Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-08-24

Tie iuluNlHS 6AAlaat iASt4i go -"
.,s.. by John Walker, president of
,.s Illinois Federation OF Labor, to
,.g inference Of Post Commanders
.'l .riutants of the American Lee
-,.o .eIvered Sunday, June II, car
r.. message not only TO the vet
c,sr. of the late war but to members
~ ,.e Federation of Labor as well.
On.uing his address with fitting
,5hufe 10 the veterans he said in con-
rIgIire the preliminary remarks;
"l tpnreciate what you are doing
and What you have done, and | assure
van that | shall do everything within
nv power TO assist you in securing
i'm those who were injured in the
ssryica the best care and treatment
possible.
"Of course, We are not disinterested
as trade unionists, even. In round
figures the Nice-Commander of your
National organization, who is the In
,eroatiunal President of one of our
lgbor examinations, George Berry,
said there we're $4,000 men who went
into the Service in the late World
War who had union cards in their
pockets, and | suppose there is at
least fair percentage of them lying
over there and their widows and or
phaus need to be cared for, and |
expect theer is a percentage of men
here as well.
"You are taking charge of that
work. and the Union appreciates it,
and they want to help, but if there
had not been a single trade unionist
in the war, if there had not been one
Of their widows or orphans left, if
there had not been one of them
manned any human being who has any
knowledge of what the conflict meant
would bR willing to go the limit in
doing what he can in assisting you in
the work you are doing today.
"lour organization has formed at
least a fraternal relationship and CO.
operation with the Labor Movement.
| should like to think that ! might
have been in small degree infiuen-
tial in bringing about that relation
ship. There isn't anything that your
Legion stands for in its Constitution,
in its declared purpose but what
every trade unionist in this country
can stand for. Let me say, If there
is any man in this country that does
not stand for it, be he a trade union
list or not trade unionist, he is not
a good American.
Friends, your National Legion
has worked with the National Labor
Movement in the last two years for
two purposes. One object was TO pre-
vent cuolie labor from being brought
dards of living, and the standards of
woges of the Americans who were
here, men with families, spelling their
opportunity for the future. This Le-
glon was a determining influence in
stopping that, and there is not man.
who Is a member of labor union but
who understands what that means,
and but who cannot help but feel
grateful to the Legion for what it
dld IN that correction.
This Legion was the determining
influence, In cooperation with the labor
movement, in preventing what is
known as the sales tax from going
on which meant that the poor devil
VINO bought loaf Of bread or a soup
pone would have to pay the debt that
mao been created during the war,
while the man who had his income
SWeiied out of proportion would prac-
ueally escape all tax in proportion,
as ne would only pay in proportion
10 what he purchased as well, in that
same way. This Legion believed that
the man who served for One Dollar
year and made a Billion a year
out OF the war should pay something
oil that Indebtedness.
-. Every workingman in this ma
uon, whether he is in a Union or not,
owes debt of gratitude to the Le-
E'on Tor doing what it did in that
particular case. Every man who
WORKS for a living is better off be-
cause OF the influence being exerted
N mat particular direction. Then.
HeS have pledged their cooperation
loI Two other purposes. One is with
. We" TO wiping out illiteracy and
.suoiahee so far as possible by edu-
eduqn Many of the men who died
III France for our nation could not
zen read or write their own
u3ge. Many of the men who
o ,,-.. oaQck were handicapped in that
way and they recognized the advan-
age mat an education would be to
those men.
a. Then, there is another thing that
.hey recoguized. They recognized
mal no matter how well meaning a
.H'" oF woman may be, if he or she
Ioe' not have a good education, if
s.el 40 not know what they are do
ing they can be deceived by hypo-
.il'e, and The Legion has banded
.oEeS per with the labor movement of
, we OmIed States for the purpose of !
"'p'hg out llliteracy and giving the /
e e,,Ig generation the real education, |
''eil man and woman of them.
ALother thing that we have
a1sIged. as national organizations, to
Work Tor together is a campaign for
,a'n,..'ei'ccanlsm, making real Americans |
xii % every man and woman and
f f,'l! I'D our country. Your National
- f'o' and the American Federation |
V' LABOR have made an agreement and /
~ aie going to try to bring that
g., ! say to you that | have no fault /
W a' with the man who is wealthy |
!. ''' mate. II may be that he got
L. le>tIy and if he is wealthy |
'1,s fault to find with him. | am
c co' gong to quarrel with him, be-
s11'' would not do much good any
r "a'' No matter who they are. if we
['.. each them with the history of
w. country, If we can tell them what
tsT conditions in our colonies were,
s,a. mem why the Revolution was
~ '..sA, explain to them the meaning
NJ. .le laws that were adopted as the
t;' of the foundation of this ma
HH..' what il means, what it means to |