The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-05-31


President (applause,) tried his best
and after he tried by every method
known to human being, and failed,
then it became necessary to say that
natural word that we are at war
And while ! have been opposed to
war all my life, when that word was
spoken, when the nation that had
strived by every honest means to
evade a conflict, became involved,
not in order that we might advance
our own cause for any selfish purpose,
but in order that we might step in
and save, not only the ideals of our
own country, but that of others, in
order that we might prevent the in
ward march of that spotism-some-
times called a system of government
in Germany, in order that that might
be prevented, in order that the world
may not become contaminated and
controlled, we were compelled to go
into the war.
Things Worse Than War.
Let me say there are things some
times that are worse than war, and
to have remained out would have
been worse (applause) The honesty
/ of a nation must be protected at all
hazards and at any cost. And that
is what we are fighting for. That is
what we are uniting on. When we
organized labor through its represen-
tatives on the 18th day of last March,
months prior to our going into this
war, said in the form of a resolution,
signed by its leaders, representing
nearly three million men and women
workers, to the President and people
of the United States, that if we had
become involved in the war, labor
would take it's place and stand square
ly behind the President in this conflict
(applause).
The American Federation of Labor
sent, and there is at this very mo-
ment, commission of men and wom-
en- in England who have visited the
trenches in France and have talked
to our boys and their boys, bringing
the message of labor and that mes
sage has been one of hope, one of in
spiration, because they have told
them you are here fighting in the
trenches, suffering the privation, and
hardships that soldier must endure,
and we bring you this message that
the men and women of labor at home,
in the mines and the mills and the
workshops have commissioned US to
say to you that we will stand loyal
| ly behind you in the production of
the things that you need in order to
carry on your fight, that we will sup
port every movement, the Red Cross,
the Knights of Columbus, the Y. M
G. A and all these wonderful uplift-
| ing and helpful movements to the
soldiers, we are joining with them
and if we can't work physically, we
will give them our encouragement
and we will say 1--WE are in accord
with you, not sympathetically, but
| 100 per cent American in everything
we do"
To you members of the League for
Peace, to its honored president, and
those who may become members later
on, wish every success in your splen-
did work, because it is only through
organization of this kind that we
can hope to bring together all of the
great units that go to make up this
great cosmopolitan country of ours.
- 9 -
SHIP BUILDERS FORCED OUT.
Tampa, Fla, Over 500 employees
of the Tampa Dock company have
been forced on strike because this con-
cern will not accept an award of the
shipping boards wage adjustment
board
The company has government ship
contracts and has not only refused
to pay the prevailing wage but it has
"laid off" workers who have served
on grievance committees.