Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-19
FOR A SHORTER DAY.
Orators Gompers and o'Connell Enter
 ..,a.o + c,it, Hall


 tained Large Audience at City Hall.
 City hall was comfortably filled last night when the meeting of Brass City lodge. No 349, of the International As sociation of Machinists, was called to order. Charles Donahue of Derby was chairman and the speakers were Sam uel Gompers, and James O'Con- nell. MT Gompers was tine first speaker. He reviewed the history of man from the dim, distant past, and his means of. making liv- ing down to the present, demonstrating Ias he went along how conditions had gradually been undergoing a change, the position of a serf to that of a wage earner, "In the olden times,'' he said, the master had to provide for his serfs, no matter how little they pro- duced, but the present employer has no such responsibility. He gets what he can out of his fellow man and whenever it suits him he sends them adrift and lets them look out for them selves" He. made a strong plea for organization and introduced many in stances were excellent results had been obtained through unity of action. just to show what the machinists can do towards bringing about the nine hour day without a struggle if they stand together. He ridiculed the statement so frequently heard in the factory that in order to compete with foreign manufacturers in the markets Of the world 1t was necessary that the American laborer should come a little nearer the level of the European la borer, and contended those who pay small wages and work long hours are not the men who hold high places in the marts of trade. He said that wages are higher in the United States and England than in any other coun- try, and yet they are supplying the markets of the world If long hours and cheap, wages said MT Gompers, meant industrial prosperity. "China would lead the world. They talk of ciyilizing the heathen Chinee, but all this warfare is nothing more than an effort to compel the 5-cent-a-day la- borers to buy European products. They go there with the Bible in one hand and the sword in the, other, and behind the frieght train with the products of the world If you make up your mind that you can live on red herrings and crackers. all you will get is enough to furnish red herrings and crackers. Wages will always be measured by what we want and what we insist upon as q condition before we will sell our 1abors m .s.
 MT. Gompers saw nothing strange in labor organization. All professions have their code of ideas to govern them and anyone that appears against them has to step aside. The physician who is not authorized oy the state board is down sls q quack, the minister who breaches contrary to the dogma of his creed is n keratic and the lawyer who Is rot n member of the bar is dubbed as q sllyster.
 TlIe clerks closing movement came in for an airing He denounced the scheme going on In the shops to lead the stoTc-keeners to believe that the early closing Inconvenlenced the public and hoped that the bosses in the fac tories would not try to have their serfs to sign petitions for the enslavement of others
 Mir. Gompers said that after May 20, ten hours for days work for machin- ists will be abolished forever in the United States. He talked on the effort made some time ago for general law on the eight-hour question and said that when 1t came up Senator PIatt of this state was the leader of the oppo- siti0n to the measure. 'I don't know whether you care to hear this or not, '' said the speaker, ..but I thought I'd tell you. for perhaps the time may come when your memory won't be as short as 1t has been
 Mir Gompers spoke for over an hour and was listened to with marked atten- tion- Ills remarks were frequently in terrupted with bursts of applause
 T.
 the fOotiights at a time when one would suppose that the audience had had enough speech making for one night. but notwithstanding lnis ne held the attention of the audience for an hour and kept all hands in roars of laughter. He is a very interesting speaker and presented his case in a very convincing manner He wants to see no strikes and he doesn't expect to hear of any where the machinists are properly organized. In towns where the organization is weak the manufac- turers will force them to 20 on strike but where every man belonged to the union there will be no question about the nine hour day. He compared the skill of the machinists with that of other craftsmen and stated that, all things considered, the machinists are tnG POOLtcl Dt1lu III ---l lIte country. "If a mason he said knocks of the corner of a brick, he smo0ths it off with mortar; you knock the corner off a cylinder tomorrow and if the boss does not smooth you of then I don't know anything about the business.p He said there are 15O.0OC machinists in the United .5tates and that when all are working an houl per day less there will be jobs for 16.0O0 more men. If Water bury has 1000 machinists at the present time. it will need 10C more after May %, and so on all oyer the country. so that it will not be q question as to where a machinisi can get employment. but rather which position will he decide to accept. He spoke of the good results of the cigar makers and printers unions in Water bury and said that while they arc working shorter hours than forrnerIt they receive more wages and better treatment. They walk into tfIeiI places of employment like men and in getting in or coming out they donst have to wind dozen clocks, steal past a watchman or doff their hats tt some one in the office This, he said was due to a coming together of al members of these bodies.
 England, said MT. O'Connell sf6 OffS with fha Roar baoauSa ha is