The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-09-03
LABOR FINDING IT'S
GREATEST POWER

Once more does Labor Day come
around, and it finds labor in the
world asserting itself less for itself
and more for others than ever be-
fore. 1t is engaged in less of strikes
and more of big, generous effort
than it has ever done before. It is
working for bigger, broader pur-
pose, winning more approval and
sowing the seeds for greater recogni-
ton in the councils of nations than
any but their leaders seemed to have
hoped for.
And they are not gaining this re-
cognition by force, but by loyalty to
a great purpose winning the war,
or furnishing the things necessary
for winning it.
One after another the labor organ
izations in council decide to submit
their complaints to arbitration and
to keep on working to support the
armies. Sometimes they have mar
row escapes from the decision to re-
sort to idleness, to stop production,
but they ultimately .concede that
they owe the world the continued
product Of their hands and their
brains. A few weeks ago the cause
of labor in England had one of its
narrow escapes from itself when for
q few days they refused to work un-
til concessions were made in their be-
half without waiting for arbitration.
At the same time just across in
France, there was raging what is now
considered one Of the decisive bat
ties of the world and their own
brothers and capitalists and the sons
Of capitalists were fighting and dying
side by side to preserve for them the
right of arbitration as against the
right Of anybody to force decisions
upon somebody else and compel sub
mission to dictation. Day after day
the strikers thought and thought,
and always there was the truth that
they were in degree, playing the
roll that Germany sought to force
upon the world, and the vibrations
Of the booming of unnumbered thou
sands of cannon coming across the
English Channel reminded them of
the struggle then in progress and
still in progress to decide the fate of
nations and to decide the right of
men to think, and to act upon their
thoughts, haunted them night and
day, persuading them that they were
wrong. And while the battle still
ragged and none could foretell the
outcome, labor in England returned
to its task, reposing it's case and it's
rights. to arbitration, tho it must be
admitted that it was known that Mr..
Lloyd George had said he stood ready
to conscript and send to the front
all who held out against such SUBJ
mission.
That was probably the final argu-
ment with many, as cannon are the
final argument of kings. But each
worker has his own reward in his or
her own bosom, for those who
reached conclusions without that
argument have their own selfrespect
following right decision, and those
who had to consider the prospect of
going across to face the cannon or
60 back to make shells to shoot from
knowing that they do not share in
the Righteousness of the decision to
return to work.
1T is great lesson That now comes
over the world-the lesson that CO.
operation, and not force, must be
the rule. If we are fighting for any
thing of value to labor it is involved
in the principle that selfishness can
not stand. 1t must be fused with
generosity and a great purpose or
it will go down under foot just as
we propose putting militarism down.
David Harum uttered great truth
when he spoke of horse trade and
said 1t was always best to let the !
other fellow make something too. |
Militarism is trying to take it all,
and united world says no. Today,
Monday, our country pauses to OBJ
serve Labor Day, altho millions of
men fight on without interruption to
win the right for labor to sit in the
peace councillor all are laborers
who work and think and plan and
lift hand for right and justice, re-
gardless of the clothes they wear or
the titles they take.