The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-04-09
Facing The Foc+s
With PHILIP PEARL


Five million American workers,
banded together in the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor, had an important
story to tell to their fellow citizens.
They We're being attacked on all sides
by nefariOuS foes-a secretly organized
combine branded by the President of
the United States as Sixth COlumniStS.
They were being sniped at and smeared
while working to save their country.
They wanted the public to know the
truth. They had to pay to get their
story told by the newspapers.
That we submit, is Il tragic situa-
ton in American life. The newspapers
would not print the truth about labor
as news, but they would print it for
cash as paid advertising.
And what was this message that the
workers of the AFL wished to convey?
The introduction to the advertisement
summed it up as follows:
Words won't win this war-hard
fighting will. Shipping 1T each other
won't win this International unity
hard work will.
I'VE are workers of America its pro-
duction soldiers. We are on the job
We have only one aim right now and
that is to help America win. We are
working night and day to produce the
ships, planes, tanks and guns our
armed forces need for victory.
''We are giving this job everything
we've got We will stick to this job,
come He'll or high water until this war
is won That is our pledge to Amer
lea :"
A Free Press-FOr Whom?
And that is what the newspapers re-
quired payment for before printing!
The next time anyone tries to tell
us about the great, free press of Amer
ica we will laugh in his face.
Certainly the press is free-but not
for labor. Certainly it is free-for any
irresponsible dema@ @ogue in Congress
who wishes to smear labor. That's the
stuff that always gets printed at great
length.
Certainly the press is free-for a
diScreditcd public official like Thurman
Arnold who tries 10 cover up his 100
per cent record of defeats in the courts
by new charges against labor. But
when his superior, Attorney General
BiddIe rcpudiates what Arnold says
the press is no longer so free with its
space 1t gives the anli-labor charge
front page columns. 1t hides the Off
cial rCpudiation i'm IN inside page inch.
Now the American Federation Of
Labor is not Il prulit-rich corpora ton.
Its income is limited to the pennies il
receives each month in per capita tax
payments from affiliated unions. The
AFL cannot afford to carry on million
dollar advertising campaigns and
what's more W.Hst2,
The American Federation of Labor
does not propose to contribute to the
support of publications which devote
their news and editorial columns to
| campaigns to destroy labor.
Even if it had the vast sums re-
quired to carry dIi nationwide ad-
! VcrtiSing campaign, the AFL would
rather spend the money in promoting
| the labor press and making the labor
press a more powerful competitor o!
the kept press
That is the message we want to CON
vcy to the hungry advertising wolves
which have been baying at our door
ever since the advertisement appeared
I'm the two days since then, the writer's
office has been flooded with more mail
and phone calls from newspapers beg
ging for IN ad that it normally re-
ceiVcS in two months from newspaper
representatives in search of news.
The Af'L did not spend its money
willingly for newspaper advertising
| The statement That was published was
! signed rs follows:
This advertisement is paid for by
the five million members of the .\mcri-
can Federation of Labor. They are
forced To 20 to this expense to brinl
the truth to the American people be
cause Il large percentage of the news
papers in America do not print thc
truth about labor i'm their news and
editorial columns"
For money, the newspapers even
swallowed this insult!
From now ON the American Fedora
iiun of Labor viii carry ON an aggres-
Siyc campaign 10 bring the truth about
labor home TO thc American people
but not through paid advertising. This
is our program;
Ito supply greatcr news coveragc
To the labor press and to support its
wider circulation,
TO 80 on the air with Il radio
Labor news program, which will be
broadcast regularly ON Il nationwide
hoollllp beginning shortly
$40 circulate pamphlets and print
ed material far and wide stating the
facts SucCinctly and forccfully.
This is Il worthwhile educational
program in which every member of
the AFL can help-and will be asked
To help.
a