Evening journal., 1916-01-27
City Pays High Tribute Labors "Crand Old MaCOpcrS

State. and was to honor Mr.. Gompers.
the leader in the labor movement,
showed very eloquently what had
been accomplished by unionism. This
remark caused great applause
Mr.. Snellenburg for Arbitration.
"A Better Wilmington" was the
toast TO which David Snellenburg. of
n. Snellenburg & Co.. was assigned
to speak. He said Mayor Price had
told about the city and painted the
picture so well that there seemed to
be nothing for him to say. He
thought. however, that there we're
some things that remained to be ac-
cOmplished. He said he loved Will
mington and believed in the city.
The eyes Of the nation, Mr.. Smell
lenburg said were on this city more
than any other at the present time.
He was sorry, he said, that Whining
ton had been published as being the
richest per capita city in the United
States. because there was very little
to show for our wealth. He stated
that he believed in being honest.
There were labor troubles here, he
said. witch ought to be settled by
arbitration, and this thought had come
to him when Judge Gray was speaking
on arbitration. He thought they should
be fair to both the employer and the
employe 1t was not right, he said, for
men of this city to walk the streets
for six months, and he said he voiced
the sentiments Of many citizens in this
matter. He thought a resolution
/ ought IN ho udonfnd calling ou Tftd urQ
Gray to arbtrate the differences. The
employers and the men ON strike
ought to be gotten together. It was
nice, he said to talk about things, but
he believed in action. This remark
was greeted with applause and sew
erals "amens."
"Be fair" continued Mr.. Snellen-
burg, "and render to Wilmington the
things that are hers. I again inn
plOre you to ask Judge Gray to act
as arbitrator. I could talk all night
on the needs of Wilmington. but
believe in doing. not talking"
A. r. Saylor, editor of The Labor
| Herald, in responding to the toast
The Labor Press" heartily endorsed
what had been said by Mr. Snellen-
burg in regard to Judge Gray acting
as arbitrator in the local labor diff
! ficulties. He said that in one strike
so or 60 men had been doing picket
| duty on the streets for eight or nine
months and that something should be
/ done to lget them back on the Job. He
! thought that with a good committee
/ this strike could be settled in two
| hours and the machinists' strike in
two or three days
Mr. Saylor added: 1--WE ought to
keep Mr. Gompers here and settle
both strikes at once"
Mr. Saylor dwelt briefly on the
! growth of newspapers in this country,
/ saying the plant of the large city
newspaper fifty years ago was a small
affair and was no larger than, the
! present country newspaper Office.
! Then the plant of the Labor Herald
would have been looked upon as be-
| ing large enough to publish a large
city daily. In those days it was hard.
he said for labor men to get justice in
the daily papers, and the labor paper
! became a necessity. There was a
| clamor for labor papers.
! Labor papers sprang in existence.
/ Mr. Saylor said, and by playing up
labor news, became better and better.
He said that in Wilmington fair re-
ports were given labor matters by
4 the daily papers. Some day, he said,
he would probably stop publishing his
paper and get out a regular daily, but
continue to feature labor news.
In introducing Mr.. Gompers, Mr..
O'Kane said that as soon as he landed
in New York he commenced to pre-
,,oro bfr,oaIf fo,. ffc crroof fffafc t-orlr
and at IA years of age had organized
and was secretary of cigarmakers'
union. When Mr.. Gompers arose 10
speak he was given a great ovation,
and the applause continued for sew
eral minutes. He spoke as follows;
Mr.. GOmpers Speaks.
Mr.. Gompers spoke as follows:
'Mr. TOastmaster and friends
think that / would be less than hu
man did I not appreciate to the full
est the honor which you, have don,
me and the cordiality OF your recep
= ton, for all the many kind things
= which have been said Of me are great
, ly appreciated. But I am one o
, those men who believes that aftel
all it is not the man to whom thu
honor is done, but it is the great prin
i ciples for which the organization
2 stands and demands. | prefer to in
! terpret all the honors and all thu
courtesies to the great labor move
ment rather than to me personally. o.
officially. 1t is my purpose always 4
f, endeavor to interpret and to trans
I late the sentiment and the purpose
] and the ideas and ideality Of the mel
of labor into something concrete ant
< to place it before the conscience an
3 the judgment OF my fellows in orde
Z that il may have respectful hearing
and consideration in the hope that
I might find favorable action.
when the Wilmington Central La
D Dor Union asked me whether l woul'
accept an invitation to a testimonial
banquet. / endeavored to find tn
! time. for. believe me. there is no
very much time for leisure or loafin
in my job, for I must be at the becl
and call Of all, and at the convenienc
= of all the men and women who wor
, by day and work by night, and whel
o they cannot see me during the da
;, they must sec me in the evening o
night. and l propose to give them al
that is in me. Whatever there is O
7 me is the result Of a factory boy.
E possess no diplomas; ! have not grad
uated from the colleges or univer
stiles, nor OF the higher schools. He
- of labor have given me the oppoi