The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-07-16
Speak For
(Continued From Paqe One)

without license, freedom without sci
tishness, charity without patronage
sympathy without mawkishness, re,
ligion without bigotry.
Or. Stelzle and | worked together for
nearly twenty-five years, so ! had full
opportunity to become c0nverSant with
his plans for the service. For the two
years before his death, we had known
that the end might come at any time
He had faced this fact as courageOusly
as one would expect him to, and he
tried to prepare me for the task he
wanted carried on.
AS ] said, the service for the labor
press was started not to preach to La
bor, but frankly because DR.. Stelzle be-
lieved that an articulate labor move
ment was the only safeguard Of democ-
racy.
That is why / want to talk to you
on Speaking for Yourselves"
There is no getting away from the
fact that i'm many ways Organized La
bOr Is being more severely criticized
today than ever before in its history
and-this is the most serious part of
of--the criticism exists not only in
those quarters where one would eX-
pect to find it, but also among many
Of those who have been LabOr's friends.
Self seeking individuals have used
the labor movement as Il cloak to cover
hn f,rr hnp ,f
The public, not being shown the other
side, or told how to differentate, has
been swayed by the Interpretations
of LabOr's enemies Seeing only one
side of the picture, those who const-
tute the public have judged according
ly.
For this situation, you as labor men
have no one to blame but yourselves. A
short time ago | was talking to II
rather important newspaper man. He
said, Now, mind you, I'm not pro-
labor. If anything, I'm on the other
side. But in all honesty I'll have to ad-
nit that Labor Is the public opinion Of
this country
Now get that. You are public 0pin-
ion, and what you think determines
what the country aS Il whole thinks.
Are you, because of negligence or in
difference, going to allow all that you
struggled and fought for to be torn
down by small minority whose prin-
cipal advantage is that ii is articulate
You are the largest single body i'm this
country, and you have millions of men
centers of influence in behalf of Or
ganized Labor, but-unless you fight
adverse propagandayou'r going to let
those who don't like you organize with
your own tactics other groups which
normally would be on your side.
TO meet this situation, there are two
kinds of propaganda You should use
the counteractive and the conStruc-
tive.
First, in the countpr-active, You have
to do as one of the big denominations
does. Every single derogatory article
or mention Of Organized Labor that
in your community should be answered
You cant let any remark against Or
ganized Labor go by mchallenged, and
the way to challenge ii Is by writing
letters to the newspapers. Now | know
YOU probably don't like to write letters
Neither do |. But l do know that the
only way to scotch Il lie is by catching
it in the beginning.
You say the newspapers won't print
your letters. The newspapers are run
for profit just as any other business
and If enough of their readers make
II fuss about something they have
printed, they watch their step next
time! One of my newspaper friends
told me that If the New York Times
ever gets one hundred letters on any
one subject, they get jittery.
You must take issue with every false
accusation or fiction.
But remember In writing to Il paper
or group, don't accuse or abuse them.
Take the stand that you know that IL
possession of the facts, the statement
referred 10 would not have been printed
or made; that, therefore, here are the
facts of the case -a and state them
clearly and concisely without any per
sonal allusions. AS my grandmother
used To say, Sugar catches more flies
than vinegar"
Don't make eXtravagant statements.
Don't make II hot blanket denial
when they tell you there are crooks
in the labor movement and don't try
TO put halos around every labor mans
head Say "Of course there are some
There never yet was an organization
that didn't have its termteS." If you
We're in the business OF name calling,
you could mention some manufacturers,
or some ministers, or some senator's, or
even II few members of the stock eX
change or Of the chambers of com
merce who weren't plastic saints But
remember that II You keep your tenn
per and speak or write calmly and