Ehrlich on Washington column, August 28, 1995

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Week of August 28, 1995 LABOR DAY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM America was a lot different back in 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed legislation creating the first Labor Day. The United States was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, with busy factories and bursting cities proclaiming unparalleled prosperity, trade, and industry. To ensure those toiling in the factories and fields shared the nation’s wealth, the labor movement was bom. This week, as we celebrate the 101st Labor Day, America honors not only those tireless advocates of fair wages and safe working conditions, but the millions of Americans who have built this country into the greatest, most powerful nation in human history. Think of the momentous achievements of the past century. America led the world through two world wars, defeated fascism and communism, and liberated hundreds of millions of people from tyranny and oppression. The United States was transformed from a collection of rural hamlets and towns into a thriving network of cities, ports, and farms-all connected electronically or through space-age transportation systems. The age of the horse-and-buggy has become the era of cellular telephones and fiber optics, Concorde jets and space shuttles. Few could have ever anticipated such progress and prosperity. This long journey, however, has had its share of setbacks— times when it seemed as if the American Dream might perish in the face of depression and despair. That is the real meaning of Labor Day— acknowledging and thanking those who persevered through the good times and the bad.