The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-17
rice Of tho articles. and not the pric
ne wages"
Eight Hours and Less.

Eight E1OuIS anu LIPS.
Tho conversation here turned to the
number Of working hours, and asked MI.
Gompers whether the workingmen would
be satisfied II the whole United States
we're run on an eight-hour basis. or
whethcr they would not demand SUI
shorter days. He replied:
II think the time will come when the
working day will be less than eight
kours. My idea is that the working gay
will continually grow shorter. WINE
wages will continually go up want to-
morrow to be always better than. to-day.
Labor conditions are far better now than
they were three or four decades ago. and
III the future they viii be Just as much
better In proportion. BY combinations OF
capital, by now inventions and peter Or
EanIzatlon OF material forces. we SHAH.
age by age. and year by year. reduce the
amount OF manual labor required TO the
minimum, and at the same time advance
tile reward thereof to the maximum.
That is what we want. the least work
and the most pay. q minimum OF work
and maximum of wages, giving us the
leisure to develop and cultivate our bet
ter natures.
Can the Young Workman Rise?
How about the unions as helping the
n
Has the young man OF to-day chance TO
succeed as he had In the pnst?"
II don't think he has as good chance.
rer,,ed Mr. Goynpers. but that Is not
tho fault OF the union. New inventions
and great combinations OF capital have
destroyed the opportunities OF the indl-
5yidual man. A generation or so ago one
man. or at least two or three. could mako
a completed product. 1t did not require
much capital or many men to start q
factory, Now work is so divided by i'm
5proved machinery that the single work
man IS but one Of the cogs Of a very large
wheel, and If he slips out another can be
Yer; easily fitted in. \ half century ago
one man made q whole shoe; to-day
sixty-eight mem have their part: in
making n shoe, and each OF them does
but one thing oil tho day long, One man
cuts the sole, another the upper. another
finishes one part and another another
and so on. the whole sxty-eight making
! the shoe In the past each one OF these
sjxty-eght workmen could have started
shop Of his own. Now they are only
picccs OF machines. and as such can be
replaced by others,
It Is modern invention which has de-
stroycd individuality. and 1t Is only ny
combination In the union that the ihdl-
v!dual can alt MS n whole and protect h'm-
self. Under the old method one man
:
combination that he is able TO accomplish
results. II tho siSty-eiEht men stop, the
shosmakinf cannot go on IT Is the union
that makes this possible. and thus bles
ench Of tho sxty-elght to get his rights
Organized Labor in 1904.
care trades unions increasing In the
United States?"
YES replied Mr.. Gompers, Very
rapidly ! don't know OF any time n our
history when they have grown faster than
they are growing now. Tho American Fed
era ton of Labor Is. you know, composed OF
nearly all the international, national state,
central and local unions OF the country,
These unions are independent organiza-
tions, but they work IN connection win
and as u part OF the American Federation
OF Labor. We are continually AIDING new
members. During the past year we naVe
issued new charters for twenty inter-
national unions, three state fedora tons,
III central labor unions and more than
900 local and federal unions, We have
now all told ore than 24ooa unluns OF
various kinds In the federation, and our
membership Is very near 2'ooo, opo. we
increase our members by missionary work
on the part of organizers, whom we seng
tc all sections Of tho United States, and
in addition vast amount OF volunteer
work Is going on on tho part OF unions
md individuals
The Great Labor Trust.
"You say you have two million WORKING
men in your combination, MI Gompers'
! suppose they will average 80 q day, or
in the aggregate, s6,ooooo0 a day, or moro
Than s2.ooo,oooooo year, Is not organl,
| zcd labor trust. and where VIII you nnd
n trust with such power and such diyl-
dends?' 4.. !, ,o.,,,a nr
Gonpers with smile, "but Y Is trust
for the good Of the many, and not 1or
the individual few. The combinations Of
capital try to eliminate every one put
themselves. They try to fleeze out as
many of their own members as they can;
and the big Ash eat the little ones, Our
trust, IL you call 1t SO, is open TO all. we
welcome every one. and our only aim is
the good OF the country and OF all the
~ nrpa tiOn ~ 49,