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Show ON LABOR DAY It was in May, 1882, that one Peter J. McGuire, president of an organization of carpenters and joiners in New York, conceived the idea that one day out of the year ought to be set aside "in honor of Labor." Mr. McGuire contended that our country had holidays representative of the religious, civil and military spirit, but none "representative of the industrial spirit, the great vital force of the nation." He proposed that a "Labor Day" should be observed on the first Monday in September, since the date fell about halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving Thanks-giving Day. So it came into being, and gradually over the years it became be-came a legal holiday which is now observed in all our states. Labor and management, employee and employer in fact, all of us free Americans join on Labor Day to pay tribute to "the industrial spirit, the great vital force of the nation." We respect the cooperation between honest, dedicated dedi-cated and responsible leadership in the American system which has made us the most progressive, most powerful and most prosperous nation on earth. All of us regardless of our work or status in life enjoy its fruits, in the highest standard of living the world ever has known. |