The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-30

ONeI dSdIH whenever Iney nave tried
the American market with anything
else.
Though of a lesser grade than Games
and Melba, Madame Sembrich, whose
first appearance here this season was
on Wednesday evening, is one of the
most interesting of Mr.. Graus present
song birds.
Sembrich made her hit in America as
a concert singer before ever she had
a chance to sing in opera for Ameri-
cans. This was several years ago, and
her success with the audiences of New
York was instantaneous. Like all the
other prima donnas, she sings her OPP
cratic roles in whatever language they
were originally written inland none
of them was written in English. When
she sang in concert, though she often
dropped into the Anglo Saxon tongue.
In her concert days Sweet Home
was a favorite encore piece with her,
and it always pleased her audience save
on one occasion. All of her earlier
performances of the favorite old bal
lad were sung in the simple, effective
style that Patti had made so taking
years earlier. This time, however
Sembrich essayed the more pyrotech-
meal style affected by Melba, and fail
ed, utterly. Sembrich's pronunciation of
the words in Sweet Home" is slightly
peculiar. AS taken down monograph
ically by a stenograp her one evening,
they sound about life this:
HON, HON, swift. swift tom,
Be eet tayver so wumble,
They's naa plahs slyke kom!"
The reelection of Samuel Gompers
as head of the American Federation
of Labor has pleased the major part
of the organized labor element in
New York, where he is exceptionally
we'll known because of his long resi-
dence here. Many conservative en-
ployers feel the same way, also. be-
cause they know how many times
strikes that would have done meal
culable injury to the industrial inter-
ests of the country.
1t was Gompers who, seeing clearly
that Shaffer and the Amalgamated As
ISOLATION of Iron and Steel Workers
were wrong in the big strike against
the United States Steel Corporation
any sympathetic demonstration on
the part of the unions affiliated with
the federation, thus preventing an up
heaval, the evil results of which would
have been well nigh incalculable. 1t
was GOmpers, too, whose action stay
ed the scheme for a general strike of
sympathy with the great Pullman
strike some years ago, though the
world at large seems to have forgot
ten it.
The Pullman strike had been in
progress some time and had extended
wildly among the railroad men
when it was stated in some of the
newspapers that a general tie-up
throughout the country was Imminent,
and that 1t needed only the sanction
of Compers to bring this distressful
situation to pass. This was true, and
for two or three days there was lii
tense apprehension among those who
Understood how strong his hold was
ulrDn the ranks of organized labor.
This suspense never had any real
Justification, however, for, though
Conpers obsensibly took some time to
make up his mind upon the PROPOSE
ton, there was never the slightest in
tenticn on his part of sanctioning a
general strike. He understood, how
ever, that if he had decided off-hand
there would have been a great and
general howl among those who want
ed a general strike that the head of
the Federation was altogether too
ready to decide in favor of capital.
His apparent elaboration saved his
face in many quarters, though not in
all, for at the next election of the
Federation, he was ruthlessly voted
out Of his position as its executive
head, and a man who had long been
at the head of the bituminous coal
miners was put into the place. This
man was a genuine and unmitigated
failure, judging from what happened
at the next election, for then he in
turn was voted out and Gompers
voted back in. Gompers has held the
place ever since. and is likely to hold
IL for years to come.
Mr.. Gompers has now been at the
front as a labor leader much longr
than any Of his contemporaries, unless
1t be Chief Arthur OF the Engineers,
and has probably made greater i'm
preston upon Union labor thought"
than any other man, saving possibly
John Mitchell. He has seen the rise
and fan Of Powderly and Merfin
'.r~- 20 Dess and scores OF others
all OF them, even Powderly, being far
-.. 4-..e4' t4ia0 &c, ana every one
al some particular time possessing
much more power over organized Ia
Dor than he.
II Is oompers' far-sighted con-