St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-28
MINNEAPOLIS EVENTS
Samuel Gomper5, President
Of the Federation Of Labor,
in the City.
His Idea Of Labor Questions
Of All Sorts, Particularly
Eight Hours.
Minneapolis Two Mayors Dis
agree Concerning the Curb
and Gutter Veto. $50
Two Fresh Burglaries Added
to Johnson's List Of Mid
night Exploits.

Last night Minneapolis sheltered the
most prominent representative of labor
in the United States, the man who
STANDS at the head of the largest labor
organization in the world, the American
Federation of Labor. HIS name is
Samuel Gompers, or Sam Gompers, as
he writes it. Mr.. Gompers came in
from the West last evening and put up
at the NicOlet. There lie was seen by
GLOBE man.
Mr.. GOmperS was enjoying an after
dinner cigar when seen, at the same
time reading and writing letters. The
was for twenty-siX years an
active cigarmaker, and knows the
weed. The first impression one
receives from visit to Mr.. GOmpers, is
that he is busy man-a worker. There
sOlid-looking form. Below the medium
height. yet he looks the perSonification
of bodily strength. Short, sturdy.
broad shOuldered. work" is written on
every bodily characteristic and en-
grayed in every line of his singularly
expressive face. y heavy black mus
tache but half cnncealS a wide, firm:
looking mouth: tuft of black beard on
the under lip sOftenS the contour Of the
iron jaw. Wavy hair. of raven black
ness. is brushed back from the lore
head rather broad than high. Brown
eyes, keen, yet bearing something of
dreary, scholar-like expression, half
hidden under dropping lids, complete a
striking physi9gnOmy. Dark is his com
pleXiOn, and black is the color of his dress,
where spotless linen CLEANS. With ii
pleasant and well-mOdulated voice his
conversation is what may be called ar
gumentative. Such is Samuel Com
pers' outward appearance, the index of
the man, a clear-headed, energetic, sue
ceSSful organizer.
Mr.. GOmpers left the headquarters of
the federation, New York, two months
ago. He has been on the wing ever
since. Every city of prominence in the
West has been visited, or will be. ere
he returns to New York, about month
hence. He comes to Minneapolis di-
rect from San Francisco, Portland, Ia
coma, Seattle and Spokane Falls. The
object of his present trip is tWOfOld.
The charge has been made that West
ern cities and their laboring population
were beng neglected by the heads Of
organized labor. Then, labor affairs
had become in many cities what Mr..
GOmperS describes as "kinky." He
preferred to give all such matters per
sOnal attention.
The Efght-EsOur Movement.
The American Federation of Labor
works. of course, in the interest of la
Dor in the broadcast sense of the term
1t has, however, one particular interest
at heart just now upon the advance
ment Of which it is bending every en-
ergy. That is the eight-hOUr move
ment. The question of shorter hours
for the labOring man has been at the
bottom Of all the work done hy the Fed
Grafton. Naturally, the president of
the Federation devOtes a good deal of
thought to that question. When asked
about it he became alive with energy.
L have nothing but progress to re-
port Oh that question:" he said. The
eight-hour movement is advancing rap
idly. very rapidly indeed. Last year
we selected the carpenters as the men
10 make the demand for eight hours.
All of them did not get it, of course.
Fully $4,000 of them did. | call that
progress. l think | may safely say that
as a result of this movement at least a
quarter of a million WageWOrkerS are
now enjoying a material reduction in
the hours of labor. This year we have
selected the coal miners to make the de-
mand. 1t will be made on Nav /. The
demand will be put into this shape-NO
worker in the mines, whether working
by the day or on piece work, shall
spend more than eight hours per day
IN the mines. The men will
first meet their employers and talk over
the matter openly and amicaOly. If the
demand be refused a strike will most
certainly follow. This demand for
eight hours will be made all through the
coal mining region proper, comprising
the states of Pennsylvania. Ohio. In
diana and Illinois. And mind you. this
strike viii not be confined to the 100000
coal miners who are in our OrganiZa-
ton. All Of the 100000 coal miners in
those states will join in it. Do believe
it will be successful? Certainly | do.
The shorter day is bound to come. En-
plOyers are beginning to find it out"
What can legislation do for the eight
hour movements"
Il believe it to be the duty of the
OYernment-national. state or mucipal
to have all its work done on an eight
hour basis. 1t should put a clause into
every contract with private individual
compelling the doing of the work By the
eight-hOur day. This believe to be the
duty of the government. Further than
this | do not believe legislation can go.
Yes, | find the condition of the
TO be encouraging" continued Mr.
a membership of $4,000 wage-earners.
And it is growing too; not with
a phenomenal, feyerish. unnatural