The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-12-30
LABOR'S TASK FOR 1914


United NATIONS leaders tell us that 1914
may be the last year of the war in Europe. The
of 1913 have turned the tide against the
Axis. The westward drive of the Russian armies
has ended Hitler's vain dream of oiing his creak-
.ng war machine from the wells of the Caucasus.
The futility of Goering's boast that German cities
could never be bombed is expressed in the lurld
glare Of fires lighted by British and American
bCubers in Hamburg, Emden, Frankfort, Leipzig,
Sc I'm; fires which have brought home at last to
Tie German people the full and terrible meaning
of var The U-boat menace has been beaten.
North Africa has been liberated, the fall of Sicily
has sent Mussoni into well-merited oblivion, and
Allied armies for the first time since 1910 are
fighting On the European continent In the Far
East the Ja0anese, their navy and air force reel
ing under American blows, have stopped "anni-
Hilatng' our navy in their propaganda, and are
frankly admtting that they are on the defensive.
his is tremendous change. And back of it
is one fact-the fact Of America, getting into its
giant stride. The fact of American soldiers out
the slave labor of the enemy. The skill
and ingenuity and steadily increasing productive
ness of American labor have turned the tide of
war in 1943 and brought final victory into view.
For this we have the word of man who, as the
New York Times commented, should know. At
the birthday party for Mr. Churchill during the
Teheran conference, Premier Joseph Stain rose,
glass in hand and said: "Without American ma
chimes the United Nations could never have won
the war"
The workers of America who made and are
making those machines have not done so without
paying price. Packed into overcrowded defense
centers, working long hours, often travelling long
distances to and from work, living in trailers and
chicken coops for want of decent housing, without
adequate sanitary facilities or medical care, they
have paid for their amazing record of production
in fatigue, illness, and an appalling rate of indus
trial accidents. This is something to remember
when Secretary Knox announces that the size OF
our Navy was doubled in the first eleven months
of 1913, or WPB Chairman Donald Nelson reveals
that our rate of plane production at the end of
1913 was fifteen times greater than three years
ago-or 33S planes daily in November, 1913, as
against 572 for the whole month of July, 1910.
There is still hard work and hard fighting
ahead Our fighting armies are poised for the
knockout blow against Nazi Germany. And our
Industrial army will back them up until the last
Axis colors struck. Until that day comes, the
tools of war will continue to flow in steady
stream from American factories to the battefelds
If Europe and Asia and the Pacific Islands.
And when that day comes will Americas
workers not have won the right to be represented
n the councils that determine what the post war
world will be? Was the failure of our government
% include labor in the conferences of the United
Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
IN Atlantic City sign of intent to freeze labor
)ut of post war reconstruction? Not only on the
lines but also through it's initiative inI
sending relief to the peoples of the Allied nations
AN initiative taken by the Labor League for
Human Rights, AI'L as early as 194O-AmericanI
abor has earned the right to voice in the re-
labilitation Of Europe and the rebuilding of the
european labor movement. 1t has a special inter-
est in this task, for strong democratic EurOpeanI
abor movement is vital to the reestablishment off
democracy in Europe and the survival of democ-I
'acy in America.
Let us pledge our unSlackening effort for vic
;ory in 1914 And let us at the same time con-
,inue to demand recognition of our hard-earnedI
light to full and active participation in the build
ng Of the post war world This should be our
lual objective for the year 1914.