Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-11-21
LABOR ENTITLED
To BIG SHARE

When the history of the great wal
is written, the splendid record of the
workmen of America will be worthy OF
publishing beside that of the gallant
fighters for democracy on the battle
fields of Europe.
American labor has performed truly
wonderful works in the great conflict
It has been the hope of the world; the
one reliance Of the hosts of democracy
abroad. England's man power and
that of France were called for the
building up Of armies to a point where
both countries were dependent on A
merica, for many raw materials. A
merica was also called upon to furn-
ISL a great army; but those who re
NAMED in the factories redoubled
their efforts, knowing that upon them
depended the safety Of those who had
gone, and life itself for the unfortun-
ate war-stricken nations allied with
America.
Labor has not failed in its gigantic
task. With practically the whole
world to feed, clothe, shelter and arm
one could hardly have wondered if
the men at home had considered the
contract almost too much for them
but the American workman is not of
that type.
Here is a job" was the subconciOus
thought Of the workmen-and Of the
workingWomen as well-"that has got
to be done. It's big job, but it can
be done if we will that it be done"
And it has been accomplished
Floyd Gibbons, the famous war cor
respondent who was wounded in
France, found how the workmen felt
about the war IN a conversation with
a little American soldier on a French
railway train.
"The Kaiser is the worlds biggest
scab" was the young soldiers verdict
(He had, by the way, just come from
the upper Michigan peninsula where
he was a member of strikers who
had just won victory in strike for
better working conditions.) "The
worlds on a strike against him, and
we must win the strike"
The patriotic workman and the
understanding manager have won the
war for America. Senator Mcclellan
recently declared that the lions share
Of the credit should go to the work
men. The plans of even the most as
tute managers have gone awry; in
some projects there has been delay
and almost failure. But America has
made up, or is making up, all the de-
fects of poor management. And when
peace finally dawns, with America
triumphant, it is to American labor
that the victory will be largely due.
Few persons realize the magnitude
Of labor's task in the great conflict.
What actually has been done almost
staggers the imaginations.
American labor has built the ships
to carry American soldiers and sup
plies to Europe.
When the war began there were
rather fewer than 100000 shipbuilders
Many times that number were needed
of any skill or training in the country,
The workmen of America with no mo-
tive but the patriotic desire to be OF
service. came forward to offer what
skill they had gained in like occupa-
-blacksmiths, carpenters, s st
metal workers, and men of a hundred
other trades. They did not know
much about ships, perhaps, but they
were eager to learn. How we'll they
learned, and how we'll they wrought,
are illustrated by the proud figures
America recently gave to the world,
showing that American shipping IS
now greater than ever before in the
history and that the United States
is in a fair way to become the greatest
maritime power in the world.
The building of the ships, however,
was but small part of the great
program. To construct the great
fleet that America has put upon the
waves, enough yellow pine was re
ouired to have built bridge from here
70 France. with 100000 feet of tim
bar left over. Getting this timber
out of primeval forests of the great
Northwest, hauling it to the railroad