El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-09-03
wilson PRAISES
LAB0RING MEN
Voices Approval of Pa
triotic Workers Who Join
to SUPPRESS DisloYaItY.

prevail Of organized labor and its
achievements and Of its patriotism TO-
ward the nation in a .etter which he
has written to Samuel Gompers, presI-
dent Of the American Federation OF
Labor and chairman OF The American
Alliance for Labor and Democracy,
v hich meets Tuesday in Minneapolis
TO undertake TO suppress disIoyalty.
Letter From President.
The letter follows.
Ny Dear Mr.. Gompers:
Il am sure you understand that my
inability TO accept the invitation TO
address the Minneapolis conference OF
the American Alliance for Labor and
Democracy IS due only TO official ne
cesslty and not IN any degree 20 lack
Of appreciation OF the Importance OF
the occasion. The cause you and your
fellow patriots uphold is one with
the cause we are defending with arms
While our soldiers and sailors are do
ing their manful work TO hold back
reaction in its most brutal and. ag
Eressive form, we must oppose at
home the organized and individual
efforts Of those dangerous elements
who hide dislOyalty behind a screen
Of specious and evaslve phrases
Tnkes Pride in LabOr's Achievement.
Il have read with real pride the
names of the men and women VINO
are 70 take part IN the Minneapolis
conference. Not one but has O. rec
ord Of devoted service TO fuudamsntal
democracy not one but has fought
the long, hard fight for equal Justice.
Drawing every bitterness that the
numblest life might know a larger
measure Of happiness
No Reaction Evident.
with all my heart ] want them 90
feel that their devotion TO country Is
in no wise q betrayal Of principle and
that in serving America today, they
are serving their cause no less faith
fully than-in the past. / myself have
had sympathy with the fears OF the
workers Of the United States, for the
tendency Of w5r Is toward reaction
and too often military necessities /
have been made an excuse for the de-
struCtlOn OF laDOrlOuSly erected In
dustrial and social standards. These ]
fears, happily, have proved 60 be
base-ess- With Quickened sympGthles ]
and appreciation with a new sense Of
the invasive and insidiOus dangers Of
oppression, our people have not only
held every inch Of ground that has
been won by years Of struggle, but
have added 10 the gains OF the 20tn +
century along every line Of human
bette-menL Questions Of wages and /
hours Of labor and industrial read /.
JuSrment have found a solution which /
gives 10 the tOiler a new dignity ard I
new sense Of social and economic +
security I beg sou TO feel that my
support has not been lacking and that I
the government has not failed at any
point in granting every just request I
advance by you and your assistants I
IN the name OF the American worker. I
Battle Line Extends TO workshops. /
No one who is not blind can fail 10 I
see that the battle line Of demOcracv|
for America stretches today from the I
fields Of Flanders TO every home and /
workshop where tOiling, upward
HH# HHm
the treasures Of riEht and justice and T.
liberty which are being threatened by
cur present enemies
1T has been = matter Of surprise TO 1
me that the leaders in certain groups
have sought 10 ignore our grievances
aEainsr The men who have equally
mlsled the German people. Their in
slstence that nation whose rights
have been grossly violated, whose
citizens have been 1Oullv murdered
under their own flag whose neiEhbors
have been invited 10 join in making
conquest OF its territory, whose pa
thence IN pressing the claims Of jus
rice and humanity has been met with
the most shameful policy OF trucu-
lence and treachery. their insis-ence
that q nation so outraged does not
know its own mind. that Il has no
COMPREHENSIVE reason for defending
itself OF for endeaTOring with all its
might TO maintain their deafness TO .
the eft repeated statement Of our ma
JionaI purposes.
1t is, perhaps. that these forces Of
autagonism have not Yet learned 10
know the voice OF that America We
love and serve II may well be that
those among us who stand ready 10
forward the plans OF aggression bred
IN secret, DO not understand the Ian
guage OF democracy when il pro-
claims the purpose OF war in terms Of
peace for the peoples that shall be
untroubled by those 10 whom men are
but the pawns in their struggle for
power and gain. But true Americans,
those who toll here for home AID the
hope Of better things, whose lifted
eyes have caught the vision Of a lib
Grated world, have said that Of the
policy Of blood and iron there shall se
an end, and that equal justice which
IS the heart Of democracy shall rule in
It's stead
May not those who toll and those
y no have made common cause Of the
larger hope Tor the masses CO mankind
take renewed heart as they think en-
those days when America has aiken
us stand for the rights Of humanity
and the fellowship Of social ana in
teruau0naI Justice
Sincerely yours.
Woodrow Wilson"
Among the speakers at the confer
ence are Samuel G0mpers, John Hall
president Of the Minnesota State Fed
Grafton Of Labor; Charles Edward
Russell, John H Walker, president Of
the Illinois state Federation Of L.
bor- Frank T. Walsh, Gov. BurnQuist,
Of Minnesota John Spargo, John Lind.
Eose Pastor stokes rabbi Stephen :.
Wise, VIM English Walling. Hugh
Frayne, New York, eastern represen-
tatiNe Of the American Federation of
Labor Frank z. Wolfe, W. J. Client.
Prof Max Frederick Meyer. professor
Or psychology at the University Of
MISSOURI A. ". Slmons, editor Of a
Socialist weekly, who has resigned
from the Socialist party. and Win
field r Gaylord, first Socialist state
senator elected in Wisconsin, who re-
signed from the party.