The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-12-16
OKINC AROUND
and BEYOND
By
FRANK R. CROSSWAITH

i the clause read "as far as practical
Today, we have established a union
which has become an accepted inst,
tuition among manufacturers Union
which commands respect and admira.
ton. The more formidable we have
become, the greater our restraint and
sense of responsibility Today we re.
new agreements without strikes. saw.
, ing our workers and the industry hun.
dreds of thousands of dollars which
were wasted in the old days.
eve have made amazing progress
! We have slashed working hours. The
shorter work-week has meant longer
hours with friends and family and a
longer life itself. We have multiplied
wages. Better wages relieve the de.
graduation of abject poverty. But the
union has done more than that. It has
made the worker a self-confdent citi-
zen in the shop. 1t associates her with
her fellow worker in one common en-
deavor. 1t builds human dignity bv
building self-respect. This new indus
trial order was not born overnight. In
life one cannot sit and wait for things
to happen; you move or perish. Day
by day, month by month, year by year
for thirty years-the Union has
tenaciously persisted in its course. Set
backs, retreats, did not deter it. It
emerged again and again from defect
to an ever stronger position.
"Our pioneers has rocky and wind
! ing road to travel. There were no
signposts. These pioneers were Of
every race, religion and nationality
pOlygOt mass of immigrants, de-
pressed, lonely, helpless. If they were
submissive and allowed themselves to
be exploited, they were accused Of
undermining American standards Of
living. =. When they rebelled against
exploitation and resorted to strikes to
obtain that higher American STANDARD
they were branded as lawbreakers
This prejudice and intolerance was
! created and nurtured by the enemies
of labor and progress, but the new
Corners struggled on. Surmounting
the cruel barrier of intolerance, they
launched our union upon the way it
was to follow. Tonight we salute all
those who served the Union through
out its existence. We salute the off
GERS, the Executive Board and chair
ladies of our Union. We salute our
membership. But above all we pay
tribute to the unknown soldiers-tO
those nameless herOines who sacrificed
themselves that the Union might en-
dure.
'Many of them have died-many are
alive-some sit in this very hall to-
night. We are the guardians of Their
tradition. They have left us noble
inheritance. We can honor them best
by enriching it with accomplishments
| of our own-by passing on a better
and stronger union to the generation
that is to come. We have made our
union a way of life as well as way
of earning a living. For those who
seek the fruits of the mind we provide
teachers and classes. For Others
there is recreation and gaiety. We
guard the health of our members. The
call of distress finds us ever respOn-
sive. In this spirit and tradition
Local 81 is a true child of our Inter
national Ladies' Garment Workers
Union. To us the IL.G.WU. reflects
the spirit OF. cooperative understanding
and tolerance. 1t combats exploita-
tion-denounces inequality and in
justice-glorifes freedom-promotes
happiness. 1t grew on the rich soil Of
America,-it is a part Of America.
GAS we look abroad we see tyranny
and repression. We see trade unions
destroyed because unions are the re-
positories of true democracy. True
democracy means more than permits
sion to deposit a ballot in box. 1t
means the right to speak your mind
unafraid. 1t means tearing down
slums and roofing up poverty 1t
means peace and civilization. 1t means
economic as we'll as political freedom
1t means regard for the dignity and
value of the individual. Through three
decades we have seen a new faith rise
among us-the faith of labor solid,
arity. With us the children OF all
races and all creeds worship at the
shrine of tolerance and liberty, we
want to preserve that faith. We WILL
Mr.. SCOTS mother out Sunday night