Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-02-26
FOR THE TOilERS.

Address of President Gompers, OF the
American Federation of Labor-Position
of Organized Labor-The Struggle For
Eight Hours.
KANSAS CITY, Mo, Feb. 2o.-Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
federation of labor, delivered his first
address to the workingmen of Kansas
City at Turner hall last evening.
Mr.. Gompers was introduced by
Frank Hall, president of the industrial
council, and from his address the fol
lowing Is extracted:
1T is not more than a decade in the
history of this country that men could
meet as we meet here tonight. The
right of free Assem- blage and free
speech in discussion OF questions affect
ing the laborer the hours of employ
ment and the price OF labor. was n1ted
and the line was drawn at these ques-
tions. From time immemorial there
has been clashing of interests be-
tween employer and employed
Under ancient forms of society 1t be-
came the duty of the employer to look
after the welfare of the wealth pro-
Queer, that his health was good and
that he should not suffer the pangS OF
hunger. When steam came to be en-
ployed the limits of the hampered con-
dition of trade were broken down 1t
was the third estate that broke the
shackelS from enslaved labor Under
the feudal system their banner was free
labor, free competition. Under the
old era men were compelled to
work. Under the new era 1T is
claimed they can work or not, as they
please. 1t is true that they can cease
to work, but it is an untruth TO say they
can work when they please. Hundreds
of men are walking the streets looking
anxiously for work but can find none to
do. From the transition from the feudal
system to the free the result is that the
wealth possessers are relieved OF look
ing after their employed
THE fact which seems to me to stand
out to the human heart is the crime
against the young and innocent chill
dren.
Il think It damnable: a blot upon our
escutcheon that children instead of
storing up the food OF useful knowledge
must be dragged into the factory or the
mine to have their blood and sinew used
as lubricator for the manufacture Of
wealth.
You should see to it that the young
tected from the contemplate greed of
unfair corporations as well as from the
selfishness of their own parents / ap-
peal to you to have your own state law
amended so that no child may be en-
ployed in factory, mine or workshop
under Il years of age.
'-Cur organizations to-day are not
protective but aggressive, not only de-
60 do
more to tell us our condition is better
than our forefathers. Never viii organ
lied labor be satisfied until it receives
more of the products OF that labor.
There is fable that q man once
owned n donkey which was allowed to
Craze as far as the cord with which it
was tethered would permit Let it out
foot said the donkey one day to its
owner, for have developed n wonder
full appetite Why. your father said
the irate owner, was satisfied with
one-half the rope I have given you
But don't you know sagely replied
the poor donkey, that my father was
an ass
$50 it is with the wageworllerS who
are not content with what they have
to-day. We want more now. Next
week we shall want mere, and continu-
ally more. Do they want us to lie down
and have them trample on us? Do they
want us, after being the busy bee, to
leave the honey that the modern
drones of society may suck the honey
at their ease. We shall look the en-
ployers in the face, and claim that we
have rights which we will compel them
to respect.
1.-The first consideration in the strug-
gle for the wagelabOrer is organization,
positive unequivoca1 organization. L
have been 4 yagela bOrer from my tenth
and half year. When / was Il l joined
the union of my trade. / have never
been outside of that union since. I hold
card No. 1 in the CigarmalSers- inter
national union. / have worked at my
trade for twenty-five years out of
my forty-one. In creed, in national
ity, in politics, L an, a work
ingman, and as far as parties are
concerned 1 say plague on all of them.
1 think that the farmers are doing ex-
| actly as they should do. 1 sympathize
with the farmer. i see how fearfully
he has been ground down. Our organ
izations are not committed to parties or
to men, Well snow all the par ties I'M
| der unless they stand straight on the
l.
enacted in our organizations, which
| control our conduct in the workshop,
are more important to the workingman
| than all the laws passed at Washington,
jefferson City or Kansas City
1.-The workingman's vote is said to be
| purchasable- 1t is not purchasable,
| but the poor fellow in rags who ekes
out miserable existence from years
end to years end may be influenced in
his vote by a drink of whisky or a
square meal, perhaps, which he has not
| had for some time.
st is not enough to be right, but we
must have the power to enforce that
right Make your organization perfect
| and you viii soon be in the way to OBJ
| Eterate wrong
1.-The movements in which we are
| engaged in is to reduce the number Of
working hours to eight The struggle
now going on in this world is merely tc
condense, to save time If the wage.
workers find that their condition uoul-
be improved by shorter hours they
should organize for it,