The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-08-21
GOMPERS AT MT. LAKE
President OF American Federation
of Labor Discusses Work
mans Side.
he MAKES A VERY STRONG ARGUMENT
Pays His Respects to Lawyers and Says
Miners Will succeed-Child Labor He
Considers One of the Greatest Evils of
the Times.

Several thousand people greeted
Samuel Gompers, President of the
American Federation of Labor, who
delivered an address on Labor and
Capital, the Workman's Side of the
Story" before the Chautauqua at Mt.
Lake Park Saturday. He was given
the Chautauqua salute. President
John Mitchell, of the United Mine
Workers of America, who was also to
have spoken, was unable to be pres
ent because of the serious situation in
the anthracite field.
Probably 1900 people heard the ad-
dress. There was not nearly the at
tendance that was expected, but Mr..
Gompers' auditors were attentive and
enthusiastic when the speaker scored
strong point.
The union of car repairers and wood
workers at Keyser, w. Va, was repre-
scented by number of members who
wore red badges.
Mr.. Gompers prefaced his remarks
by saying that the average mind looks
contrary to the laborers' side of the
question. "The newspapers, without
any attempt on my part to charge
them with unfairness, he added, "us-
ually present the labor question from
the standpoint of the employer. They
either get their information from the
employers or their representatives.
1t is the same old story, because it
represents the men and women, the
representatives of labor who suffer
from the same old wrong. There is
no short cut to emancipation
Mr.. Gompers discussed the labor of
young and innocent children as the
great evil that needs reformation.
Many of the Southern States, particu-
larly, have no law whatever to pre-
vent the practice. Men get rich, g"
he declared, from labor of children
whose bones are ground into almigh-
ty dollars. 1t was sad commentary
men walking the streets in idleness
in the textile districts while the mills
were filled with busy children"
Instead of labor being crowned
with the honor and dignity, its right
full part, it was 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"
Mr.. Gompers discussed the question
of shorter hours at length, declaring
the countries of long hours were de-
cidedly backward and he denied the
allegation that the movement to
shorten hours would mean the decad-
ence of the United States as a great
producing power.
Mr.. Gompers declared that there
was no greater conservator of the
peace than the labor organization.
One hundred and fifty thousand men
in the anthracite field have been en-
gagged in silent struggle for three
months and there has been less VIC
lence than is committed at a picnic of
ordinary people under ordinary &C.
casions. violence must not be laid
at our door" he declared. violence
is playing into the hands of the OPP
ponents of labor The men strug-
Cling today have been reduced to a
state of serfdom and in the past three
years the men have been recast and
their characters remodeled. Their
manhood is aroused and | believe as
God is my judge the worst the miners
have had to confront is past" Great
applause.)
Mr.. Gompers declared that the law
yer was the most incompetent person
to discuss the industrial question, and
that while he did not wish to say any
thing harsh, the lawyer lived in and
studied the past. While the times are
forcing him physically forward, he is
mentally in the dark ages. This OBJ
servation was brought by the remark
OF Mr.. Ross, a legal representative of
the Delaware, Lackawanna and West
ern at chautauqua that there can
be no arbitration, that the men must
first return to work and then the
companies will discuss the matter
with them. We demand the right to
be heard by council. Just imagine
the miner being forced back to work
with all the grievance he may have
had squeezed and starved out of him.
Mr.. Gompers declared against pro.
posed government compulsory arbi-
tration. He predicted the success of
the anthracite strike.
Zinc and Grinding Mako