The labor world., 1911-11-18
GOMPERS HITS HARD
AT LABOR'S ENEMIES
Continued from Page !.

Continued from Tage !,
| should be mere benevolent societies:
| or the editor who believes that the
unionist should be always in his party
and a supporter of his interests, or
| the politician who demands that the
| unionist must always vote his ticket.
But, it can safely be said, Our
| trade unionism is to witness no in
tegral change in structure or prin-
! ciple; for these are all adaptable to
circumstances as they arise-to con-
ditions as they develop.
| There exists within the scope of
the trade unionism Of America, as it
was long ago conceived and for many
years has been maintained in it's i1h~
! tegrity the possibilities for contin-
uous reform, both in economics ana
politics, to whatever extent at any
time is possible.
Policy of Federation.
'"The strength, the firmnesS, the
consistency, and the reasonableness of
our trade unionism have conceived
the great body OF the citizens of this
continent, wage workers and others,
that change, and even radical change,
in the laws which govern society be-
ing inevitable in accordance with
Justice, the American Federation of
Labor, as the dominant body Of wage
workers. is the fitting and effective
organization to lead the masses in
carrying on to the end the, great
work of transformation.
"The groundwork principle of
Americas labor movement has been
to recognize that first things must
come first. The primary essential in
our mission has been the protection Of
the Wage-WOrker, now; to increae his
wages; to cut hours off the long work.
day, which was killing him; to i'm
prove the safety and the sanitary
conditions of the workshop; to free
him ! from the tyranhies, petty or
otherwise, which served to make his
existence slavery. These, in the ma
ture of things, repeat, were and are
the primary objects of trade unionism.
"Old Man, Stands Pat.
"Our great Federation has uniform
ly refused to surrender this conviction
and to rush to the support of any one
of the numerous society-sayin or So
ciety- destroying schemes which de-
cade by decade have been sprung
| upon this country. A score of such
schemes, having national scope, and
being for the passing day subject to
popular discussion, have gone down
behind the horizon and are now but
ancient history. But while our Fed
eratino has thus been conservative, it
has ever had it's face turned toward
whatever reforms, in politics or &C.
onomics, could be of direct and OBJ
vious benefit to the working classes.
It has never given up it's birthright
fora mess of pottage. It has pur-
sued its avowed policy with the con-
viction that if the lesser and imme-
diate demands of labor could not be
obtained now from society as it is, it
would be mere dreaming to preach
and pursue that will-o' the-wisp, a
new society constructed from rain
bow materials-a system of society on
which the dreamers themselves have
never agreed. -.:
For the Country AS a Whole.
1T is untrue that this federation
is conservative in the sense of dis
sentfng from propositions intended to
affect far-reaching changes in our po-
litical institutions. We would con-
| Eserve that which has been proved to
be conducive to the welfare Of the
country as whole, which means first
of all the masses, but we would change
as speedily as possible whatever has
been injurious to the country, and
especially to the masses. We would
abolish all privilege, would establish
a pure democracy, and would turn the
tide of all volume Of the products Of
labor into the hands Of labor We
would end every form Of aristocracy
and bring to their end all institutions
which refuse to recognize the people
as the origin of legislation, of Justice
and Of domination. ss a.,. + Is
Genuine Democracy b. .as i. Il
Striking and irrefutable evidence
has recently been furnished that these
principles are the true. ones on which
labor may effectively and continuously
advance It's just cause The severest
blows ever dealt class privilege. plu-
tocratic donlinati ion. and judicial greed
for power were made possible last
flyear through the forces 81 "a democracy,
EpatfentlY hui Isl a N IN I. aS1,f