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Show 160 161 tion of our womm it to consider the great questions of the exploita ? and the crushing of the life of our young and innocent children incentives to our the are these war, for ion preparat the \Var. ' statesmanship. to \Vhat relation has labor, and particularly organized labor, its earliest from nt moveme labor the of history whole The peace? r institution has always been that it has stood unrpiahliedlypio international peace. tine of the earliest labor unions in the litltlt'tl ed (congress- to States more than one lmndred years ago petition and take the initiative and be the mediator for the establishment maintenance for all time of international peace. 'l‘he old national labor union. the Knights of Labor. the national and international trade unions. the local bodies of organized labor, central labor Labor unions, state federations, and the American Federation of tflmt twonw mum in its convention when formed in Pittsburg' in 1381, declared for international peace. At its convention in 1887 it received \V. R. Cremer, the union stone cutter of England. elected to the secretarvship of his union. and then the opportunity came to him of a little more time and opportunity to understand the great ques- tions affecting man. and he initiated the movement for the Inter- parliamentary Union He issued a weekly paper caller T/ic zirblv tmtmz It had a precarious e istenee, and so did he, but he pub- lished his paper faithfully and regularly regardless of his own privations. He was the author and founder of the Interparliarnentarv l‘nion now recognized by the members of the legislative part of the government of nearly every civtlized country. He came here to the l'nited States and straightway made for the convention of our Federation at Baltimore and there by a unanimous vote the convention declared that it would support any and every movement that tended toward the elimination of wars amongr the nations, W. R. Creme-r four years ago was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize of $40000, lle declined to receive it and preferred that it be given to the foundation for international peace. He died only a few months ago Just before he died the government of Great Britain recognized in him a great force for universal peace and good will and bestowed upon him the order of knighthood, and thus he died Sir \Villiam Randal Cremer, the union stone cutter, an embodiment of peace. in national and international congreSses the representatives of labor are in attendance. They were in attendance in New York; they are in attendance here and have been today at the meeting: at Orchestra Hall They will be with you; they could not escape it if they Would and they would not if they could. (_;\pplause.) They are so vitally interested that. if it were not altruism, positive personal interests and a regard for personal safety would prompt them to favor international peace. _\nd I may say in passing that the labor movement stands not only for internatirmal peace and arbitration to "Hit: the place of strife and warfare. but it stands unalterably in favor of industrial peace. (Applause) It may be well to chide the men of labor for what mav transpire during a rupture of the harmonious relations existiniq between \vorlv'iugmeu and employers. but it would not be amiss to bar in mind what the conditions would he were the men and women of labor unorganix-d. I will take second position to no man on ‘arth in my advocacy of international and industrial uni« versal peace. l'ersonally l would submit to almost any indignity rather than engage in an encounter. but there is a limit even to selfirestraint. If we bear in mind the conditions which exist in industry with the great concentration of wealth and power, with the, division and the sub-division and the specialization of labor. what opportunity would the individual worlciue'man have to defend his rights, his interests and his honor. acting~ as an individual? it is only by his collectivity. by his unison with his fellows, that he obtains some of the individuality and power which he has lost by the development of modern industry. And if, incidentally. out of this great turmoil. out of this great crucible of our industrial development, we find a disagreement arise, none deplore it more than do the men of labor. lint there are some thing‘s that are even worse than strife: a degraded and (lemoralized manhood and womanhood. (Ap‘ plause.) I would, with my fellows (and have declared for >pecitic conditions) demand from our government to take the initiative so that the peace of nations. the peace of the world, shall be preserved: but I doubt that there is one man or woman in this hall tonight who would advocate the absolute disarmament of our country. Not in the year of grace toot), (Lauglttetzl |