Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-08-19
LABOR DAY

Labor Day Is less than three weeks
off. Every central labor body in the
country is getting ready for grand
celebration. and the Twin City Fed.
Grafton of Labor presents no excep
ton to the rule.
This year special efforts will be
made to do justice to the one day In
the year devoted to labor. The re-
cent past furnished so much for OBJ
servant people to take heed Of the
immediate present contains so many
features for live labor to reckon
with that the celebration of this
year assumes additional dignity.
Our people have shown during the
war that without the loyalty OF or
ganized labor the government could
not have met the tremendous de-
mands made upon its resources, but
the members of the different unions
came up to the test and proved
themselves one hundred per cent
American. AS "a reward for such no
BILE sacrifice those who enriched
themselves during our country's
most trying times. the plutocrats,
the money sharks, the capitalists and
all of their class would push back
labor to the pre-war position and
earnings, while they. the parasites,
who live of the sweat and heart
blood of their fellow men. would
keep on piling up their pilf by the
millions.
The first to get the iron heel of
capital are the farmers. Lacking the
efficient organization of the skilled
labor of the cities, the rural element
had to accept what was handed out
to them-a reduction In the prices
of their products amounting to over
so per cent. But organized labor
could not be bulldozed in that man
ner. Though prosecuted slandered,
locked out and antagonized by every
means fair OF foul. the five million
union men in this country closed
their ranks more securely than ever,
and the annual convention OF the
American Federation of Labor at
Denver in the past month proved to
the entire industrial world that labor
can not be handled like commodities
but created out Of the flesh and blood
and pulsating with thought and feel
ing and will II demands a seat AT the
celebrating boards of producing hui
manity. A few are still slow to see
the flaming handwriting on the wall :;
a few like Gary and his ilk have not
kept step with the progress of indus.
trial life. and sooner OF later they
will be lost in the turmoil.
Organized labor pursues a definite
policy. Its instincts and principles
are constructive. building today upon
Iat lot
completing next year what was be-
gun in this, For this reason its ac.
tivities appeal TO humanity, and
sympathy and assistance go out to il
totally unsolicited and frequently ut
terly unexpected. Thus move.
ment like the lnterchurch Commits.
sion, lying way outside of the wide
circle of organized labor, makes an
investigation of working conditions
in the mills of the steel trust and rec.
ommends the very demands put
forth by organized labor Thus will
the citizens from all the walks of
life gradually come around to the
stand and objects and ideals as ex.
emplified by the different unions and
the American Federation of Labor.
guaranteeing to the producers lib
eral share OF the good things OF this
world in just proportion as labor en-.
tered into their production and main.
tenance. Not until this is accom-.
plished will labor rest For every
backward step of big capital two new
labor unions spring into being, for
every man fired on account of his
union labor affiliations two new
members join such organization. Il
requires no mathematical computa.
tion 10 foresee the result Long be.
fore all labor will have become un.
ionized the small business men and
salaried people will be compelled for
their own safety TO throw in their