The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-05-07
NO! NO! MOI" IS
THE POLICY OF THE
PRESENT CONGRESS
(By President Gompers in Amer
lean Federationist).

, elSSs'
''The mo" congress must giv'
place to a yes" congress.
The Present congress has done
little except to apply the brakes anC
say mo" to one constructive pro
posal after another.
There must be a congress which
will turn it's face to the task con.
fronting the American citizenship
In the true spirit of American in
stitutfons. A constant genius fol
accomplishment must replace an i'll,
.lconsidered mania for restriction and
coercion.
America has things to do. 1t is
confronted by enormous obligations
requiring positive action. This ac-
tion has been delayed too long.
One of the inteloreable and hated
things that was crushed in Ger
many with the exit of the kaiser
and the downfall of his regime,
was the "verboten" idea in gov
ernment. Forbidden" "thou shalt
not" these were watchwords and
accursed words in the old Germany.
They signified the existence of a
power which had the right to deny
to others rights and privileges
which it could grant to the elect
and the favored. 1t was the right
to bestow opportunities by favor,
Iunequally.
Repress, repress, repress! From
whence comes this sullen mood of
Legislators, this brutal attitude of
great wealth? 1t comes from the
Ideep-rooted desire of those who pos
sess great power to keep that power
and to surrender nothing to those
who toll and give service to the
world.
There is no thought that all leg
islators and all possessors of power
and wealth are of this mould. But
deaf indeed is he who hears not the
rising rumble of combat and ag-
gressiveness from those who are of
that mould and who are all too
many for the good of our land and
of our humanity.
When the labor movement of
America warns against repression
and coercion and reaction it speaks
for the welfare of the nation. 1t
speaks for the liberties of great
masses of toiling men and women
the only voice they have, the only
expression that can carry the long
ing of their hearts and the convic-
tions of their souls to the ears of
the world.
The labor movement of America
does speak and it must be heard.
1t speaks for progress.
1t speaks for established institu-
tions.
1t speaks for equality of oppor-
tunity.
1t speaks for the rights of men |
and women and of children.
1t speaks for the one thing that
can save the world and bring solace
to its weary spirit.
1t speaks in measured denuncia-
tion of every vestige of autocracy.
And it speaks with determina-
tion to leave no stone unturned to
bring fruition and realization to its
aspirations.
Where the effort is made in in
dustry to crowd men and women
backward and downward, we Will
resist and resist and resist, for it is
better to resist and lose than never
to have resisted.
Where the effort is made in the
halls of congress and legislatures
we will resist and resist and resist.
We will resist with all our power {
he reelection of those who have !
been false to the truth which hui
nanity placed in them,
We will resist with all our I
strength those who have accepted
he suffrages of men and women I
who day by day give service to the 6
country through the toll and I
hought of their hands and brains S
Ind who have then cast aside the I
to court favor at the /
land of greed
We viii resist with equal vigor @
hose who have, without thought
nd without price turned their b
minds in legislative work into the
hannels of yesterday and the meth
DIS of centuries now dead.
These we Will resist as unworthy I,
( America, as unworthy of the a
lanhood and womanhood of our II
ountry, as false to our needs and h
opes and aspirations. and as in n