Denver labor bulletin., 1918-08-10
.LABOR'S PART IN
WINNING THE WAR
By JOHN MITCHELL.

| 1t is wonderful opportunity for
service in. defense Of human rights
now presented to the wage earners of
America. We hear it said that food
will win the war, that ships will win
the war, that men and munitions will
win the war. Men, munitions, food
and ships are all absolutely vital to
victory-but we can reduce it all to
one thing when we say that work will
win the war. To put the strength Of
our great nation on the battle front in
France, to back up the men who have
been called to the colors and who are
now giving their lives that democracy
may not perish from the earth, we
here at home must work as we have
never worked before.
With our hands and our brains, by
toll and sacrifice, we must produce
the ships and destroyers and aero
planes, the guns and ammunition, the
food, fuel and clothing, all the infinite
variety of war necessities, without
which our armies will be powerless.
Millions of our people are now toiling
on the farms, in the factories, and in
the shipyards to produce the cargoes
and the carriers to be sent across the
Atlantic. This is the great work that
must be carried on by the army that
stays at home-the army OF the work
ers.
The work that one man does here
at home may seem to him very small,
too small to be measured on the bat
tie front, but it is only thru the toll
of individual workers, each doing his
part, that the big job can be done.
Take the building of cargo ships, for
example. In a shipyard the individ-
ual workers output is less than
ton of shipping in fortnight, but
$4,000 men in big yard will turn
out in year million tons, or
great fleet of 125 8,000-ton ships.
So it is with savings. Each one of
us must save in order to produce the
great savings the nation must have.
The purchase of 25-cent government
thrift stamp seems very small thing
when we read that the war is costing
us $36,000,000 or S40,000,000 a day.
But every thrift stamp will pay for
driving six rivets in a ship, and two
United States war savings certifi-
Gates carrying forty IS stamps (now
costing $166.40) will build a ton of
shipping. Already the treasury war
savings campaign has collected more
than $240,000,000 from these small
savings. This is enough to pay for
the building of 100000 tons of ship.
ping 10 carry our Inen anu loOu anu
munitions to Europe.
Every member of the industrial
army here at home-every wage earn
er-has before him a great oppor-
tunity and a great duty. These are
the things he can do:
First-Do his part in speeding up
the production of all the materials OF
war now so urgently needed.
Second-Help save labor and mate
rials in order that those who have
gone "over there" may not want for
anything.
ThirdeHelp the government finance
the war by investing his money saw
ings in United States securities-war
savings stamps and Liberty bonds.
On all sides are countless evidences
that men, women and children are
eager to serve the country and the
world in this hour of supreme peril.
And our people are serving nobly, but
there is still much to be done which
it is easily within the power OF most
of us to help to do. The campaign
for the conservation of food has met
with very considerable degree OF
success, but we are not yet apprecia-
tive of what it means to deny our
selves sharply in order that those on
the fighting line and those VINO nave
/
been safe and comfortable shall have
enoGkh to meet their needs.
We are still not freeing our rail-
roads from the necessity of transport
ing and our factories from the call to
be making a thousand and one things
which habit has made us feel are ne
cessities, but which the ruined homes
and people Of Belgium, France, Ser
bia, Rumania and Armenia furnish
proof are "trifes light as air." If we
selfishly insist that workers needed
in the work of war must continue to
produce the full volume Of peace-time
comforts and luxuries, we are making
it impossible for them to produce the
things needed by the nation for the
prosecution of the war.
No call that comes to US for sac
rifices of comfort, Of pleasure, OF
treasure, should be unheeded or un-
generously responded TO. In further
ance, in perpetuation Of the great prin..
ciples of self government, liberty and
Justice it is the solemn and impera-
tive duty of every citizen, Of every
child who expects to live in freedom
in the years to come, to do his full
share to the end that the war shall
be brought to speedy and success
full termination.
It is difficult to realize how easy the
wav has been made for each one to