Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-01
NO BACKWARD STEP
SAYS LABOR LEACER
Gains Will be Preserved, Says Pro.
War Socialist, Says Living
Must Drop First.


New York, Dec. 22.-American labor
has said that there shall be no going
back Samuel Gompers, president OF the
American Federation Of Labor, has said
this publicly, more than once, and en-
phaticalIy each time Now comes Charles
Edward Russell pro-war Soeiaiist, 20
the other way7 Neverl We have only
just begun to advance
II was at victory meeting Of organized
| labor recently in the Century Theatre IN
| New YORK f,itv that Mr. Russell thus
declared that labor would preserve its
| gains :,
chat have got n notion TINT we are going
back to the old conditions We will
never po back The idea that We are
going 10 reverse conditions and march
! backward is inst as absurd as the other
idea, that if Won want to build n house,
Won inst pile up the dollars beside the
| house. and the dollars hystericaiiy build
! the house and you don't need any labor.
"rhere viii be no reduction m wages
unless preceded by corresponding re-
| duction in the cost of living ana IIttle
| more. There will be no lowering of any
| Improvement there may have been IN the
standards Of living America ana 10"
standard of living do not 20 together.
There will be some other things. for
instance the United States government
has carried on in thiy war a pretty lar
svste,n of insurance. Well, If II Is worth
while IN insure the lives Of soldiers on the
battlefield. it is n pretty good thing 10 m
sure the lives of workers on tho industrial
! field
For did YOU ever reflect upon the
| fact that almost as many men are siaugh-
| tered i'm Industry in this country every
wear as were killed in the American Army
| in this war? could never see that
man in industry being killed had any
particular advantage over a man killed on
| the battlefield, for that matter, II he was
killed in industry. he did not seem To have
any choice about IT.
aAnother thing We have discovered,
| nj least in this country, and pretty tardily,
| is that il is possible to operate public
utilities for the public benefit, instead Of
| for the private boards Of few gentlemen.
| Well. then, should we 20 back and operate
! them for the private boards OF few gen
| tlemen?
we have learned at last that Il is
| Just as much public function 70 transmit
a letter over q copper wire as u IS TO trans
| mt II by stage coach Shall we unlearn
| it, Some talk IL made about unscrambling
eggs Ii is n much bigger job than that,
| that would confront this nation il 10 start
cd in to 60 all the way backward
Another thing, we have At last and
vehernentlv established in this country.
sorne kind Of n means for the control Of
nrlces and some kind Of 4 means to remedy
| the terrible evil Of Unemployment DO
Won imagine Tor q moment that We are
| going 10 abandon those things? We have
| i War Service Board and War Employ
menf Board | am in favor Of retaining
| them as permanent institutions am
| in favor OF having them for boards OF
| mediation, not for compulsory arbitra-
tion. because YOU could never have that
| torn worked out in the United States
| no COMPULSORY arbitration, but VIC ought
/ to have some means of mediation.
| Il am unable to see exactly why 1t
would not be fair, proper and reasonable TO
| have labor represented on board OF dIrec-
| tors Of every corporation that employs
/ labor. We have learned that the labor IS
at least rs important 70 the enterprise rs
| the money that Is invested IN 1t, and 1t L
lust exactly as much the concern OF the
| workers that that enterprise should be
| carried on properly and dIslnterestediy anc
zEI
| Stockholders. ! am in favor of having j
established by lsw, that on every boarC
oi directors OF every corporation Their
should be a certain proportion pi worklni
men IN its employ. Why not! They AZ
all Americans, or ought 70 be, and "
learned in this war that the American
that works at 4 lathe or drill with n
hands. Is Just exactly a important a
tie man that assumes TO own that lathe
tfter having fought for democrac.
and having won We shall have democracy
| IN industry as we'll as democracy IN pol
ties Democracy Is beginning 10 meal
more than q piece Of paper. Democrac.
Is beginning at last to mean democracy o
principle. as we'll as democracy of polltica
rights The world does not go backward
Least of all should the United State
of America, that found its great glor,
/ In this war. that gave 10 the world tn
first example OF making war without
particle Of selfish interest in il, that 70
the first time In the history OF mankind
ILLUSTRATED u country, great nation
plunging into great war without on
thing TO be gained Out OF this war W
could not possibly win one loot OF terri
tory. one island, or one dollar addltlona
trade. We had absolutely nothing TO vii
| except the UiDtti StAiSIdC&ANIl u N1tONill
that when democracy was in danger, W
stood forth and said Mother Democracy
Mother Of us all, nov thar you are in peri
and We know il, there is not one posses
sion of ours, even life, that We wont will
ingly lav at your ieet.
lis it conceivable that the tremen
dous moral significance Of that uuequale,
achievement shall he lost upon the Worl,
or lost upon US? Never, for moment
!; Americans will not allow 1t.
we had in this war this magniicen
exaltation of spirit All we had and all ",
are and all that We hope for, we are read,
to offer for the republic. Simply that on
republic should call for it, and it shoul'
he heard We had that spirit, and W
never will allow that spirit to be lost
Under the providence OF God "
will not stop until We have brought thi
light to the remotest parts Of the world
oh. think. new glory has come upon th
flag. new light shines iii the eyes of men