The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-02-22
Executive Council Of The American
Federation Of Labor Declares
American Worker Is Loyal
To The Core.

we must stand up and be counted with
one cause or the other For labor there
/ is but one choice
One Hope of Labor
THE hope of labor lies in oppor-
tunity for freedom The workers of
America will not permit themselves to
be deceived or deceive themselves into
thinking the fate of the war viii not
vitally change Our own lives A vic
tory for Germany would mean pan
German empire dominating Europe,
and exercising world balance of
power which Germany will seek to ex-
tend by force into world control.
"Prussian rule means supervision,
checks, unfreedom in every relation of
life.
"Prussianism has its roots in the old
ideal under which men sought to rule
by suppressing the minds and wills of
their fellows; it blights the new ideal
of government without force or chains
political or industrial protected by
perfect freedom for all
"Unless the reconstruction shall
soon come from the German workers
within that country it is now plain
that an opportunity to uproot the
agencies of force will come only when
democracy has defeated autocracy in
the military field, and wins the right
to reconstruct relations between ma
tions and man.
Can Not Superimpose VIII.
"The peace parley between Russia
and Germany have shown the futility
of diplomatic negotiations until Prus-
sian militarists are convinced they
can not superimpose their will on the
rest of the world
Force is the basis of their whole
organization and it is the only argu-
ment they will understand.
Spontaneous uprising in Germany
in protest against the militarist gov
ernment have shown that the German
Government is still stronger than the
movement for German emancipation.
German freedom is ultimately the
problem of the German people But
the defeat of Prussian autocracy on
the battle field will bring an oppor-
tunity for German liberty at home
Passed That Period
"We have passed the period when
any one nation can maintain its free
dom irrespectively of other nations.
Civilization has closely linked nations
together by the ties of commerce and
quick communication, common inter-
ests, problems and purposes. The
future of free nations will depend up
on their joint ability to devise agencies
for dealing with their common affairs
so that the great opportunity for life
liberty and pursuit of happiness may
be assured to all.
"This matter of world democracy is
of vital interest to labor. Labor is
not sect or a party. 1t represents
the invincible desire for greater op-
portunity of the masses of all nations,
labor is the Drawn, sinews and brains
of society. 1t is the user of tools.
Tools under the creative power of
muscle and brains shape the materials
of civilization. Labor makes possible
every great forward movement of the
world. But labor is inseparable from
physical and spiritual life and pro-
gress. Labor now makes it possible
that this titanic struggle for DEM
ocracy and freedom can be made.
War Aims IndOrsed.
"The common people everywhere are
hungry for wider opportunities to live.
They have shown the willingness to
spend or be spent for an ideal. They
are in this war for ideals. Those ideals
are best expressed by their chosen rep
resentative in message delivered to
the Congress of the United States Jan
uary 8, setting forth the program of
the worlds peace.
President Wilson's statement Of
war aims has been unreservedly in
dorsed by British organized labor. 1t
is in absolute harmony with the funda-
mentals indorsed by the Buffalo CON
vention of the American Federation of
Labor,
"We are at war for those ideals.
Our first big casualty list has brought
to every home the harass and the sac
rifice of war. This is only the begin
ming A gigantic struggle lies just