The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-17
G0MPERS TALKS
AT CHAUTAUQUA
Workman's Side of the Capital
and Labor Question.
CHILD LABOR A GREAT EVIL
PREDICTION THAT THE MINERS
WILL WIN THEIR STRIKE.

M OCNTAIN LAKE PARK. Nd, Aug.
M 10 - Several thousand persons
greeted Samuel GOmpers, president
Of the American Federation of Labor,
who delivered an address today before
the Chautaudua assembly on Labor and
Capital and the WOrkman's Side of
the Story President Mitchell of the
United Mine Workers of America, who
was also TO have spoken. was unable to
ton in the anthracite fields.
Mr. Gompers prefaced mis- remarks by
saying that the average mind looks con-
tr2rv on labor's side of the question.
The newspapers, without any attempt
On my part to charge them with unfair
ness. usually present the labor question
from the STANDPOINT of the employer
They either get their information from
employers or their representatives. 1t is
the same old story. the men. and women,
the representatives of labor. who suffer
from the same old wrong. There is no
short cut to emancipa ton" said he.
Child Labor Evil.
Mr.. Gompers declared that the labor of
young and innocent children is the great
evil that needs reform action. Many
states. particularly in the south. have no
law whatever TO prevent the practice.
Men get rich. - he declared from the
labor of children. whose bones are ground
into the almighty dollar. II is a sad
commentary. Men walk the streets in
tOleneSS III the IeXIlie districts Wllle The
mills are filled with busy children In
stead of labor being crowned with honor
and dignity. il is a question of how much
labor can be squeezed out Of the labOrer
and how little wages he can be forced
to accept in return"
MI GOmDers discussed the question OF
shorter hours at length. declaring the
countries OF long hours were decidedly
backward and denied the allegation that
the movement To shorten hours would
mean the decadence of the United States
as a great producing power he declared
that there Was no greater CONSERVATION OF
the peace than the labor organizat ton.
''One hundred and fifty thousand men
in the anthracite field have been en-
gagged in q silent struggle for three
months. and there has been less violence
than is committed at picnic of ordi-
nary people upon ordinary occasions. The
men struggling today had been reduced
TO state of Serfdom- but in the past
three wears have been recast and their
characters remodeled- Their manhood is
aroused. and. l believe. as God is my
to confront is past (Great applause)
Mr.. GomDers declared that the lawyer
was Incompetent to discuss the industrial
question The lawyer lives in and
&udies the past" he declared. While
big-faced. physically formed he is men
tally in the dark ages"
This observation was brought out by
the alleged remark of a Mr.. Ross, a legal
wanna & Western railroad recently. that
there can be no arbitration: that the
miners must first return to work and
then the companies will discuss with
them. I'VE demand the right to be
heard bv counsel" declared the speaker.
Just imagine the miner being forced
back 70 work with all grievances he may
have had squeezed and starved out of
him.
Mr.. Gompers predicted the success Of
the anthracite strike