The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-26
REPLIES ID STATEMENT
 OF HtRVARD'S PRESIDENT
President of American Federation of Labor Tells of the Reason of Or ganlxed Labor--other PromI-
 nent Men Speak.

mingham yesterday morning over the Queen and Crescent railroad from New Orleans and wos the guest at the Met ropolitan hotel of the Birmingham Trades Council. He is en route to the east from the annual meeting of the Federation of Labor, which was held at New Orleans. He left last night for Washington.
 The convention in New Orleans was the best ever held. according to President Gompers. He stated that nearly a million and a half of laborers were represented and that the remainder of them would have had representatives present had 1t not been for the fact that the meeting place was so far from the districts they represented. He says the American Fed- eration of Labor Is stronger today than it has ever been before, and that 1t Is rapidly gaining strength.
 A committee from the Trades Council called on President Gompers yesterday at the Metropolitan hotel at Il a. m. It consisted of II. N. Randall, c. J. Her bert. D. U. Randall, Harry Markey' Js Il. Leath, William Fitzpatrick, J. H. F. Mos ley, F. x. Waldhurst and others. At o'clock special car carried the party to Ensley and to the Country club, and last night the local Retail Clerks union entertained President Gompers, Max Nor ris. secretary treasurer of the internation- al organization of the Retail Clerksi w. B. Wilson, J. ". siayton and representa- tive local leaders. Mayor Drennen was toast master.
 City Hall Meeting.
 In a speech at the city hall last night before about 300 labor people of the city and district, President Gompers urged that the labor people of the state go to the legislature, which meets soon, and demand that it take some action to pre- vent the children of the state from work ling In the factories and mines until they are of some mature age He also touched on the convict labor question, and urged that the labor people support Governor Jelks in his movement to change the present system of leasing the convicts, and thus causing them to conflict less with organized labor. He severely criti- cized President Elliott of Harvard for his recent statement that 8 strike break CT or "scab" Is good type of modern hero.
 Mayor Drennen made short speech. welcoming President Gompers, and stat ing that had 1t been any body of people less than the organized labor of the city desiring his presence he would have re- | fused, as he was still too weak to be out at night. President Ed Flynn of this dis- trict of the United Mine Workers of America, then introduced President Gompers, who spoke in part as follows; oompers' Speech.
 Words are inadequate to express my appreciation of the good will courtesy and the cordiality of the reception have met with in Birmingham. know the southern heart and it's cordiality and sem | timent, and I value 1t greatly. It is great contribution to the continued suc- cess and the progress of the civilization of America.
 T have had the privilege of addressing Birmingham audiences several times in the past first in 1891 when the American Federation of Labor met here. and again in 1895. At the second visit I noticed great improvement In the city. but was astonished at the progress which greeted me when I arrived this morning and saw here a modern city-a cosmopolitan place. I knew 1t was partially due to the great resources of the state. and especially | those which surround Birmingham. but I also saw that 1t was in greater meas | ure due to the working consciousness of 1 the working people of the community, the union labor people who have done | rIrtx. 41,t. rxf the great cities of the south.
 The Labor CIass.
 NO country Is really great unless the condition of the laboring class is high | and they are drawing good wages. Show me a country with low wages and I will show you one that is not growing. On the other hand, look at America and Eng land, both striving to be the mistress of the world. and you will see two nations where labor is we'll paid. They state | that if labor increases in value 1t will increase the cost of goods and therefore 1 prevent the country from competing with other countries with no labor or- ganizations and low wages. But look at these two countries. which are not only making more goods than they can use, but are constantly looking for new mar kets in which to dispose of the manufac- tured articles. which are acknowledged to be inferior to none made in any other country. The laboring man of today, thanks to the union, uses his brain. while the man of the past was a mere machine He of today Is in condition to give the best work, and by the shorter hours and more pay he can enjoy some of the pleas ures of life after day of hard work.
 A Comparison.
 Compare man in the woods by him. self and one in the city. The former has no need of law for anything he does or effects him alone. while the actions of the city man affect the public. The man in the country can-burn his little hut down and enjoy the blaze without iniur- ing any one but himself. Not so with the man in the city. If he sets fire to his house he endangers the property and lives of his neighbors and must be dealt with by the law
 "A man, as an individual, could not hope to gain redress for wrongs, or promotion from one of the large corpor- atiops, but when he joins with his fellow