The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-09-08
LABOR PLEDGES LOYALTY.
AMERICAN ALLIANCE FOR LA.
BOR AND DEMOCRACY.
Samuel GOmpers Outlines the Purpose
of the Nationwide Association of
LabOring People.

the American Alliance for Labor and
Democracy, which opened it's nation
al conference here today, outlined the
purpose of the organization as the as
sembling for the support of the gov
ernment ''all the moral and material
power of the working class of the
nation"
1T shall be our task" he said, 80
interpret Americas. democratic spir.
1t and purpose in this conflict 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
lingness to strive and sacrifice for the
nation and it's high purpose"
The complete declaration Of prin-
ciples as announced by Mr.. Gompers
is as follows:
'As believers in the great and splen-
ionalism. the fraternalism and solidar-
ity Of all peoples, we assert at this
time our unqualified loyalty to the Re-
public of the United States of America
and our determination to do 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.
'Disloyalty to America in this crisis
is disloyalty to the cause Of freedom,
democracy and internationalism.
mo national selfshness impelleL
this Republic to enter the war. The
impelling motive was the consuming
idealism born with the establishment
of this Republic itself to preserve
freedom not only for itself but for all
nations great and small, and the body
OF international law which all the
free democratic nations of the world
respect and observe and only the bru-
tai autocracies seek to dishonor and
destroy. In such 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
Freemen's war.
Fully impressed by these facts,
realizing that noble internationalism
is implicit in our American concep-
tion Of national existence. it shall he
our purpose to bring to the support of
the government ali the moral and ma
terial power of the working class of
the nation. 1t shall be our task to in
terpret Americas democratic spirit
and purpose in this conflict to our fel4
low workers, especially those of for
eign birth, and to combat every form
or propaganda. no matter by whom it
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.
we 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
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 prosti-
tute the labor movement to serve the
brutal power responsible for the in
Famous rape of Belgium-the power
that would subject Russia to a worse
despotism than that of the Roman
offs
Democracy will not be served nv
the victory of autocracy, by letting
the Declaration of Independence he
supplanted by the Kaiser's fiat.
"Militarism will not be checked by
surrender to the power which has Or
ganized all the resources of civiliza-
tion to the end Of imposing it's brutal
iron rule on the world.
Peace will not be secured to tho
world through the subjection of the
free and democratic nations.
we shall be as loyal to the strug- .
gle for freedom and democracy at
nome as to the struggle for freedom
and democracy in interna tional relo-
tions. ,