The labor standard., 1919-08-15
UNIONISTS POSSESS GREATER COURAGE
 AND INTELLIGENCE
Purchasing Power of Wages Must Meet Living Conditions -S,5OO,OOO Persons in COun- try Cannot Write English
BY FRANK MORRISON,

AE Sesretary, American Federation of Labor Day, 1919, the organized work CTS possess greater intelligence and confidence in themselves than at any other period. The trade union movement was true to it's historic mission in the great war that defeated military auto cracy and it has not forgotten the plea, Make the World Safe for Dem ocracy" that so successfully united the people of our country in one pur- pose. -@
 The organized workers will con- tinue their efforts to make our coun- try safe for democracy, though certain other elements of our citizenship have abandoned this plea in their desire for material gain, regardless of effects on the nations life.
 Wages and Living Costs.
 The workers determination is indi- cated in their demand that the pur- chasing power of their wages permit them to meet present living costs. The workers have not forgotten praises showered on them during the war and they now insist that living standards shall not be lowered. They point to government statistics which show that over $1.8O is now necessary to pur- chase goods that were priced at $1 before the war.
 Naturalization of Railroads and Coal
 Mines.
 The railroad solution offered by or ganized railroad shopmen and the railroad brotherhoods, and supported by the American Federation of Labor as whole, and the declaration of the Policy Committee of the United Mine Workers of America for the naturalization of coal mines under democratic management are also in dicative of the workers determina- tion to make our country safe for democracy.
 8,5O0,0O0 Cannot Write English
 Language
 Government reports show that there are 8,500,OOO persons over ten years of age in this country who cannot read nor write the English language. It seems unnecessary to urge that our educational system be revised that this illiteracy menace to a govern ment "of, by and for the people" be removed.
 Immigration and Cheap Labor Elm
 plOyers.
 Another policy that would make this country safe for democracy is organ ized labor's demand that immigration be stopped until such time as those aliens who are now in this country can be assimilated. Sentiment must give way to the dictates of self-preserva- tion when national needs and social aspirations are threatened by waves of immigration that are stimulated by cheap labor employers.
 The proposed plan to "Americanize the alien" will not be successful while lines.
 by company unions," welfare work and beneficial features will not suffice. None of these contain the element of fundamental democracy.
 Americanize Industries First.
 The alien must be Americanized, but industries like the steel trust, that make the alien possible, must first be must be Americanized. The Ameri- can spirit of freedom and equality can not be aroused in worker who is de- nied the right of free speech or who has been discharged because he does lawful thing-joins a trade union.
 Americanize the Job.
 On this fundamental the trade union movement stands. It is idle to talk of Americanizing the alien or of estab- fishing democracy in industry while an industrial oligarchy ignores guaran-