The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-05-20
GOMPERS--VAN CLEAVE

SOMP EHo--VAN CLEAVE
Once philosopher declared the
democracy Of death made all men
equal and the world applauded. Per-
maps he was right. but it is also true
Y t1at when we come to the wharf
where only The Silent Boatmanp
stands waiting for passengers, the
world takes a better measurement Of
us and gives us the due which befits
our accomplishment while in life.
/ Recently there died in ST. Louis
man who had played a powerful part
in the commercial history of our coun-
Try who lad delled organized labor
and decried whatsoever was in ale
I glance thereto. No man was ever so
relentless in his warfare against
unionism of labor as James w. Van
! Cleave. He fought Gompers with an
energy seldom equalled, and the ven
ON Of his opposition lost labor many
battles. He preached the doctrine or
i hon-unionisln and laughed to scorn
what he called imaginary power OF
1 these fellows to hurt"
He is dead.
i The world took notice, with few
lines mention: not even asking age.
place of birth nor from whence he
came.
But ripple was made on the local
wave. Yet, in intent he was a good.
ciean man and one whose private
lite was above reproach.
Samuel Campers was the one
natred Of Van Cleave's life. He was
ihe fighting chieftain who got the jan
sentenee against Gompers as the head
Of labor that had ordered, or was al
ieged to have ordered, boycott
Uompers has long been in the lime
llyht--he is one among the fifty best
known men of the United States.
Would his death be noticed with a
brief dispatch, or would the sons OF
toll from the whole world bow in
srief, should his end be announced?
Gompers and Van Cleaye were
Il typesneither a bad man, but Com
pers standing out for the humanitar-
ian issue, Van Cleaye to accomplish
the impossible object of allowing civ
ili2atiOn TO stand as ii now Is. The
two can be taken from ranks of either
The living or dead and their policies
Illustrated by the neuter gender.
in the ante-bellum days Charleston.
South Carolina. was the seat of com
merce, learning aud pattern setter
iol the South II had wealth, fame
and prosperity nbounded Defeat
left ii satisfied with the past and
to-day. It is little larger than when the
! Fl; Sumpter guns proclaimed war be-
tween the states II adopted hp poi.
icy, What is Was Right; Cnante is
Erratic."
Memphis, Tennessee, was a sifue
Cling city, poor and was beset 0y
vars awful catastophres. Since the
war Memphis has kept apace OF mod
Icfn methods. No less loving that
which was lost, the city on the banks
Of the Mississippi, realizing the over
flowed delta lands must be redeemed,
poured millions into the work To
day she stands the first city Of the
inland South, rival of Louisville and
New Orleans, bearing the proud title
Of THE Chicago of the South
Van Cleaye was the non-progres.
siye He believed what Is Is right,
All changes dangerous to the govern
nent: Memphis is the Gompers.
Struggling representative of that spis-
IL which believes men and nations
can not stand still, they must ad-
vance or retregrade. The one is the
Charleston the other the Memphis-
or, choose any two other similar cit
les. states or nations, and the appli
cation is the same.
Van Cleaye was patriot i'm his
way. beyond doubt Gompers Is an hu-
manitarian who has often overreach
ed the age in which he lives to make
4 decided improvement Of conditions.
Whatever the right or the wrong,
The human family still bears unmls-
taxable evidence that il steadily ad
yances upward: that whose seeks the
light of better and nobler way does
well and. stayers of the hand which
delays advancement, no matter how
good their intent or strong OF pur'
poSp, must, in the inevitable end,
lbow 10 the power Of advancing hosts
ito the coveted goal
Perhaps. then, the war OF com
.me,ce as waged between Van Cleaye
and Gompers had its purpose in thel
great direction OF that powe. un'
known yet always felt The one has
been called. failure when he felt
success was at hand: the other, with
advancing years making his step fal-
ter and his hand iremble, still stands
as the unconquered champion of hu
man rights-the foe of greed, the
enemy oi oppression. the apostle forl
the suns Of toll. IN the Aftcrwhilel
he. too. must 90. and his going will
be one of those events where all men
pause to drop a tear over The passing
oI one, no MATTER who was right or
wrong, kent his forces ever marching
inward and upward toward noble pnr.l