The voice of labor. (Cumberland, Md.) 1938-1942, 1941-09-11
Big Task OF Americans Is
Hitler Defeat, Smith Says
Ex-NLRB Member
Speaks AT Labor
Day Celebration

The paramount task of
Americans today IS unit
ed effort towards the de-
feat of Hitlerism, Edwin
S. Smith, former member
of the National Labor Re-
lations Board and princi-
pal speaker at the largest
Labor Day celebration
ever held in Cumberland,
declared on Labor Day.
Humanity never tackled more
important task than is being car
ried on today by the British and
the Russian peoples as well as by
the oppressed peoples OF the
Nazi-conqucred countries" Smith
said His speech before thousands
OF ClO members from Cumbcr-
land and the surrounding tri-state
area. WAS UNDERSIGNED BY adj
dresses of prominent Clio leaders
who struck the same defeat Hit
Ter" theme
Calling for the defeat OF Hitler
ism were William Pollock. Textile
Workers Union secretary-trcasur-
or. Frank Grille. holding the same
post with the United Rubber
Workers Of America. l. Duke Az
net, Baltimore labor attorney.
Judge Oliver Bruce OF Cumber-
land. and Sidney X. Katz. sccre-
tary.trcasurer OF the MARYLAND
and District Of Columbia Industrial
Union Council
CriticiSing the National Labor
Relations Board OF which he was
a member until August %. Smith
said the Board has fallen away
seriously from established princi-
pies which were OF great import
ance to labor in making a vital
reality of the projections written
into the statute"
A condensed version of Smiths
speech follows:
e. Labor is the most numcr-
Gus. the most coherent. the most
vocal group in our democracy II
is the group whose role Of defend
er OF democratic principles can
never rightly be called into qucS-
! ton. Under an aristocratic
political and economic system. UNI
der a fascist system. the owners
of vast properties and wealth can
survive and even profit at the ex-
pcnSe OF the rest of the commun-
| ity But not so labor. Only under
a democracy. both political and
economic. whose philosophy and
whose political machinery are
gcared to satisfying the wants of
the great mass OF the people, can
labor flourish.
$50 let labor step forward
now conscious Of the fact
that on its shoulder rests
the destiny Of democratic
America in rcgenerated
world. What then. a. I see il,
are the tasks 20 which labor
should he dedicated on this
Labor Day: The oyershadow-
ing factor for all of us il the
world war and the struggle TO
defeat Hitlerism and fascism.
'"Therefore TO me the paramount
task of Americans is TO see that all
possible effort is put forth bv labor
and by the rest of our people in
the fight against Hi,lcrism no
matter how long il lasts and no
matter what it's material cost. The
Russian people and the British
people will see To ii. with the aid
and counsel of the American pco-
pie. that when this war is ended
the system Of imperialism which
gave il birth is annihilated for
once and all All Imperialism.
our own included. must go once
and forever
Democracy cannot be put
on and off like a cloak. dropped
for the war and donned again
when the bells ring for peace. Am
erican labor must indeed be wary
that in the name OF American de-
fense or defeat OF Hiticrism il docs
nor yield ground which once lost
would stiltify the results of the
war effort"