The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-08-30
GoMpERs VISITS BIRTHPLACE.
He Found Things Little Changed in Spit.
tlegate. East London.

London, Aug 2o.--Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation Of
Labor, to-day visited his boyhood home,
where he was born 6s years ago. II was
an event Of great Importance in the little
section Of East London known as Spittle-
gate. Mr.. Gompers had only visited Eng.
land once before since he had left Eng
land as a boy to seek his fortune in
America. His previous visit was nine
years ago.
Mr. Gompers was accompanied to-day
on the journey to Fort street by several
members of the American labor mission.
They went down in two American army
automobiles and got out at the street
corner. Mr.. Gompers stopped when he
alighted and, standing in the middle Of
the street, recalled many scenes Of his
boyhood.
"The old street has not changed much,
he said, as he stood in front of the house
which had been his home for many years.
"That old public house on the corner
looks exactly as it did when / used to
listen to the crowd of old cigarmakers
discussing politics there in the evening
when ! was a mere slip Of boy.
While Mr. Gompers was talking, an old
woman Of over so years, wearing long
gray shawl, hobbled up, looked at the
stranger a moment and then broke in:
Il know you, Sam Gompers," she said.
"Many's the time ] gave you a piece of
my mnid when you used to live there
pointing to the house where Mr., Gompers
was born. The old woman had not seen
him since he left London as a youthful
apprentice cigarmaker. Mr.. Gompers
spent some minutes talking over old
times with her, asking about various
boyhood playmates.
The little group Of labor men was sur
rounded by great throng of Spittlegate
people, many Of them children, grand
children and even great grandchildre of
persons whom he remembered as neigh
bors Of his father and mother.
Spittlegate in the interior Of London's
east end, is not so different from New
York's east side, except that II is greater
in extent and much older. Never before
had American army automobiles been
seen in remote Fort street.
In the afternoon Mr.. Gompers called at
American army headquarters to see Ma
ior General Biddle and Surgeon General
Winter. Afterward he paid a surprise
visit on Major Endicott, the American
Red Cross commissioner, at Red Cross
headquarters. Arrangements were made
to visit American Red Cross hospitals to.
morrow to distribute cigars to 700 Amer
leans, sick or wounded, who recently
have arrived in London from the western
| front.
No similar event during the war has
commanded half the interest here as is
being displayed over the visit of Samuel
Gompers and other American labor lead
ers. The newspapers give marked prom
inence TO the declaration of Mr. Com
pers that the labor men of the United
States are in favor of war to the fin
ish with compromise and win have no
part in unofficial negotiations with So
cialists of enemy countries.
The Gompers party confronts a situa-
tion in the British labor world which on
its face appears to be delicate one.
Spokesman for British workingmen on
the question which has arisen several
times in the past year as to whether
British labor representatives should
meet representatives Of the German ma
iority Socialists at some neutral capital
to discuss war questions. There is no
doubt that a large majority of British
workingmen are with the Americans on
the main issue.