OCR Text |
Show LABOR AGAINST CONSCRIPTION BILL Labor, a newspaper which is the official organ of associated railway organizations, states that organized labor was responsible for the defeat of the Conscription Bill. The paper editoralizes at length in its rejoicing over the collapse of this bill, sponsored by Capper and Johnson. At first thought, this seems paradoxical to what was generally believed to be organized labor's attitude. The billr its sponsors claimed, would draft capital as well as labor in the next war. Organized labor was in sympathy with the idea, but claimed that the bill was too ambiguous, and said that in reality it would create a military despotism. The national commander of the American Legion appeared ap-peared before Congress in support of the bill, while friends of labor were opposing it- Both labor and the Legion, we believe, are fully in favor of a law which would put an end to war-time profiteering profi-teering amid sacrifice. Both were working toward the same ultimate goal.. Yet it is true, while legislators or organizations or-ganizations will go on record as being in favor of an idealistic ideal-istic move, they will vote against it, if after it is embodied, into words, it seems to camouflage by its ambiguity and thereby defeat the purpose for which the law was framed. |