Evening journal., 1910-09-12
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Labor Leader Who Fore
told His Own Future
By "HoIland."

With an intermission OF one year,
Samuel Gompers, whose name and ac-
tivities are about as well known In
England, his native land, as in this
his country of adoption, has been
president Of the American Federation
Of Labor since 1882.
One day several years prior to Mr..
Gomper's first election to the presi-
dency of the A. F. of L., very young
and, apparently very bright young man
got off train at South Bend, Ind.
and informed the two residents. who
welcomed him at the station that he
had come TO their city for the express
purpose OF establishing a local order
of the national cigar makers union.
One of the men TO whom he coniided
the object of his mission was his
cousin: the other was Mr. x. b. Don
aughey. now a resident of Whining
ton. Del
Il had gone to meet the young man
at his Cousins suggestion" said Mr..
Donaughey. "and though l was then
travelling man and not particularly
interested in matters pertaining to
labor. ] became so impressed with
my new acquaintance's mental alert
ness and his presence that when he
told us of the object OF his trip
decided to attend the meeting of the
cigar makers OF the city. which
learned. was TO be held in the towns
old skating rink.
AS now remember. about five
hundred persons we're present at that
meeting. The principal speaker
may say the sole speaker-of the
evening was the young man in uues-
ton. He had hardly got well started
In what he had to say when il be-
came plain to me that, without re-
course to fervid oratory, or any of its
accessories, he had managed to get
The entire audience absolutely under
his control This was all the more
astonishing as the fact dawned upon
me that the speaker appeared to be
without any great amount OF self
confidence. Yet he was earnest and
apparently sincere. and his enthus!
asm I'm the cause he was pleading was
catching, so that when he declared to
the cigar makers that il was abso-
lutely essential to their we'll being
that they organize n local union a
ready assent was given and an or
ganization perfected then and there.
After the meeting was over
hunted up my new acquaintance to
congratulate him on the successful
outcome of his triD to South Bend.
He received what I had to say with
becoming mOdesty. and then, in the
same spirit made a confession to me.
NV LIES work has now begun
he said. AS q part of of this work
am establishing a union of cigar
makers in the principal cities of In
diana But all this is only incidental
10 my greater project. | predict that
some day I shall be able TO form a
federation of all the labor organiza-
tions of the United States and that
of that federation 7 shall one day he
president I would much rather be
president. would much rather
be president of an organization Of
the sort have in mind than
president Of the United States, did
not my foreign bi~th make that pro-
hihitlve. would rather perfect a
federation of American labor. so that
American waRc clTneIe' Way have an
organization by which they can ade-
uuately protect themselves and secure
their fair share OF the prosperity of
the country. than TO WELD the scepter
of the worlds most powerful poten-
tate. And | repeat TO Won that ! am
absolutely certain that I shall be able
to nerfect such an orga nization. and
shall serve as it's president
"The name of the young man. who
so boldly and yet. in all modesty,
prophesied his future with the ac-
cnracy OF one insnired. was Samuel
Gompers." concluded Mr.. Donaughey
Copyright, 1910, by e. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.l
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell Ol
~ Romance of Grand Opera"