The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-21

tions throughout the United States
on Armistice day not only to cele- /
brate the victory of 1918 but to i'm
press the delegates to the con-
ference on the Limitation of arma-
ments with the fact that the Amer I
ican people confidently expect a I
program to be adopted which will .
reduce military and naval expend- ].
itures and minimize the chances of
war.
No Class Movement.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, to-
Gay disclosed his plans for parades
and mass meetings on Nov. II
which may exceed in point of num-
bers the professions of Labor day
in past years. Mr.. Gompers feels
that Armistice day passed last No
vember without that glorifcatlon
of the event which is necessary 20
instill in the minds of people
true appreciation of the sacrlnceS
that were made to win the victory.
The day should be, he believes. an
occasion for expression OF the anti
war sentiment needed to insure
! program of enduring peace. Mr..
Gompers makes it plain that he is
not championing class move
ment He simply is notifying every
trade union headquarters in every
city and town in the United States
that labor should do its part IN
what he hopes will be taken up by
other civic bodies as a national
I celebration. When Armistice day
has passed. it is the hope of the
American Federation of Labor that
a permanent committee of 10 mem
bers representing all the various
national organizations interested
in disarmament and the cause of
peace will unite and bring respect
full pressure to bear on the con-
ference for the limitation of arma-
ments so that there may be no
doubt about the insistence of the
American people on practical re-
suits. Mr.. Gompers is in commun-
! ication with the labor organizations
of other countries. The building
up of a worldwide sentiment be-
hind the Washington conference on
armament is intended to assure the
delegates of all countries that they
tions makers and go as far as they
like toward lifting the burdens of
: taxation which have crippled
Europe's purchasing power and in
directly helped to bring on an in
dustriaI depression in the United
States.
Would Affect Disarm Meet
Mr.. Gompers was asked what
!. would be the course of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor in the
event that the conference failed
! to reach an agreement on the lin
itation of armament. Would he
favor the reduction by the United
: States of its army and navy ire
spective of what the other powers
did?
81 have always opposed and shall
I continue emphatically to oppose
r anv suggestion that the United
[ states disarm alone" replied MT
: Gompers.
I So the movement of the Amerl-
t can Federation of Labor does not
= ask the impossible but aims tc
hiring out public opinion in sucn
I a way as to show the delegates no"
s unmistakable is public sentiment
1 for an agreement on armament
: Propaganda against reduction ol
: armament is already in full swing
Inside our own government are
t MANY men who doubt the practlca
K hiIity of any agreement on min
e tary or naval expenditure. AIS
n there are those who believe th'
g United States ought to continue ne
II nolicy of aloofuess and refuse u
a engage in any changing agree
= ments with the rest of the Worlu
Church Bodies Interested.
On the other hand, organization
= Ike the League of Women Fotef'
h and the American Federation
II I .abor and several church ooole
n are keenly interested in making IN
! Washington conference on arma
II ment limitation a huge success
one vav, they believe, that success
=. xyiI come will be by manifestation
Of pubIic opinion-mass meeting
7, at which resolutions VIII De auop'
ed. ,iza+io-
oe all those in the United State
q Igho favor armament limitation l
sought so that the delegates 1roI
G fsreat Britain, France, Italy an
y Ganan will be fully impressed Q
the proposals of the Amerlcan -
gation and will see behlno thel
a nopuIar demand for practlcal re
a sults and not an evasive set Oh acS
Jarojc princiDleS