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Show LABOR FOR CITIZEN SOLDIERS ' " ?. Evidently there has long been what i amounts to a misunderstanding misunder-standing as to the attitude of or-ganized or-ganized labor toward state Mili- tia, or national guard. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor La-bor clears this matter in a letter to Adj. Gen. Louis G. Lasher. Mr Gompers was asked for a statement by the Militia bureau of the War Department. "A man who is a wage worker and honorably working at his trade or calling to support himself him-self and his dependents" says Mr. Gompers in his letter "has not only the right to become a citizen soldier, but that right must be unquestioned." Mr. Gompers further says, "The difference dif-ference between the citizen soldiers sol-diers of the United Stats and the large standing armies of many European countries is the difference differ-ence between the concption of liberty and tyranny." "While organized Labor stands against the arbitrament of na-. na-. tional or international disputes by force of arms" says Mr. Gompers, Gom-pers, "yet we must realize we have not yet reached the Millennium; Millen-nium; that in the age in which we live we have not the choice between armed force and disarm-nent; disarm-nent; but the alternative between be-tween a large standing army and a small, supplemented by volunteer volun-teer citizen soldiery the militia of our several States." General Lasher thinks this statement coming direct from Mr. Gompers should forever set at rest any misunderstanding as to the attitude of organized labor la-bor toward National Guard service ser-vice and says "It is simply added proof that organized labor stands for the same brand of loyalty and patroiotism as does the national na-tional guard." |