The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-16
HOT SHOTS into SIDES
Of BITTER :PARRN7ES
GOMPERS TAKES A FALL OUT OF
PARRY'S ATTORNEYS.
Makes Logical Defense Of Trade Un-
ionism Before the House Commit.
tee on Labor. Recites History Of
Labor Movement From the lncep-
tion Of Trade Unionism. Great
Leader Is Optimistic About The Out
come.

Washington, D. c.. April 14.-Tresi
dent G0mpers landed some hot shots
into the sides of the Parryites when
he appeared before the House COM
mittee on labor in behalf Of the bill
limiting the hours of laborers and
mechanics employed upon work done
for the United States. and for other
! purposes. Mr.. Gompers said in part:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen, at the
outset l desire to thank you for the
courtesy in giving me a few minutes
to submit a few remarks In response
to the statements and argument made
by Mrs. Davenport.
He confuses the mixture of the or
ganization Of labor with crime; I do
not believe that it is possible for him
to tlisassociate the organized effort of
wage earners for their material i'm
provement from violence and crime
and laWlessness, when as a matter OF
fact it is known to every student OF
sociology, every student OF the labor
movement, that wherever the organi-
cations of labor are strongest that
! there the greatest industrial peace OBJ
tains.
| Mr.. Davenport insists that there can
not be any fundamental change be-
tween the relations of employer and
workmen, and that any attempt on
that line will lose to the employer the
control Of the business in which he is
engaged: that he can not successfully
operate it, He cites the military arm
of the Government in support of that
| statement, where there must be the
general and the other officers under
! him. the various officers in command.
Now let me say, in connection with
| this, that the whole philosophy upon
| which the first statement is founded
| is fallacious. So far as the second is
in Illustration of it, it only bears out
the reverse of Mr.. Davenports conten-
! ton.
All military authorities agree that.
without any particular self-praise OF
our powers anS proWess, there IS no
soldier equal on 4le face Of the globe
to the American soldier, and the reason
of it is universally attributed to the
80 4nerican1 Is ssoldier. is q
i M
Ffffend 1Davenports@ s@ con sErf git;s
III 1t is right now it would have been
right twenty and thirty and fifty
years ago and we would not now have
upon the statute books of the Federal
Government, or upon any of our State
statutes, or upon the statute books of
Great Britain, the factory acts that
have saver the children, that have saw
ed the women, who before some of
them were enacted were working in
the mines, stripped to their waists,
and doing the work that the mules now
do there.
Labor Legislation Produces Davenports
The history Of the labor legislation
of the factory acts Of Great Britain
and our several states has produced a
number of Mr.. Davenports by other
names, always interposing objections
against any species Of legislation OF
this character tending to tighten the
burdens of those who toll. You must
bear in mind that Mr.. Davenport only
incidentally opposes this BILL he is op-
posed to this entire series or species of
legislation, any legislation that can
have for it's purpose the improvement
or the protection of the weaker in the
great grinding process Of industry
any legislation of that sort. say,
meets with the opposition of the Sec
retary of the private nti-boycotting
society.
He asks, is it conceivable at all that
labor would ask for the enactment of
what he is pleased to term this tyran-
nical bill? He paints picture Of men
who may want to work more, longer
hours. Last week he called the attenj-
ton of the committee to the fact that
! the bill would prohibit man who was
sick one day from working longer
hours the next day. If that is the pur-
, pose of the bill then l think 1t is a
good thing. I do not believe it is a
good thing for man who is sick one
day to be compelled to work extra
hours the next day, and if my friend
Davenport was very i'll one day I dc
, not believe that for his own sake he
ought to work more than eight hours
the following day.
/ Has Had but One Life Purpose.
So far as am personally concerned
: land I say it not with vanity, but
} with considerable pride-1 gave TWEEN
: ty-six years Of my life working in a
factory as an operative, as wage
Garner; not as an employer, not as a
superintendent, not as foreman, but as
wage-earner. Perhaps some might
say that that was exactly the position
! that I should have occupied. I agree
with them entirely. They may say
, that had not the ability to aspire to
anything or obtain anything better
That may be true. 1t may not be true
+ can only say this: That when Twas
in the factory, and since then, in the
past seventeen years, when have Civ
en- my entire time to the American
labor movement, and helped in the d.
! rection Of the American organized
workers Of our country, have had nc
aspiration other than the one I now
have; that is, to try and help my fell
low workers. I had no ambition to
graduate from that class, and I have
no such aspiration now.
Let. me answer further as to why
wage e-earners desire shorter hours OF
labor: that 1t IS because It is a univer-
i sal b law Uf. industry that o. eduction
! IN the hours of abor5 always bring an