The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-01-14
GOMPERS PICTURED AS
GRAND OLD MAN OF
LABOR MOVEMENT.
Continued from page 1.

lists in the bodies under its Jurisdiction
with the partial allegiance of other mil
lions of workingmen, still unorganized
but imbued with the union spirit. the
Federation rests upon a base, breeder
in point Of numbers, than any labor
union or federation in the world, and
comparable only with certain vast
political and religious bodies. In Am
| erica, federation of unions has gone
further than in Great Britain, or any
of the most impressive organizations In
In the United Kingdom, there exists
a Trade-Unoin Congress- which aims
at the political advancement of the
workers and a general federation OF
I trade unions for the attainment Of in
dustrial ends. The American Fedora
ton Of Labor has the ambition to &C
complish both these purposes. Its aim
is to represent it's constituent unions
politically, to assist them in their in
dustrial combats, to use its good offices
in the settlement of interunion dis
putes, to aid in the extention of the
union label, to direct the application
of nhe boycott, and to inflence public
opinion by the dissemination Of infor-
nation upon unions and unionism.
| Power Without Autocracy.
| The comparatively favorable posi-
! ton now held by the American Fed
| GRAFTON was not attained without much
| struggle nor without overcoming ap-
parently insumountable obstacles. The
Federation rose in opposition to the
knights of Labor, which. it was fear
| al hn IA
trade unions, as the stork Of the ia
BILE devoured his batrachian subjects.
| The unions forming the new organi-
cation were extremely jealous of their
prerogatives, and the powers accord
ed to the Federation were strictly de-
fined and sharply limited. The unions.
moreover, were poor, and could not af-
ford high assessments to the Fedora
| ton, which body was thus forced to
maintain itself in a meager and ex-
| tremely economical manner. Until 1887
| the total annual receipts of the Fed
Grafton never amounted to 500; until
| 1889, the revenue Of no year was equal
to $4,000, while not until 1901 did the
receipts for the year exceed 800, 900,
! and not until 1903 100000. Finally.
the Federation, while appealed to to
settle many disputes and controver-
| sizes, both among the unions themselves
! and between unions and employers,
was without power to enforce it's de-
c1sions, and only gradually have it's de-
cls1ons acquired more weight and
| been accorded greater consideration.
In a certain sense the weakness Of
| the American Federation of Labor has
! been it's strength 1t could hope to ex-
| list only upon the sufferance of it's con-
! stituent unions. Had it arrogated to
itself. vast powers, or sought to exert a
dominating influence over the actions
! of the unions, there would have ensued
| revolt and secession, and the Fedora
ton would have crumbled to the
| ground. Its sole hope for survival lay
IN its voluntary recognition of the
complete autonomy and independence
| Of the unions, and this guarantee was
| given and inviolably maintained. More
| than this, the Federation from it's in
ceptlon has been modest in the ex-
! IRENE In it's demand for money and
| power, and 1t has exerted the power
which it possessed in moderate and
cautious manner.
! A Labor Leader Of the Modern Type.
Inc inherent weakness Of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, especially
during It's earlier years, and the eau
t1ous careful, slow-paced policy which
| this feebleness necessitated, called for
a leader with a peculiar and unusual
| combination Of qualities. There are
| many men Of rare ability who would
have signally failed in the difficult ia SIX
"nlcn Mr.. Gompers is accomplishing.
10 nave succeeded, one would needs
nave been, like him, a workingman,
ana the son of workingman, with a.
Workingman's ideals and a working
mans acute sense of what other work.
1ngmen think and feel. A selfish lead
er would have deserted the Federation:
an impractical enthusiast would have
been deserted by it. Mr.. Gomners
! combined warm, generous enthusias SINS
with cool, cautious, tentative policy:
he was far-sighted in his plans, but
| careful, steady, opportunistic, even
| wisely tempor1zing in their execution;
he spoke and wrote of the rights of
labor, but he saw that the Federation
finances were in good order and he
kept in touch with an infinite multi
tude of petty details.
Mr.. Gompers represents, as complete
ly as any one, the latter-day type of
| successful labor leader. Earnest and
convincing in address, straightforward
yet courteous in intercourse, intensely
purposeful and tenacious yet tolerant
and moderate, bold in thought yet eau
! tious in action, Mr.. ,Gompers, like other
labor leaders, is a determined fighter
and a persistent pacifier. For years
he has been a pacenaaker, than whose
there is no more strenuous life, and by
his intimate acquaintance with thou
sands of men, and his knowledge of
their point of view, their bias and their
peculiarities, he has been able to pour
oil upon many a troubled stream. He
has assisted at the birth Of many
unions-a task of midwifery that falls
to the lot of all officials Of the FEEDER
alton. In the American Federationist,
which he edits, in hundreds Of articles
and in thousands Of speeches, he has