Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-04-28

szsatiugs conducted during the
z5nter by the Twin City Fedora
= Iabor. vas held Sunday after
-' - I.abor Hall, when James A.
seleeted by President Sam
.z=gapers 10 represent the Amer1-
Iteration Of Labor, gave the
e.-4#rsI address. He, with several
Fit. sgeakers, members of the llli-
Sfafa Federation of Labor Exc
..as BOARD. which body was in ses-
H.. ere at the time, held the atten-
80 = local unionists throughout the
IIeaInia theatre, Twin Cities fav-
.. smusenent center, was COM
s.tt.ai< filled for the occasion, the
i,sgzEeralded meeting, with the pros
..sfs - hearing the personal repre-
FNSfsfiNe OF President Gompers, and
he ather speakers arranged for the
- xind-up meeting, bringing out
,,s reeord-hreaking crowd of the en-
0rse4nized labor feels justly proud
~ - achievement in conducting the
sqfies Of publicity meetings held our
- the mast six months. In all four-
15een meetings have been held, and II
K falf their purpose--that OF ac-
Dnaiating the general public with the
I'm and aspirations of the American
Federation of Labor and its subordln-
'te bodies. has met with success.
The exrrnse incurred, and the effort
evranded in connection with the
c,eafings. organized labor feels, has
beep time and money well spent; for,
without publicity of this sort--with-
oJt coming out in the open and laying
he cards face up ON the table of pub
Eeitv as local labor has done, no
movement can hope for permanent
sneeess. And this is just what the
Twin city Federation of Labor has
dona IN these meetings. 1t has ac-
,uaipfed those who wish to be In
forne3 with truths heretofore un-
known by the general public, and the
general public has benefited along
with labor, in being able 10 grasp the
true situation and in insisting that
Justice be done both to the worker
and to the citizenry in general. This
can be Illustrated best, probably, by
the action taken last week by the
Twin Cities largest employers OF
labor. the General Contractors Asso-
eiation. which after due investigation
aid consideration, denied the request
Of fhe Associated Employers that the
contractors adopt the so-called "open
shop method of dealing with their
employees. and who, instead, almoststo /
man, declared for and signed agfse-E
usnts Wifh locgl bssilding tradesmas,
recognizing everything that unionlszn
stands Ter. and without insisting upon
an undue reduction in wages.
This, If nothing more, has justl-
fed tha of5re expended by local
laber IN arranging Che meetings just
brought to a close-a series of pub /,
licity meetings never before attempt
ed in any American city, big or little,
at which some of the brightest lights
IN the American labor movement were
brought. at close intervals, to the
local public, a thing thought by most
people to be an almost impossible un-
dertaking.
Although these meetings had their
inception in the Twin City Federation
Of Labor, with the purpose of accom-
plishing Just what they have accom-
plishea, the credit is due to the un-
firing energies of the committee IN
charge. James Brown, chairman, ably
assisted by NJ. ID. Campbell. To these
gentlemen, probably more than to any
other influence, may be placed the
credit for having placed unionized
labor before the general public in its
true light, in the face of opposition
Of the most maligning character.
But organized labor's publicity
campaign is not yet at an end. 1t
has, in reality, only just begun. Just
x.f itf
fare, aetuated by avarice and greed,
insist in lying about and misrepre-
senting organized labor, just so long
use the most effective weapon at the
command of any honorable associa-
aoR-ef maEkind-s-the weapon of pub
aaelty. And organized labor is con-
hdent that once the public knows the
truth, 1t will have nothing to fear.
Meetings will be held from time to
ulne during the coming summer at
dates to be decided later Beginning
Immediately after Labor Day it is
planned to resume the meetings upon
4 larger scale than that attempted
dunng the past winter. The commit
zee, which viii in all probability be
continued into the coming year, al
feaay Is in communication with some
ol The country's foremost labor lead
efs, men who are known for their
progfessiveness and for their ability
70 present labor's cause.
Much of the success of the series
u J. meetings just brought to close,
y Is ieit, has been due to the fact
slat labor has recognized the relation
between the church and the labor
movement. Labor, believing as it
uoes m the justice of its cause, in
slleq rom the very start the coop
s,auon Of the church at the meetings,
a.u az every meeting the services
nate been opened and closed by the
eot0 OF God. That the church is in
illiIe sympathy with the organized
.sDof movement, has been amply Illus
lsfea hY the kind words of sympathy
S'Il MI support voiced by those pastors
~ nave assisted in the conduct of
ot meetings, and who have, on the
hand, rebuked those who would
ccse 80 sse power invested in wealth and
H. tg.,'5ol, 20 subjugate the worker to
wy ietei from which labor, through
S5atles Of struggle and suffering,
evt,ses '.es succeeded by united effort in
eAoleaang himself.
James A. Wilson Sueaks
paat'es et'es A. Wilson, president of the
satleFnmakers' Union of North
tb,3 tbs5.ca 1 said, in opening his address,
p s was here at the request of
pf~s.5sht mem samuel Gompers for the
Son P'ss o. placing before the public
tks ~ me aims and aspirations of
NJ Nehsliean s,.iSean Federation of Labor.
m6lt WI, wilson, who is probably the