The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-06-26
FEDERATION OF LABOR.
President Compers in Reception
Hall.

Reception Hall was fairly well filed last
evening with an intelligent looking audience
to listen to a lecture to be delivered by Sam
uel Gompers. president of the American
Federation of Labor. The meeting was
called to order at o'clock, and Rev. Henry
Blanchard presided as chairman.
Mr.. Blanchard said that his interest in the
Federation OF LABOR had been aroused by the
report of its last annual meeting at Bati-
more. One OF the speakers on that occasion
was Prof. Richard L. Ely of Johns Hopkins
University. For him as a student, thinker,
author, friend of workingmen, Mr.. Blanch-
ard had great admiration. He was very
glad, therefore. to accept the invitation to
preside at this meeting when the president
of the Federation was to deliver an address,
Before introducing him he would congratu-
late all workingmen and their friends upon
these things. The first is the general inn
provement in the condition of workingmen
as the result of their organizations which
prophecy better ones to come. Many labor
organizations have arisen, hOurished and
faded. The general public learning of the
decadence of these do not know what better
ones take their places. 1t hears of failures
because these are conspicuously chronicled.
but the many successes are hardly noticed.
All trades are improving their conditions as
the result Of organizations. Death of some
is followed by life in others. Mr. Blanch
ard gave illustrations of this fact.
The second thing which is cause for con-
graduation is the passage of the secret ballot
bill by the Massachusetts legislature, which
has now become law, and will be operative
vetoed a similar bill.
He hoped the workingmen of the Empire
State would remember this fact the next
time they vote. The new law of Massachu-
sets ought to be followed by law in the
same direction in Maine. The bill was
championed in Massachusetts, by Richard ii.
| Dana and Josiah Quincy-worthy sons of
noble sires. What men will champion in
| Maine?
The third cause for congratulation is the
increasing interest among employers, pro-
fessors and clergymen in the organization of
workmen. The signs of the times are aus
| picious in this respect. Multitudes of en-
| ployers are studying the efforts of noble men
In Germany, France, England and America
| who have established successful forms of in
dustrial partnership. They see the truth of
the motto on one of the great shops of
| France, The house for each, and all for the,
house." Professors, clergymen, literary
men, philanthropists are seeing the need OF
! gaining stability and content among work.
| ingmen by thorough organization which
| shall educate, liberalize, unite the sons of
labor.
As one who knows how many there are of
| Such,and as an earnest c0-Vorker with these,
he was glad to introduce Mr. Samuel Com
| pers. President of the Federation of Labor.
Mr. Gompers is short, thick set, intelli-
| gent looking man, and speaks very forcibly
and deliberately, calling forth frequent ex-
pressions of applause, and at the end was
loudly cheered.
He dwelt on the subject of shortening the
hours of labor, and showed that there is nc
remdy so far reaching in its permanent re.
| suit that will raise up the condition of the
working people, that will effect more good
without causing a less amount of friction
that would be more permanent in its charac,
ter to improve the condition of the whole
| people and arouse the spirit Of manhood and
independence, than lies in the proposition oil
the reduction of the hours of labor.
He touched ON the subjects of woman and
child labor and showed the bad results oil
the abuses of these classes of labor and said
that there should be laws enacted and en-
forced in every State of the Union against
any child being allowed to labor in any shop
or factory until it had reached the age Of, at
least IA years. He also touched upon the
subjects of strikes, and while not in favor
of instituting strikes, he did not join in the
| general hue and cry against them, and ad-
| vised organized labor to be well prepared foI
a strike and the necessity of striking would
be less. He then went on to give a general
review of the labor question and of the work
Of the trades union, and at the end entreateC
his hearers to organize their respective trade,
and endeavor to make them success.