The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-12

RuffaIo. N Y, Nov. 12-Demand for
"adeouate and direct" representation
of wage earners at the world Peace
/, conference Is made in the annual re-
port of the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor, sub
mifted today to the Federation in con-
yention here. The report declares that
the world war must wipe out all
vestiges of the old conceit that the
nation belongs to the ruler"
Questions raised by the war occupy
/, virtually the entire report. No room
is left for doubt that the United States
government has the unanimous sup
port OF organized American labor In
the war, and 1t is asserted with equal
emphasis that the vital interests of
the averages citizen demand that he
have voice in the readjustments to
come with the dawn OF peace.
Optimism over labor achievements
in the last year is tempered with a
warning that benefits obtained from
emergency opportunities must be
based on principles of human welfare
and not the result of taking advantage
OF the nations necessity. Freedom OF
expression is upheld, but the report
says those who sabuse the freedom of
the press to undermine the nations
free institutions should be punished az
traitors.
President Wilson'S war address to
Congress is included in the report.
with the declaration adopted by a
meeting OF union officials last March
when IL was seen to be inevitable that
the European conflagration would
spread to America. Under the head
ing Labor and the War the report
says:
Under all circumstances II is the
duty OF amy government to protect its
people against wilful and wholesale
murder. > = A people unwilling tc
make the supreme sacrifice In support
of the government which undertakes
to make that principle good are un,
deserving to 1--we and enjoy the privi.
1ege Of free. democratic government
The duty of wage earners in the wal
is emphasized particularly In the sec
ton of the report devoted to "Peac.
Terms which advocates an intefna
tionai agreement to secure peace ant
the settlement Of tie present wal
without "vindictiven indenanities Of
territorial changes, The section says
1T is an imperative duty from
which there is no escape that wage
earners as we'll as all other citizens o
this Republic support our government
in its righteous effort to defend prin
cipies of humanity and to establish
democracy in international relations
Because we desire permanent peace i
is our duty to fight and sacrifice unit
these purposes can be achieved
when nations can send representa-
tives to negotiate peace terms in ac
4 cord with this concept, we MAINTAIN
that the basic provisions of the peac
treaty should be formulated with re
gard to the rights and welfare of tn
men. women, and children constitutin,
the nations rather than the govern
ments of the nations The govern
ment should be only an instrumental
ity of the people instead of dominatin,
and actuating their hves This terrifi
war must wipe out all vestiges of tn
old concept that the nation belongs t
the ruler or government.
'eWe hold that the same principle
should apply to relations betweel
nations and that secret diplonac,
should be replaced by diplomatic rep
resentatives responsible to the peopl