The labor world., 1921-09-17
GEN, PERsI11Na's BREAK.


It did not become General Pershing
TO go out of his way at the banquet
given at Washington on Lafayette
Marne day to undervalue the part
played by union labor in the great
world war. In view Of the nation
wide campaign now being conducted
against organized labor it would seem
that the general was attempting to
curry favor with the enemies of labor.
In the first place he was not war
ranted in replying to Mr.. Gompers in
the manner he chose. He built his
mould made by the men who profited
most from the war, and who are now
attacking labor to conceal their own
wrong doing. General Pershing hit the
home heroes of the war to tickle the
ear and bolster the hopes of the
p7ofitee7s.
Mr.. Gompcrs has never declared that
union labor Won the war. Only the
enemies of labor have put such con-
st>uction to his language, and Pershing
fell for it, to the disappointment cf
his many friends and admirers IN the
ranks of American labor.
The real patriots in this country
have long recognized the part played
by the American labor movement III
the war. The A. F. of L., was the
first organization Of any kind to
pledge its support to the government,
even before war had been declared.
It's leaders stood behind President
Wilson to a man. They presented the
sase Of America with wisdom, courage
snd enthusiasm to the workers. They
e}inched the labor thought Of the coun-
try and made every union worker q
cog in the great machine that was to
drive Prussianism from the face of the
earth,
Did the workers profiteerf Shame
On the one who would make such =
charge. There was not wage scale
in America that advanced in proper
tion with the increased cost Of living.
days labor purchased less food, less
clothing, less fuel and less of every
thing than at any time before or since
the war. The boys who went to the
front 1oS~ -
wages paid to the workers at home
while they We're away. Such com.
plants come largely from those who
coined the war into dollars for them
selves.
1.-The policies of this republic are
not determined by labor unions or by
other organizations, but by the con.
census of opinion of its patriotic citi-
Zens of whatever affiliation,' declared
General Pershing. How little he seems
to know about the moulding of public
opinion.
It is true the labor unions have had
little to do with shaping the policies
of the republic, but the general over
looks those ''other organizations,
which before the war and since, by
their control of the agencies of pub.
llclty, have shaped the policies Of our
government, and are now leading il
into ways that only the labor unions
and the friends of freedom and ius
t1ce will be able to change, to savc
the country from the forces of avarice
and greed.
Pershing was in France during thu
war, but there were equally big men
at home who recognized and paid un
stlnted tribute to the part played by
union labor during the war, and no!
the least Of these is William Howard
Taft, the present chief Justice of thc
supreme court.
In speech at Minneapolis in Feb
ruary, 1919, Judge Taft paid higl
tribute to Samuel Gompers, and sale
the country should be extremely crate
ful for the patriotism he had instillej
into 1abor's ranks and that had led t,
the fighting through of the war to tht
unconditional surrender of Germany
He told how Germany, with the head.
of labor and socialism installed in Ber
lin, had sought to undermine thes,
elements in all the entente countries
that it had been successful in Russia
almost successful in Italy ana partially
successful in France. And then h.
related how representatives Of trade
unions of this country and Englant
had gone to Italy and France and hac
been successful in offsetting this in
trigue Of Germany.
"They threw monkey wrench init
the German machine," he said, 'aut
put it out Of business. If they hadn y
done this greatly fear the rssul
would not have been what it was.''
ss Judge Taft never has bean $ch hsrsai