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Show THE CITIZEN 6 between the contending, forces, swinging its influence from one side to the other as occasion may require for its protection and for the protection of our institutions. At present Congress is unable to determine what the people want and mapy of our representatives, fearing the action of Labor, hesitate to pass laws which both their judgment and conscience approve. Labor now holds a club over Congress and the members, not knowing whether they will receive public support, hesitate to cast their votes against anything demanded by Labor. But now that Organized Labor has gone into politics the candidates will know their fate at the polls ; they will not be constantly harried while in the halls of legislation. They will accept the verdict of their constituents and vote according to that verdict on all questions affecting industrial conditions. Take a concrete example. Threatened with paralysis of the entire railway system of the of the country by strikes, the people demanded that Congress pass some law designed to prevent such a disaster. It then became a question as to whether Congress should forbid railway strikes altogether or merely provide arbitration machinery for the voluntary settlement of disputes. That question still agitates Congress. No decision has been rendered. The American Federation, however, complains because the legislation it demands has not been passed. A few weeks ago Mr. Gompers announced that Congressmen who did not abide by the wishes of the unions would be opposed by the unions at the polls. The latest declaration is the fulfillment of that plan. The provision forbidding railway strikes is described in the of Organized Labor as an act to make labor compulsory. Here, then, we have a clearly defined issue which can be settled at the elections. Congress will pass such railway legislation as the election results seem to warrant. Much will depend on the attitude of the unions. Since the Adamson law was forced through Congress by intimidation and threats Organized Labor has become constantly more aggressive and within the last year, as a consequence of strikes which have brought great its popularity. distress to the public, has lost some-oThe American Federation does not hold the balance of power in elections. At most it has 3,000,000 votes. To win it must have popular support. If the people are not on its side it will fail. Realizing this the federation attempts to link the farmers with it in the nonpartisan movement. Within the last few days it has been stunned to find itself rebuffed and repudiated by the National 'Grange and other organizations of agriculturists. pro-nuciame- nto f OUR BRITISH ADMIRAL who have followed the naval investigation by the Senate we believe, that Secretary Daniels and Admiral Sims have made out a good case against each other. Admiral Sims has made the secretary look like a microscopic insect and the secretary has made Admiral Sims look like an Anglo-ManiaThe testimony indicates that Admiral Sims, as a puerveyor of British propaganda, fully merited the medal he received from the king of England. Perhaps we may go even so far as to say that the testimony justifies Secretary Daniels obvious hint that Admiral Sims was more loyal to Great Britain than to the United States. While in Paris in October, 1918, Representative Byrnes conversed with Admiral Sims about the war. The admiral extolled the British army in effusive terms and declared that it would be necessary to sign an armistice because General Pershing had failed to break through the German lines in the Argonne drive, due to a collapse in the Amer, ican service of transportation. Visiting General Pershings headquarters soon afterward, Representative Byrnes discovered that there was no foundation for the admirals destestable sneer at the American army. Those who appreciate loyalty would suppose that Admiral Sims, out of fealty to his own men, would not have minimized the work of the American navy in the war, but we have Representative Byrnes word for it that- during the conversation in Paris the admiral committed that odious offense. A few days after his visit to the headquarters of the American THOSE c. - Four Nights Beginning Wednesday, February II CS Matinee Saturday : 18 n ' 355 555 i Howard Hull M 5 m ' Presents . H5 B Margaret Anglin In Her New Play H The Woman) of Biroinize ( With a Splendid Company of Metropolitan Players and a Gorgeous Production M j Prices: Evening, 50c to $2.00; Matinee, 50c to $1.50. B H Seats on Sale Monday H III Mil M Illlllli army Representative Byrnes repeated the admirals remarks to a high American official was it General Pershing himself? and received this reply: That is pure British progaganda and there is only one officer in the American service who could have said such things and he is Rear Admiral William S. Sims. Decorated by the king, Admiral Sims set about to spread the kings propaganda. Before and after the signing of the armistice, as all of us will remember, the propaganda which sought to minimize Americas triumphant part in the war, was rampant throughout England and the British colonies. Whether it was the result of official orders we can only conjecture. Certain it is that even Field Marshal Haig lent himself to this pettiness, for in his official report he made no mention of the American army except to say that after the signing of the armistice it occupied Coblenz. The advance of the British army had been made possible by Pershings success. Moreover, many American contingents were fighting with Haigs forces'. Secretary Daniels, opposing the award of foreign decorations to American naval officers, took the view that some of the officers, seeking to obtain such decorations, would be more solicitious of securing foreign approval and favor than of serving their own country well. His fears seem to have been warranted in the case of Admiral y Sims. Not only did the admiral speak in derogatory terms of the American army and navy during the war, but, after the war, he wrote a book rife with fullsome praise of everything and everyone British or and took occasion to denounce the Irish. Moreover, he' has so far forgotten the loyalty he owes his own superiors, as to reveal secret and confidential instructions he received from them. One of them instructed him not to let the English pull the wool over his eyes and added, We would just as soon fight the British as the pro-Briti- sh Germans. Only a blockhead could have been guilty of such instructions and comment, but the American officer who, in such critical times as these, reveals the faux pas, is guilty of besmirching his own country:?1' Admiral Sims has so thoroughly saturated himself with the British spirit as to be insensible to American points of view. The kings medal is inadequate compensation. Parliament should award him a monocle. " Some men run well for President in off years. |