VIEW OF AMERICAN LABOUR.
A WAIK FOR FREEDOM
LONDON. Anril 30. Mr Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labour, addressing the joint session of the Canadian Parlf anient, described the war as the most wonderful crusade ever entered upon by men in the whole history of the world. He said:—"No nobler cause, no holier undertaking, has ever commanded the intelligent and se]f-sacrificing nature or men. As Lincoln, in his tme, ,-?aid that the United States could.- no longer be half free and half slave, so the time has come that must determine that tnis world can no longer remain half democratic and half autocratic.
"We are in this struggle; our men have been hard pressed, our sacrifices are large. But though the sacrifices may be larger and- more exacting, they must be made in order that liberty, opportunity, justice, and democracy may survive for humanity. "I would rather drop fighting fo"" right than not fight. If we should fail —and we cannot fail, must not fj.il, will not fail—it is better to fail fighting than submit willingly to the yoke. Willingness to submit to tyrants yokes simply means the stifling and: -stamping out of the spirit of liberty and' willingness to fight and make sacrifices for liberty.
"Keep the spark alive in the ne.i..t.-? of men, and give it time to rekindle and spread the consuming flames. '
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19180517.2.44
Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 113, 17 May 1918, Page 6
Word Count
228VIEW OF AMERICAN LABOUR. Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 113, 17 May 1918, Page 6
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Nelson Evening Mail. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.