Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-03-12
STATE FEDERATION OF
LABOR ENDORSES THE
BRITISH LABOR PLAN
This Is First Labor Organiza-
lion In the West to Take
Action On Matter

A4SHhVAA OAA AAheAStSA
Acting upon the recommendation of
the Salem Alliance for Labor and
Democracy, the Executive board of the
Oregon State Federation of Labor en-.
dorsed the movement started by the
British Labor party for an allied con.
ference on a world program of demo.
eracy. This the first state labor or
ganization in the west to act in the
matter, although several eastern states
have lined up behind the move.
The action of the state board fol,
lowed a conference with a Salem com.
mittee composed of r. A. Harris OF
Salem, Professor j. K. Hart of Reed
College, and W. G. Elwell of Salem,
who met with the state officials at
Portland yesterday. The local organ.
~ization endorsed the British labor
party's platform following an address
by Professor Hart at the Willamette
University chapel on March 9th. The
following c%ablegram was sent yester-
day by the state board to Arthur
Henderson of the British Labor Party:
"Oregon Labor Federation approves
British Labor reconstruction program.
international action viii rally people
to world democracy and assure over
throw Of autocracy Urge allied con-
ference for furtherance comprehensive
PLAN"
In addition, the state labor board is
sending a letter to each state organ
ization in the United States urging
that similar action be taken by each
state. The state board believes that
the action of the British labor party is
in keeping with the many u~tterances
of President Wilson, and offers the
greatest opportunity of the age to the
common people of the world, this letter
states.
A list of prominent men in the
United States has been made out, in
Guiding Secretary of Labor Wilson,
Samuel Gompers, Rabbi Stephen S.
Wise, Archbishop Ireland, Senator
Hiram Johnson, and Henry Ford, a let
ter has been sent them asking their
support.
The platform of the British Labor
party has been receiving favorable at
tention over the entire United States,
although the Oregon organization is the
first in the west to officially endorse
it. Four sections of the plan constitute
what is practically a revolution of the
present worlds system Of social and
political. These four points may be
briefly summed up as follows:
/. The Universal Enforcement of q
RnA,Oao1 AHs,, --1saL Ill ao..no
to everyone, in good times and bad
alike, all the requisites of a healthy
life and worthy citizenship, as a mat
ter of government regulation.
2. The Democratic Control of In
dustry--democracy in industry as we'll
as in government; a genuinely scien-
tific reorganization of the nation Is in
dustry, no longer DETECTED by in
dividual profiteering, on the basis of
common ownership of the means if pro-
duction and the equitable sharing of the
proceeds among all who participate,
and only among these.
3. A Revolution in National Finance,
whereby the colossal expenditure m
volved in the present war, as well as
future reconstruction and development,
shall be paid by just taxation of the
excess wealth of the nation wherever
found, and without encroaching on the
prescribed national minimum standard
of life of any family whatsoever, with
out hampering production or discourage
ing useful personal effort. and with
the nearest possible approximation to
equality of personal sacrifice.
4. The Surplus Wealth for the Com
mon Good, whereby, through national
Mation, multiplication and properly
graduated taxation, all surplus wealth,
beyond proper and reasonable needs,
shall go to the public treasury and be
owned and utilized, alike for all the
people, in the extension Of industry,
scientific research, progress in art,
literature, music and all hat upon
which the real development of civiliza-
ton so fundamentally depends.
The local men who are backing the
movement, stated that the individual
members of the state board favored the
project, but that no action had been
considered unil action was asked by the
Solem committee. They believe, how
ever, thot with the British platform
adopted by labor bodies over the
world, the fall of autoeracy is newt
able.
The Oregon Labor board urges the
adoption of the resolution by every
American organization of the people
the churches, farmers unions, oranges
civir bodies, and labor organizations
urging the cooperation of democratic
peoples throughout the world, and the
selection, through competent authority
of representative Americans to act foi
this country in perfecting a plan fol
world cooperation.
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