The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-07-13

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President Gompers. OF the American
Federation Of Labor, made the follow
ing address at the recent convention OF
the International Association OF Ma
chinists held at Toronto: ..s.ze.< -.
Every student Of the economic and
scc:a: problem readily admits, the or
ganixAtion Of the smallest union of>la-
portcnds SO much, that the future his
torians Of the world regard Its estab
lishment as of far more consequence to
the future Of the human race than the
battles Of Austerlitz, Sadowa, Waterloo,
or even Yorktown.
The organization Of trade unions is
the natural trend of the human effort
OF the working classes and IL a. fourth
estate to them-the wage-receiving, the
wage-earning classes. When the eman-
cipation Of the working class is accom-
plished the last vestige Of injustice will
be swept from the face Of the earth.
Therefore, one can readily conceive
that when men are prompted by, not
only the practical work Of such a move
ment, but also by this higher purpose,
1t is no wonder that in the trade union
movement we have a grand army
of labor; that we have men and women
engaged in our cause who are imbued
with all the zeal of the old time crus-
ader, with all the energy Of our revo-
lutfonist forefathers; who with all the
tenderness Of the present, yet bear the
the whole past; who represent all that
is truly righteous. just and fair for the
future.
Perhaps In no other movement on the
face Of the globe has cause been
blessed with so much earnestness self
sacrifice and willingness to bear burd-
ems as is represented in the labor move
ment, of our country, and our time.
Your International convention is the
congress Of trade where the men re-
presenting the best sentiment and the
best judgment Of those engaged in your
craft are sent here to devise ways and
means by which the craft interests may
be prompted and protected.
To my mind the convention of the
International Association of Machinists,
is the most important that your organ
ization has ever held and one Of the
most important that you will ever be
called upon to hold.
You are face to face with very
grave situation, and it would be not
only lacking in due courtesy on my
part, but also a consideration Of the
ties that bind all labor, were I not to
say something in connection with that
contest. +
Within the past two years the most
comprehensive movement in all the his
tory of the craft has been undertaken
by the organized machinists Of America
In relation to jurisdiction over trade,
I want to say that while am willing
to accord every right to another that
may be shts;s yet; when IL comes to the
question of the jurisdiction Of my trade,
will deny to every other one or to
every other institution on earth the
jurisdiction which rightfully belongs to
my own primary trade union.
We want the unions Of all trades fully
and emphatically markedi the line Of
demarcation just as distinct as~we can
draw 1t.
The step which your organization
took-first, to secure reduction in the
hours Of labor and some improved con-
ditions for your members locally, was
very good in its way; but the employ
ers in your trade met it by the state
ment that IL it were conceded they
would be incapable Of competing with
other employers in their cities.
It is impossible for the organized
workers Of America to do anything that
will please their employers az whole
The next move of your organisation
was to take the sting out Of their OPP
position by the presentation Of the de-
mand. wherever your jurisdiction ex-
tended, for universal nine-hour day.
( If had general audience before me,
should consider it my ruty to discuss
the righteousness, the justice. the econ
omy. the philosophy and the necessity
for q shorter workday; but addressing
unionists, machinists, delegates to this
convention, who are all engaged in this
contest for the establishment of q
shorter workday, can, without any in
justice to yourselves or myself or to our
cause, omit any reference to it..
But there is one thing to which I de-
sire to refer and that is a phrase which
has been coined by the employing class
and too often repeated by our own, and
that is, the statement that your demand
is for a nine-hour workday with ten
hours pay.
The phrase "ten hours pay" is a mis-
homer. 1t leads to confusion. It is an
untruth. It'has no place In the nornen-
clature of economics and is taken ad-
vantage of by all our enemies. There
is no such thing as ten hours pay.
/ IT that statement had the slightest
foundation in the intelligent 2considera-
ton of the question, then 1t: would be
more truthful to say that your demand
be nine-hour workday and twenty -four
hour. pay. Even IL you do not worl
twenty-four hours you live twenty-fou1