New Britain Herald Newspaper, September 4, 1916, Page 5

GOMPERS CALLS YEAR OF 1916 REMARKABLE FROM LABOR ANGLE *Head of American Federa- | KENNON CHOSEN tion Declares Republican TO HEAD BRIGADE Party Ignored Union | ON TEXAS BORDER Workmen When Asked to | Declare Itself While Dem- | ocrats Took Definite Stand. Washington, Sept. 4—Samuel Gom- pers, president of the American Fed- eration of Labor, has made public a | statement on “Labor’s Achievements Bnd Issues” for 1916, in which he characterized the past year as a re- markable one in the progress of the labor movement, especially in the shortening of the working day and in general labor legislation. The state- ment, in full, is as follows: “Labor day, 1916, brings workers of America the right to cheer and confidence 1in the trade | union movement. There have been | tests and crises that have proved its | fundamental principles; there have been opportunities that have tested Its practical efficiency. Through them all the trade union movement | has made sure progress and gained in confident vision for the future! “Every national and international local union affiliated to the American Federation of Labor has made defi- nite progress in securing for its mem- bers greater advantages in those things which are fundamental of bet- | »terment in all relations of life. I | some organizations the success has been phenomenal. { “Taking the labor movement as a whole there has been grester progress in securing the eight-hour day or the shorter workday than in any other similar period of time. The meaning | = 7 A e of these victories can interpreted only ;O":i”,""‘dmffl airEndel i e o R €hé HEht of Full understapding)ort| oo . (A Docoask BRC WERh Pavs 8 the mearing Cof the slehthenr Gaw |Tccent report, “joined hands at Lar- The shortes workday 1s something | ©d0, Tex. through the formation of more than an economic demand. Ii |® new army organization to be known s & demand for opportunity for rest, | 88 the Third brigade, Fifteenth divi- recuperation and development; things | Sion. ~Guardsmen afiillating are the P i ks N move thaw mechan: |Third Missourl, First New Hamp- i A shire and Second Maine infantry. “The workers whose whole periods | The new brigade will be under com- are short are essentially different|mand of Colonel Kennon.” Colonel from those who are so worn by toil | Kennon is a Rhole Island man by that they have neither energy nor | birth, a graduate of the United States mind for other things In life. They | Mililary academy, class of 1881, and become more energetic, more re- |has had a distinguished career in the sourceful workers with keener men- | army, winning honors in the Indian tality and greater producing power. | countries, in the Spanish-American It inevitably follows that the shirt- | war and in the Philippines. hour workers are the best paid work- ers. With every reductfon in hours there is always a corresponding in- crease in wages. Wherever demands ‘for the shorter workday and higher wages hav oeew esented and urged by organ sed worke: : during the past year, they have mc. with success. These economic gains have a potent relation to the soclal side of life. “Shortening the period of work lengthens the period of development to the od COLONEL KENNON To Colonel Lyman W. V. Kennon, commander of the Ninth infantry has fallen the honor of selection for (3 v being is not a commodity or article of commerce.’ “According to old time philosophy, political economy, and legal thought, labor power was a commodity and article of commerce in no way differ- ent from coal, potatoes, and iron. Under this concept the most recent attempts ave been made to hold vrorkers in oppression and under the domination of emplayers, but the P of the problems | niodities themselve: | human, NEW. BRITAIN DAILY “HERALD, MON DAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1678 personal, a part of life itself. Under the concept that labor w a com- wodity, and therefore property, em- 1loyers have tried to repress efforts of workers for prograss and for larger liberty by punishing these efforts under anti-trust legislation and by at- tempting to restrain them through the irjunctive proces It was to protect the workers against these abuses and tc establish recognition of the can- cept that the workers and all of their attributes were human, that the labor sections of the Clayton act were en- acted. In additian to these big achievements many other important Pumanitarian laws have been en- acted by congres: her with every sion of since the fifty-ninth session. “As Labor Day 1916 comes in one the most critical political cam- the Civil war period, it to the hig It as congress | of paigns since is well ta call attenton issues of the campaign which hgs a national, as well as an internationl relation. The issue is the attitude of the political parties toward questions of humanity and human welfare. The pa y now in power has in its legislative achievements placed the highest valuation upon human life and human attributes that has ever Leen declared and enactgd by any po- litical party in power. “The question that concerns the workers is how to hold their present advantages and how to secure from parties still greater oppor- for freedom. The thing fundamental in Section 6 of the Clayton anti-trust act, the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce. The repre- sentatives of the American Federa- tion of Labor went to the political rarties and asked them to declare themselves upon this principle. answers that the political parties gave are in their platforms where all may read. . “The democratic party openly and favarably declared and emphasized its position. The republican party took no notice of labor's request that they declare themselves upon that which the workers considered of greatest importance to them. “The international issue that now come§ closest to the labor movement is the polic; of our government toward Mexico. The people there are trying to work out their own problems and to establish their own ideals of political, social and eco- nomic justice. The labor move- ment in Mexico has developed; that is the most powerful and the mpost con- structive product of the révolution. Representatives of the labor move- ment of Mexico have joined the rep- resentatives of the labor movement of America to insure to the workers and citizens of Mexico the rights of human beings, opportunities for freedom and for independence, Many of the Mexican workers are problems of the workers of the United States. Their welfare is our welfare. The boundary line between the two is only an artificial division that has little or no effect upon the course and the nature of industrial and commercial development. “The problem of industrial welfare in the the states of the southwest is largely a Mexican problem. With loy standards of life and work prevail- oountries nd for all of the cther actlvities that #jelong to the normal individual. In- creases in wages give the workers the power to produce commodities is something different from the com- ing upon the 15,000,000 of Mexicans, | there exists an obstacle to the estab- means for taking advantage of the increased opportunities of the shorter workday. The workers of short hours and better wages become very differ- ent citizens from those who are so exhausted by the daily grind that they have neither the time nor the | energy for thought nor aspiration. >*These gains mean better homes, bet- ter food, better clothing; time and op- | portinity for *he cultivation of the besc and the highest that is possible in the life of man. “Bconomic achievements are the buasis upon which the workers can se- cure social and political progress. The power which secures these achieve- ¥ omen.~ is the power that will secure justice for them in every other rela- iion. Shorter hours and higher wages give the opportunity and the means to live better, more purposeful lives. “Power through ecconomic organi- zation means political pqwer. must be an economic basis in order to 1 There | | give political activity reasons for ex- | wistence and a program. By organiz- ing its economic power o secure po- litical protection and by adhering | strictly to a non-partisan political program, the American Federation of Labor has won glorious legislative victories. “The object of legislation which or- ganized labor has sought to obtain is always to establish larger and better opportunities for life and freedom. Organized labor does not seek through logislation to do things for the -vorkers that they can do for them- selves. It only seeks to establish for them opportunities, ~This principle applies to workers in private industry. In the case of workers in govern- mental employment where the gov- | [ ernment is the employer and con- ditions of employment can be fixed cnly by legislation, then the or-| ganized labor movement seeks to do | something more then merely establish | cpportunity. It must secure legisla- | tion regulating conditions of emplo Sent To France To Clear Way For Trade After War RAMERICAN IND. ment. “The record of the Ilegislative achievements of the labor movement since 1906 when the non-partisan political party was inaugurated S one %ot splendid victories. The two most important are the Seaman’s act and the labor sections of the Clayton anti-trust law. The greatest thing | in both of these acts is the advance- ment of human freedom. “The problem aof human was not ended by the work of Ln-| -coln. There still remained a class ybound to involuntary servitude, the seamen. The Seamen's act brings freedom to these workers. It makes American soil sacred to freedom, a country upon which a bondman may not step without losing his legal fet- ters. Freed and given an opportunity to protect themselves, the seamen are rressing their demands for higher wages and better conditions. Section 6 of the Clayton anti-trust act con- tains the most advanced concept of @peedexn. ‘The labor of a human Sailing on the steamship Lafayette of the French line were fourteen raembers of an industrial commis- sion who intend to foster trade rela- when the war ends. The commission, which was instituted by the American Manufacturers’ assaciatioon, has the sanction of both governments. The Americans’ visit was suggested by members of the French trade com- misslon which came here in the winter of 1915-16. The idea back of the commission is to find means by which freedom | industries after the present To this end the commercial conflict. flelds in advanced literature already been sent broadcast throughout the country. Members of the American industrial commission are: Wallace Nichols, chairman; . H tions between this country and France | E, I. ways and America can do its ' share in the rehabilitation of French | France will be thoroughly examined, | having | O.; E. William | Warn o A. B. | George Burdett Farquhar, president of the A. B. Far- | George B. Post & Sons, New York USTRIAL COMMISSION quhar company, limited, York, Pa.; James E. Sague, public service com- missioner, Poughkecphie, N. Y.; F. J. Le Maistre, consulting expert of the Du Pont de Nemours Powder company, Wilmington, Del.,, Curt G. Pfelffer, foreign - trade expert of George Borgfeldt’ ' Co., New York; John R. MacArthur of MacArthur Bros., New York; Dr. C. O. Mailloux, consulting engineer, New York; E. A. Warren, vice president of the Univer- sal Winding campany, Boston; Samuel W. Fairchild, vice president of Fairchild Bros. & Foster, New York; Noble Foster Hoggson, presi- dent of Hoggson Bros., incorporated; J. G. Butler, Jr., director of the Com- mercial National bank, Youngstown, E. Russel of the J.I. Case | Thrashing Machine company, Racine, | Wis.; A. Swasey, president of the er & Swasey company, and Ford, member of increasing in num- | The | Can Make N you considered whether or not it will affect your which no non-land owner can ever enjoy. ORESIGHT is the secret of every success- ful man. It is not an especial endow- ment by God, but simply some Common sense properly exercised at the opportune time. You can own your own home—real estate—and benefit in the value increase gradually occur- ring, just like all the other land owners have done. The United States is gradually becoming a greater and richer country, and the man who is alive, has red blood in his veins and will in- vestigate when opnortunity calls, can, like the owners of the United States—the holders of real estate—share in its growing prosperi i. 3. time for real estate to pick up. Will it ? in one of most fast-growing and expanding cities EVERYBODY AT ONLY 10~ DOWN GEORGE AND EVERY WIFE SHOULD MAKE HER HUSB Al THE WEALTH OF A NATION LIES E The low level of prices now prevailing insures to the careful investor a sure profit. to make a profit you must get in on the ground floor, and that is—before values rise. you can look back and realize that the stagnant condition of the real estate market is fast becoming a thing of the past! I wonder if you have the capacity for foresight as well as hindsight! If you have foresight you must realize that all I have said is True, and if all is true, it remains with you, and you alone, whether or not you will attend this sale with a determination to become an owner of real estate Every Man In New Britain His Future Sure ) READ THIS: EW BRITAIN is paying its workingmen and others Big Meney these days. It is turning every whecl’a.nd crank to load up the coffers for the future. It is educating its people into the habit of desiring more money all the time. Willit be for your benefit or for your ruination? Have habits ? If yeu have never given thought to your future, you had better do so now, while in the Prime of Life. Ten years from now it will be a tremendous hard task for you to Turn over a new Leaf. Your opportunity will have passed away; you will regret the errors of the Past. ’ If you are in the Dark as to what you should do, turn the Searchlight of Reason on your brain. Look out of your window and see the Land that you might own—that someone is letting you live on and pay for each month. Think of how you are making others grow wealthy through your en- terprise. Sift the grains of your brain and weigh them. Man without land is a mob, and a Domain without man is a wilderness. Every man should own a piece of land, and he should strive to put his own home upon it. His very existence upon the land he owns, and the thought and industiy he applies, produces for him the unearned increment NTIRELY IN ITS PEOPLE VERYBODY—man or woman—owning a E plot of land is part owner of America. What are the prospects in New Britain and vicinity? Years ago her industries began to take on new life. Her manufacturing indus- tries are humming and throbbing with life to the utmost capacity. Mills, factories, furnaces and banks all are profitably busy. Demand for labor is becoming keener in all di- rections. The political vane is veering towards tariff reform. We will not allow this country to be a dumping ground after the war. Econo- mists tell you that the order in which prosper- ity develops is:— Rise in Securities. 2. Recovery of Business Activity. Improvement of Real Estate. Bonds, stocks and business have had a big boom. New Britain has had its share. And it is now I BELIEVE YOU WILL AGREE WITH ME—I FOR ONE BELIEVE IT WILL If you want I wonder if in the entire New England region? You can do it. IS WELCOME THE Absolute Auction Sale (0) 200 — CHOICE BUILDING PLOTS—200 BARNESDALE Between New Britain and Plainville—8 minutes to each center—5 cent fare. location— . ealthy—Beautifully Wooded—No other F , High and Dry—Ideal section can boast of equal improvements. SEEPT. 14-15-16 (Beginning at 2 0’Clock Each Day Until All Plots Are Sold Separately.) - (You Can Select Any Plot or Plots You Like—They Will All Go At Auction) on day of Sale. 109 on Signing contract. ) Balance in 36 equai monthly installments. (Souvenirs Given to Everybody, Whether Buying or Not.) ¢ G. BAKER America’s Pre-eminent Land Auctioneer—300 Sales in 40 States in 20 Years. 7 EAST 42d STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. WATCH MY NEW ADVERTISEMENT HERE EVERY DAY, fish exploiting interests are concen- trating their political power in the present campaign to secure a differ- ent policy on the part of our govern- ment toward Mexico. Even under the gulse of intervention, no matter how unnecessary and unwarrantable, the advocates of that policy really aim at the conquest "nd annexation of Mexico. A few o © most reck- less, such as the Otis and Hearst in- terests, come out brazenly in the demand for intervention, invasion, lishment of higher standards within the United States. There are capi- talists and exploiting interests of the United States, who becd ‘se they have property in Mexico f/xen corruptly and dishonestly obtaitfd) desire to maintain governmenta{ agencles by which they can hold the people in subjection and desy to them the op- portunity for prltecig g themselves through the organize.! labor move- ment and othcr opportunities for jerowth and develoyment. These sel- conquest and annexation of Mexico, | Of course, every effort must be | ‘l‘nnde to safeguard the lives and the property of our people living along the border llne, but w ho can hoestly say that. the Mexican marauders | were the only offenders? The allied | forces of greed and profit would deny | the Mexican people the opportunity | for thetr development; they would gladly embroil the United States in an unnecessary and unwarrantable war With Mexico. To them proper ty, far property ights, pr more sacred thar international honor and erty. “These are some of the issues th | primarily concern the workers an | all liberty loving citizens of thi United States; are the issue upon which wage-earner: | every citizen ke his own de cision, not « in his everyday ‘ae but also at the polls on el hel an being: human lib tivity, | tion day