The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-05-15
KEEP THE SPIRIT

WHILE the old World is rocked to it's depths in
w struggle that threatens destruction OF It's
civilization, the New World maintains it's free in
and it's spirit of freedom. Labor seeks
to keep it so, and to develop and perfect way OF
life that will mean even more freedom for all mass
es of people,
A great ideal is embodied in our basic law
which provides that all men shall have the right
to life, liberty and pursuit Of happiness. BY con
trasting conditions at home with those existing
abroad, we realize the value of our common herl-
tage and understand why the oppressed of all
countries look to America with yearning hearts
and longing eyes.
AS long as our free government land lasted
for homesteading purposes there was always
available easy escape from domination by the wills
of others, but that urban conditions have
extended into practically every region and all un-
dertakings are being nduStriallZed, we have been
forced to rely upon the development of democratic
institutions and practices in order to enjoy real
freedom and create opportunity for all.
We can no longer exercise freedom simply by
escaping from others, but must achieve it while
living together with them.
The keys to freedom for all rest upon right
to representation in all matters affecting our lives
and free enterprise.
These are our ideals toward which we have
made sustained but irregular progress. We have
gone far in technical achievements in industry,
but we have not found out how to assure every
person an opportunity to earn living so that he
may have at least the necessaries of life.
We have provided representation for all IN
the making of laws, but we see dimly the need for
similar representation in the administration OF
laws. We have provided free enterprise IN the IN
dustrial field, but have only begun to foreshadow
the agencies of industrial self-government. Only
within the last decade has our public policy as
sured to industrial workers the right to organize
and use the agency that gives them voice IN
making the rules governing their work lives.
Now the world situation forces us to turn
from the problems of peaceful progress to those
of defense-defense Of hemisphere We face no
small dangers or unresourcefu enemies. In pre-
pairing for this fateful issue under whatever guise
it may come, labor feels that freedom and free
institutions must be our purpose and that only by
functioning as free people can we defend free
dom.
We have the stirring example of free England
placing absolute and sweeping power into the
hands of chosen representatives, creating in con-
nectlon with all such grants advisory representa-
tive committees whose recommendations must be
considered, representative parliament to which
the War Cabinet must make regular and adequate
reports. In war production equal representation
of employers and uniOn designated by their own
organizations, prevails. TO such a government is
given control over all persons and all property.
Representation preserves the spirit of democ-
racy even though a single individual may make
decisions and assume responsibility for their eX-
ecutiOn. AS result the whole population of the
British Isles stands sodly behind the government.
A representative not only has an opportunity
to get consideration for those he represents, but
he has an obligation and the authority to put
their cooperation back of policies.
Representation is essential for that national
morale that assures service and sacrifice regard
less of hardships and opposition.
Representation is essential for sustained war
production, for civilian cooperation in ratoning
of food and materials, for ad ustment to necessary
industrial changes and for all the other changes
to a war economy.
Without representation all these things become
dictatorship.
Labors basic demand is, therefore, representa-
ton to preserve the spirit of democracy.