The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-17
interesting Address to Members
Of Chautauqua
PREDICTS A BRIGHT FUTURE
Says Wage Garner Is Getting From
Under Heel of Oppressive Capl-
taI-Refers to Child Labor
In the South.

Mountain Lake Park Md, August 16.-
several thousand persons greeted Samuel
Gompers. president of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, who delivered an ad-
dress today before the Chautauqua as
sembiy on Labor and Capitalize work.
mans side Of the story" President Mitch
ell OF the United Mine Workers of Am
erica was unable to be present on account
of the serious situation in the anthracite
fields.
Mr.. Gompers prefaced his remarks by
saying that the average mind looks con-
trary on labors side Of the question.
THE newspapers without any attempt
on my part, charge them with unfair
ness, ultimately print the labor question
from the standpoint of the employer
They either get their information from
employers or assistants. Men and women
suffer from the same old wrong. There
is no short cut to emancipation"
Evils of Child Labor
Mr.. Gompers declared that the labor of
young and innocent children is the great
evil that needs reformation
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 almighty dollars. 1t is
a sad commentary. Men walk the streets
in idleness in the textile districts while
the mills are filed with busy children
Instead of labor being crowned with hon.
or and dignity, its rightfui heritage, 1t
lo q fafI II.
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 decidedly
backward and denied the allegation that
the movement TO shorten hours meant
the decadence OF the United States as a
great producing power. He declared that
there was no greater conservator Of the
peace than the labor organization.
Long Silent Trouble.
"One hundred and fifty thousand men
in the anthracite field have been silently
engaged in a struggle for three months
and there has been less violence than
that of most ordinary people on ordinary
occasions. The men struggling today
have been reduced to a state of serfdom.
but in the past three years they have
been recast and their characters re-
modelled Their manhood Is aroused, and
] believe, as God Is my Judge. the worst
the miners have had to confront is past"
Mr.. Gompers declared that the lawyer
Eas incompetent to discuss the indus
trial question.
nThe lawyer lives in and studies the
past" he declared. "While being faced
physically forward he is mentally in the
dark ages This observation was
1,ro,,C1,f ont nv tho a11epad ram ar-k af a
Mr. Ross, a legal representative of the
Delaware, Lackawanna railroad, recent
iy that there be no arbitration; that
miners must first return to work and
then the companies will discuss the mat
ter with them.
1--WE demand the right to be heard by
the counsel" declared the speaker. 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 predicted the success of
the anthracite strike.