The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-14
GOMPERS TALKS ON STRIKES.
WORSE THINGS, 4 DEGRADED
MANHOOD, FOR INSTANCE.
There Comes 4 Time. He says, when 10
Refuse to strike Means slavery
In All strikes. In His Opinion, and Much
Educational Value In the Coal Strike.

Samuel Gompers, president Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. talked to the
League for Political Education yesterday
morning in Mrs. Osborn's Playhouse about
strikes and their educational Effect.
Labor" said Mr.. Gompers. "is the only
commodity where the buyer sets the price.
! The discomfort with conditions that have
obtained for some time manifests itself IN a
determination of workers to have a voce in
setting the buying and selling price of labor.
They have been told, In a heartless, cold
blooded manner. that labor isa commodity,
and they meet 1t on that plane and say; III
you won't grant Va compensation commen-
surate with the conditions in which we live,
we decline 10 sell 10 you until you are salts
fled TO give Us such compensation.
Wage eainers insist upon better home
surroundings and the opportunity 10 culti-
waite all that i good in humanity. To obtain
this they strike We don't what to strike.
There's no fun in II and the experience is
often of an unkind and unsympathetic
character.
We realize, though, that people who
can't be- provoked to fight the while world
will disregard, disrespect. and. If neces-
sarv. remove from the geography. A
people who will not strike will never have
the interest, the respect or the honor of
their employers. There are worse things
than strikes among them degraded and
cowariy manhood. There comes time
when 30 refuse TO strike means the en-
si.vem"n' of the workers.
Che very fact that labor organizations
/ uoI O. slch preparation. in times Of peace
br.ngs about long periods Of industrial
,.IuQuila'y II j. not true that many
strikes are lost. Fifty per cent. are won
| by achieving the very purpose for which
| they were started and rs per cent. secure
many Of the demands that were made.
The lost strike question presents to
me a consideration that have.not seen ia
print or enuuciated. There Ia no such
thing a. a lost strike Does strike anon z
workinglnen who get - q day and strike
for 81. rs and who lose have any effect but
TO improve the social conditional Here
are groups of wcrkngmen drawing differ
ant wage. one gets 81, another 81. third
81, fourth s., ard 40 on. surprising the
81 strikers are turned out Of their Jobs,
Who fl them? Not the s. and 81 day
me either the 81 workers or the urem-
ployed. Taking the worst construction OF
such situation. these men merely change
places There has been 70 social detericr4-
ton. But there il another view, and that
j. that the men who have the moral cour-
age TO make such a sacrifice az To strike
for higher wages are not the men who would
allow themselves TO D- driven down by the
defeat Of their strike, and the effect of it
would b. that they had helped in lowering
up the whole human race.
"Strikes have made for good; the power
Of striking will make for better. Tn" coal
strike, much ~ we sought to avert il and
deplorablA a. has been it, effect upon some
of our people has had the eject Of making
people think on the problems who have
never before given them a thought and
has compelled them TO study relations be-
tween the employers and laborers."