The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-12
SAMUEL GOMPERS
WARNS EMPLOYERS
Completes Two Days Testi-
mony on Lobby
REVIEWS DECISIONS
REVIEWS
DECISIONS
Attacks Sherman Antitrust Law as
1t Applies to Labor Uni0ns-Life
of Horse More Valuable
Than Man, He Says

| Washington, September 11.-Samuel
Gompers, president of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, closed his two days tes-
timony before the House lobby commit
tee tonight with dramatic warning to
the manufacturers of the country, a de-
fense of the legislative activities of the
federation and bitter attack upon the
Sherman antitrust laws as applied to
labor unions
Gompers spoke at the end of day de-
voted to an inquiry into the political and
! legislative efforts of the federation. He
began with statement that in the
United States, which has burst into in
dustrial life, there is no feeling between
employer and empioye such as is found in
European nations, where industrial life
serfdom and of relations between master
and man, the product of centuries In
Europe he said this transition had been
accompanied by q deeper feeling for the
employe and in consequence those coun-
tries were decades ahead of the United
States in legislation for the protection oi
the lives OF worilingmen.
/ THE lives of workingmen count fol
| nothing in the United States.' said he
1T seems to me that the life of a horse
| is of more value than the life Of q human
| being to our manufacturers. If this
| slaughter does not end | do not know
what our Industrial, commercial, political
and particularly our. humane life will
| come to-.
9 l.
added. opposed all acts. of legislation de-
signed to protect the workingmen.
Reviews Court Decision Against Labor
Reviewing at some length the court de-
cisions against labor organization under
| the Sherman act the witness said:
The federation exists at the sufferance
| of an adnlinistrati IN. Under the Sherman
law and the procedure of the courts thf
| normal activities Of the federation in the
Nexerclse of power are more than the in
,ldividual exercises every day. The power
| to withhold patronage is restrained and
| threefold damages can be claimed and
| obtained ref ~ -
1T seems to me the law is a bit askew
or otherwise itIwould not permit such q
thing he added with shake of his
head.
The witness testified that he had rec
commended to the House committee on
committees the appointment of either
| Representative Lewis of Maryland OF
| Representative Buchanan of Illinois as
| chairman Of the labor committee. Lewis
| was appointed, he said, although not the
| highest man on the list of democarti>
members.
| He was asked at length about Martr
NJ. Mulhalls effort to get the federation
:, to print his now famous letters and about
| his relations with Representative Ne
| Dermott, one of the men involved by Mul.
| hall. Gompers said McDermott had beer
most insistent that he take up the Null
| hall letters, but he feared at that time
that Mulhall's supposed repentance was
! not genuine and only a ruse to get the
J federation in the clutches of the Manufac-
+, turers association.
| Mr.. Gompers added o yesterdays tes
! timony by stating that the federation
] spent about $500 in it's campaign against
| the reelection of former Representative
| Charles E. Littlefield of Maine. in 1906
| The lobbying" done by the federation
| he thought, was justified and in the open
| With the testimony of Frank Nor
rison, secretary of the federation. al
a night session, the committee con
cluded its Investigation of the labor
| lobby Tomorrow 1t expects to heal
former Representative James A. Wat
son Of Indiana. a central figure in the
~ hall expose