him as worthy OF the free insti.
tutions of the United States.
And so want to enter my earnest pro.
test against any manifestations of the
spirit OF lawlessness anywhere
why, gentlemen, look what Il
means. We claim to be the greatest
democratic people OF the world. and
democracy means. first OF all. that we
can govern ourselves. II our men have
not self-control then they are not ca.
pab!e of that great thing which we
call democratic government A man
who takes the law into his hands Is
not the right man to cooperate In any
form Of or development of law and in.
stitutions. And some of the processes
by which the struggle between capital
and labor is carried on are processes
that come very near to taking the law
into our own hands. do not mean for
g moment TO compare them with what
I have just been speaking of, but |
want you to see that they are mere
gradations OF the manifestations o. the
unwilllngness TO cooperate and the
fundamental lesson of the whole stu.
alton Is that we must not only take
common counsel but that we must
yield TO and obey common counsel.
Not all of the instrumentalities for
this are at hand am hopeful that In
the very near future new instrumental.
tiles may be organized by which we
can see to II that various things that
are now going on shall not 20 or.
There are various processes of the
dilution OF labor and the unnecessary
substitution Of labor and bidding In
distant markets and unfairly upsetting
the whole competition of labor. which
ought not to go OIL mean now on
the part Of employers-and we must
interject into this some Instrumental
lty OF cooperation by which the fair
thing will be done all around am
hopeful that some such instrumental
ties may be devised but whether they
are or not we must use those that we
have and upon every occasion where
II is necessary to have such an instru
mentality originated upon that occa
sion, II necessary.
"And so. my fellow citizens. the rea
son that | came away from Washing
ton Is that | sometimes get lonely
down there. There are SO many peo
pie In Washington who know things
that are not so, and there are so few
people In Washington who know any
thing about what the people Of the
United States are thinking about.
have to come away to get reminded
OF the rest OF the country; | have II
come away and talk to men who are
up against the real thing and say L
them. 7 am with you. II You are with
me- And the only test Of being with
me Is not to think about me personal
" at all, but merely to think of me al
the expression for the time being o
the power and dignity and hope of thu
United States"
FINLAND DECLARES
WAR STATE EXISTS
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