The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-06-09
V|V|AN| VISITS
A. F. OF |. OFFICES
Is Welcomed By President Com
pers and Makes Short
Address,.

WASHINGTON, June Irene Vivi-
ami, chief civilian member of the
French mission to America, visited the
headquarters of the American FEEDER
alton of Labor last week and was well
coined by President Gompers in the
name of the men and women OF labor.
The distinguished visitor is minister
Of justice and vice president Of the
French cabinet: He was minister of
labor in 1909 when President Gompers
visited various European countries.
In a short address Mr.. Viviani, who
spoke in French, said in part:
Il am very greatly Ghonored by meet
ing you in this house of the workers.
In the course OF my long career, in
my labor for the public, I was never
more happy than when I myself led in
the establishment. in France, of the
department Of labor for France, of
which I was at that time minister.
During the four YEARS. in which I was
minister of labor I had the great salts
faction Of assisting in the passage, and
In some cases inaugurating, the most
important laws that were ever enacted
| in France on behalf of the wage work.
erS.
II have usually maintained the most
cordial relations with the central COM
| mittee, as well as with the entire or
6oA11dIlOH u TIE 4 eueTdtlOn or LABOR
in France-and indeed with all the
workers in general Every week at
least I call for counsel with me a
| number of the workers, and on Satur-
day I mentioned especially to Mr..
Gompers and Mr.. (J. W. Sullivan, the
two gentlemen who are expected to
| come over here, Mr.. Jouhaux and Mr..
Keufer (F'rench trade unionists). It
would be a great mistake on the part
of any public man If he did not profit
by the experience Of men who have
been labor leaders in their country"
In reply, President Gompers said in
part:
Mr.. Viviani, representative man and
representative of the best spirit of
France and of the world, in the name
OF the men and of the women of labor
and In the name of their friends, here
present, I bid you welcome in this
house of labor, in this capital Of our
nation, in this great republic, sister to
the republic of France.
1.-THE opportunity that I had of meet
ing you in France and the cordially
with which your reception to me there
was permeated, the consciousness
which you impressed upon me Of your
desire to do all that lay in any human
being to do in the interest of the
masses OF the people, your determina-
ton to help work out the sociological
problems of the toilers of France-all
OF this impressed me as did your own
personallty-you, great leader of the
people Of France in the task before
them for Justice and freedom and hu-
manity.
coming, as you do, as the represent
tative of the great spirit of the democ-
racy of France, and joined with you
the British ENJOYS, you bring to us the
last word and the best hope of France
and of England. And now we have
joined your forces. not only in SYM
pathy and in spirit, but in fact, to
determine, let us hope, for all times
that despotism, even benevolent des-
potlsm, must come to an end. Des-
potism is intolerable in this enlight-
ened twentieth century, and it cannot
and must not be permitted to stand
against the onward march of modern
concepts of freedom and democracy"