The Alaska daily empire., 1918-03-12
GOMPERS, AMERICAN

Scott C.
 Samuel Gompers, who. president of the Anerl can Federation of Labor has just declined an mvlta tion from Karl Legien, head of the Federa.eu , Unions of Germany and Social Democrat leader m tle | Reichstag. to attend peace conference in Holland is big factor in the American war
 Hating militarism and absolutsm' ne lhloi, Ill U | Iegien through M Oudergest, of Amsterdam, that American workers busily engaged in the task oi defeating the German Emperor and had no WISH u barley with German workers .,
 From the declaration of war, Gompers has stouty supported the government and given unswerv,ne aee lance to the commander-inchef Woodrow wilson. Anu his rejection of this German overture IS Ill luh heep ing with his course throughout o.ua Ca There is none of the Bolshevik in Gompers 80 ciasts of the Lenne and Trotsky type have his pro, found contempt. He foresaw the mess they would make of things in Russia and savagey denounced the, pOltical kin in America whO through such sedltous organizations as American Alience for Peace and Democracy inaugurated by hyhpenates set out' to p their sorrow, spread pro-German propaganda ana halt and embarrass the preparations or tnls at tackled nation. s
 Capital has complained bitterly of Gompers in fluence at Washington. He is pictured as a man with club in hand, brow-beating Congress, lntlml- dating the administration and ever finding the Whlte House door swinging open to him upon ms approach It is an exaggerated picture That he exercised an extraordinary influence when the Adamson elgntnouI railway law passed enactment which involved in the opinion of some statesmen an abdicaion or gov ernment to unonsm-is not to be galnsaid lie was all powerful-too powerful perhaps, with a campaign coming on to permit consideration or the eglsla- tion merits But this criticism reflects upon the law-making body, bespeaks the tmidity of poll tcians and ready trucking to class, rather than constitutes reflection upon Gompers.
 As member of the Council of National Defense Compers, still viganty guarding abors interests has undoubtedly made the countrys interests paramount His attitude has been selfish and grasping but patriotic and American He has done his best to SC cure organized labor maximum measure of help fitness in the war Twin the war has been his slo- gan and in thunderOus tones he has denounced the slackers conscientious obectors and let loose his wrath seditiOn and treason when shown in any form. His has been the role of a good American and history will give this great representative of organized labor the full need of credit when the is won. Samuel GOmpers born in England, is cigar maker by trade to this country when boy and has just entered his 69th year For fifty he has been identified with labor unionism and since 1882, with years intermisson years in al-has president of the American Federation of Labor of which he one of the founders No other American Labor leader has held place and prestige long. He lives modestly in New York and maintains headquarters in Washington Generally speaking he has kept the Federation of Labor out of politics. He made issue with Taft in 1908 and endeavored to concentrate labor against him, but failed Roosevelt sometimes worked with him and has sometimes crossed swords with him. Marcus A. Hanna believed in Comp and associated with him in the work of the National Civic Federation.
 In his long he has made mistakes, of course Believing in the innocense of the McNamaras he ed organized labor to their defense only to be frOnted ultimately with confession of their guilt. The blow heavy The sincerity of his mis- taken advocacy admitted by the prosecution In 1906 he sentenced to jail for contempt of Dis trict of Columbia Court in dsregarding order in famous boycott He appealed and after a lapse of years the then barred by the statute | of limitation, dismissed by the United States Su- preme court. His politics. rule, have been tenn perate and moderate, and the belonging to the Federation, with few exceptions, are made up of | conservative workers.
 His hand has long been raised against the L w w, outlawed by Uncle Sam.