The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1919-05-16
BY SAMUEL GoMPERs


In the American Federationist
America is not simply a NAM;
America is not merely country;
America is not purely continent.
America is an ideal 1t is the apotheo-
sis of all that is good and true and
Just IN a nation. 1t was a great pri-
vilege for the members of the Labor
Mission of tie American Federation
of Labor to serve that ideal and to
help brighten the hope of a life that
is good and true and just for all the
men and women and children Of the
lands "over there, as well as in our
own country
Now, all pay tribute to the fact
that the Importance, power and infiu-
ence of Labor to the nations safety
We're never more clearly revealed and
demonstrated than during this great
war No one more fully appreciated
the force Of Labor, no others applied
themselves more assiduously to the
task Of breaking the morale of the
workingmen Of our nation and of the
nations associated with us, than did
the military advisers, strategists and
propagandists of Germany and Aus
tria. That these efforts failed is due
in an unreasonable degree to the
spirit of loyalty and of profound de-
votion to the ideals of justice, liberty
and democracy manifested through
out this worlds conflict by the men
and women of Labor of America, in
dividually and collectively, through
the A. f. of L.
Organized labor's influence was not
confined to America alone. The spirit
of America reached into the hearts
and minds of the workers of all
nations associated with our great Re
public
In February, 1918, there was held
nLondon an inter-allied conference
of the representatives of Labor and of
Socialists. After several days, a dec
laration was agreed to by that body,
calling upon the governments of those
in attendance to bring about peace
with Germany and Austria by nego-
tiations with endless chains of con-
cessions and compromises. The hope
for a world democracy was indeed
dimmed an clouded for the time
being
In September, 1918, seven months
after the February meeting, another
conference was held representative of
the same groups that attended the
former gathering, but having in ad-
dition delegation representing the
A. f. of L. The September confer
ence declared for answering support
of the government of the United
States and of our allied countries un-
til victory should have been won on
the battlefield and the enemies of
humanity, civilization and democracy
driven from the soil of invaded coun-
tries.
With the signing of the armistice
and the ending of hostilities, the work
of the organized labor movement, like
the work of the warning nations, was
changed into acts of devising terms of
settlement and providing agencies for
peace and progress between the ma
tions and the peoples of the world.
In pursuance of instructions of form
er conventions of the A. f. of L.,
the American wage-earners were rep
resented at the councils of the peace
plenipotentiaries of the world by five
of the executive officers of the A. f. of
L. viz: President Samuel Gompers
and Presidents James Duncan,
John R. Alpine, Frank Duffy and Will
liam Green.
1t was the great privilege of these
representatives of Americas working
men and women to meet with the
American Commissioners of Peace.
There was given to Labor an oppor-
tunity to make its contribution to the
world in the remaking and to present
the hopes and aspirations of the toll
ers of our land and of other lands.
To one, as President of the A. f. of t..
was granted Ehe additional opportun-