Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1920-04-01
Wood Created Big
Impression Here
Gratiot County People Incline Strongly Famous Army
Officer Following Flying Trip to ST. Louis
Ithaca and Alma.

work. Let us. have more of the get
ting together around the table; more
talking things over. If both sides are
honest nothing but good can come
of it. No man is afraid to tell the
facts if he has nothing to conceal,
and the man who has something to
conceal is the man to be watched.
The one great trouble in this coun-
try Is that there is no intelligent pub
lie opinion as to the issues between
labor and capital, those who work and
those who employ them. There is
today no instrumentality for getting
at the facts. There are not dozen
people here probably who could give
you detailed statement of the issues
in the steel strike or in the coal strike
IN Kansas, because there are no
means of getting the facts.
I'VE ought to have some fair, inn
partial and thoroughly dependable
method of investigating facts and
promptly publishing them. If capi-
tai is honest and playing square, it
can have no objection. If labor is
playing fairly and seeking only what
is right it can have no objection; and
when we build up sound public
opinion we shall be able to use the
weight of that opinion on the side of
right.
Canada provides for an immediate
investigation of strikes and makes
public findings and this kind of pub
licity has been of great service to
both parties in the effort to avoid
strikes. She does not prohibit strikes.
She simply looks into the situation
and publishes the facts.
Eve want more publicity. We
must have it before we can have in
telligent public opinion, and without
such public opinion we cannot hope to
build up the sentiment which will go
a long way toward bettering condi-
tions.
you remember, to quote again
from Lincoln: what he sad With
public opinion you can do almost any
thing; without it you can do very
little and we have had very little
public opinion in these great matters
of strikes. That is vitally important
to both parties sometimes because
no one knows what is going on. We
want TO avoid strikes. We want TO
build up a sound business. We want
to have a prosperous and happy and
contented labor, with good housing
conditions. We want to remember la
Dor is neither a chattel nor a com
modify, that it is human. also that YOU
cannot legislate the Golden Rule into
the hearts of men. We want TO do
all we can for labor but we want
labor to understand that it must do
all 1t can in a reasonable way in re-
turn. We want to build up conditions
under which prosperity in the busi-
ness is reflected by prosperity among
the men. We want to increase pro-
duction. The world is crying today
for increased production as it never
has before. 1t is the only remedy for
the high cost of living. We want in
creased production but we cannot
have it unless we have good business.
contented labor, harmony between
the men who work and the men who
direct the work
"We could not handle an army
without the human element. Theo-
dore Roosevelt's great hold upon the
American people was his understand
ing of human nature. He knew how
to touch the hearts of men because
he sympathized with them. His SYM
pathles were as broad as the world.
They were limited neither by race
or creed. Priest, rabbi and parson
came to him with equal confidence.
knowing his breadth of vision was
not limited by prejudice"
Following the luncheon at the Re-
public cafeteria, l.. A. Sharp. in a
few fitting words, introduced Major
General Wood to the several hundred
people present. At the luncheon the
address was Of more varied char
acter, and impressed the audience
just as strongly as had the address to
the workmen Of the company.
The salient points of this address
follow:
During the war we built approx
imately fifteen million dead weight
tons of shipping; some of it repre-
sented by wooden ships, which have
not been very satisfactory; while a
small amount of it was i'm the shane
Of concrete vessels. These have not
been altogether satisfactory, but the
balance is represented by we'll built
steel ships. Under no circumstances
should we allow this enormous feet
to be sold to foreign countries. We
must keep it under our own flag. II
is most important that we build up
vigorous merchant marine. II is
most essential for the expansion of
our domestic and foreign trade. We
also need it as reserve for our
Navy.
The seaman of the Merchant Ma
rine will furnish the much needed
personnel for fleet, in case of war.
lhese fifteen million tons of ship
ping' plus the large amount of enemy
shipping which came into our posses
SION during the war, are practically |
equivalent 10 the total loss of British |
commercial shipping during the war.
II is an asset Of tremendous value.
Generally speaking, the first ships
cost us 1920 per dead weight ton. as |
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