The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1919-09-07
MIDDLE CLASS TO
SAVE COUNTRY
JOHN SHARP WILLIAMS
WARNS CAPITAL AND
LABOR AGAINST 0P-
PRESS ON.
STIRRING SPEECH
breaches Americanism In Ad-
dress Distinguished For
It's BOldness and Clear
ness.

WASHlNG1ON, II. l., sept. A.
Simon-pure Americanism was preach
ed today in the Senate by Senator
John Sharp Williams Of Mississippi.
who admonished that body that the
great "comm0nsense middle class" on
this country will not be bullied by
the threatened labor strikes on the
one hand nor allow capital to mort
gage the nation on the other.
ii it is necessary Tor such people
to fight for the salvation of the re-
public, they will fight, the Mississip-
plan declared, and he added no class
OF conpiratOrs, be it combination of
employees or employers, dare inter
fere with the normal and righteous
life of the nation.
These bold declarations were made
during brief debate upon the inter
state commerce committees proposal
that compulsory arbitration of wage
disputes be made a part Of the rail-
road reorganization Legislation now
pending in the Senate. Senator I'm
derwood Of Alabama had discussed
this legislation in speech that was
both thoughtful and forceful. Sena-
TOR BOrah had occupied the floor for
brief five minutes, but long enough
Z TO assert that as long rs labor trou-
bles were based upon wages, they
would be difficult if not Impossible Of
settlement.
" illiams Follows BOrah.
Mr.. Borah was followed by Senator
" MIlliahls. The latter had no set
speech. He rarely ever has. He had
not intended to say anything at all
until the Borah statements aroused
him and once aroused he preached a
doctrine as old as the nation itself,
but which in these days of class
threats and class Legislation and class
conflicts public men have had the
courage to shout aloud for.
In the first place Senator Williams
let it be known that he was friend
of labor; that he had stood for 20
years on the floor of the House fight
ing its battles, and that instinctively
ne leans TO the "under-dog IA any sit
uation,' but he wanted labor to know
that it could not usurp the function
OF me Congress of the United States;
that it could not by strong arm work,
by strikes and warning of revolution,
brow beat the representatives of the
whole American people into surrul-
dering their prerogratives. And in the
same breath he told capital that it
couId not 90 the same thing.
Il, for one,' declared Senator Viii
lians, am tired of these instruments
bent upon usurping our right to leg
islate. There is capital, on the one
hand, with its lockouts, and there is
labor on the other hand threatening
to paralyze the nation with strikes
if we do not heed its demands.
Il have just read the warning of
certain labor leaders that if the
Plumb plan is not adopted the whole
transportation system of the county
might break down, which means that
tens Of thousands of babies in such
cities as New York, Chicago, Balti-
more and st. Louis will perish for
lack Of milk; which means that the
country will lie PROSTATE and that
the American people will stagnate.
Then ! read that the private sol
diers' union would strike to enforce
its demands. The workers on the one
hand and the soldiers on the other
all threatening US. This is nothing
more or less than Russian sovietism.
1t is the same sort of madness which
has seized that half barbarious coun-
try. But there is something in this
country that does not exist in Rus
sia. There is a bulwark here that
will save America and which will
defy every criminal conspiracy which
this element or that may lend itself
to for the undermining of the gov
ernment.
Middle Class is Bulwark.
And that bulwark is the great
multitude of sane, brave men and
American middle class-that vast
women who now own and run this
country and will continue to do 50
even if they have to fight to do it.
And ! am about convinced that this
thing will have to be fought out soon