Evening star., 1918-04-16
j. s. LAbOR'S
PLEASES BRITAIN
Will Spurn Enemy During War.
BaIfour Pleads for More
Men From America.
SITUATION is VERY URGENT

. n,
of the American Federation of Labor
that it will not meet enemy representa-
. tives during the war. which James VIII
son, chairman of the visiting American
labor delegation. expressed at luncheon
yesterday is welcomed by the press. The
Daily Mail says:
The luncheon at which Mr.. Barnes en-
.tertained the American labor delegation
was intended to express and We hope
did express, the peculiar pleasure IL
gives the British people to welcome at
q time like this their kinsmen from the
United States. Americas entrance into
the war affected US as has no other event
since the outbreak.
+. Welcomes Investigation.
i From the Americans, as Mr.. Barnes
I said, we have nothing to hide. Let them
I, examine and inquire into everythin0
remembering only that we have been
fighting all but four years and shat. as
Ambassador PAGE warned. 1t is Britisn
just as much as an American habit TO
take whatever we do well for granted.
and say nothing about it, while we dis
cuss our blunders with frankness
(which may be misunderstood some
times.
James Wilson stirred the audience to
enthusiasm when he declared that the
American Federation of Labor. by unan-
7 imous vote had agreed not to meet any
representatives from an enemy country
as long as the war lasted. That is the
spirit of America. and the more widely
1t is understood the better for US and
the allied cause
. "The party of representative Ameri-
can citizens now visiting our country"
says the Daily Telegraph. 'is seeing
things which were not In the program.
Our guests have observed that the Brit
= ish people are enduring period of the
grayest anxiety and the most bitter
losses which they have bsen called upon
to bear since the darkest days of 1914,
and we rejoice to think what the I'M
preston made upon then must have
been.
!. Only Way Out Is Through.
: James Wilson, speaking yesterday on
behalf of American labor. said that his
countrymen would do their utmost fer
sthe allied cause. For America the only
do not doubt that at the present hour
sthe American people will understand
: what IL the immediate application of
that general maxim.
e There is no point at which the mill
tary calculations of the enemy can be
y SO fatally thrown out as at this point
/. Of the ability of the United States to
/. depioy its manpower in strength on
>
/. which must I'LL the next few months"
!, Reveals German Purpose.
/, LONDON. April 15.-Germany stands
to-day as q predatory nation and IL try
= ing to destroy the British and French
armies before the American forces can
4 be brought into the field. said Arthur
y. Balfour. minister for foreign affairs.
in responding to a toast at a luncheon
to the American labor delegation today.
Pointing out that the destruction Of
Germany has never been an entente
allied aim and desired, so far as he
knew. by mo sane man." Mr.. Balfour
said that the Germans had made many
,miscalculations. but none more griev-
.ious than to underestimate the power of
America.
9 England. he said. is confident that
America will be able to send over her
: -'fndomitable troops in way that no
German general stan officer has ever
calculated"
1T is men we need now" he con-
cluded
The other British speakers were Min.
aster Of Labor George Nicon Barnes and
Viscount Bryce. The American speakers
were Ambassador Page. James Wilson,
president Of the Pattern Workers League
Of North America, and Edward Meredith,
director Of the American Chamber of
Commerce.