New-York tribune., 1918-12-02
Leader Declares Unions
Will Not Surrender New
ly-Won Rights
Predicts Fight on
Industrial Autocrats
Representation ON Federal
Boards Dealing With
Workers Is Asked

nourS, were the cnleI plailhS III
labor's reconstruction programme as
announced by Samuel Gompers, speak
ing in the Century Theatre last even
ing. The occasion was q meeting called
by the American Alliance Of Labor and
Democracy to celebrate labor's share
in winning the war and discuss the re-
construction work ahead.
Mr.. Gompers paid his respects to re-
cent utterances by the representative
. of large manufacturing interests, in
which he was quoted as calling for
lower wages and longer hours, and
warned his hearers Of the necessity of
seeing to it that nothing is contained
in the peace treaty abrogating rights
labor may now possess.
Representation Demanded
These sentiments. amplifed in reso-
lutions adopted at the close of the
meeting. were we'll received by the
$500 persons in the theatre. The reso-
Mtions also called for representation
of labor on all government boards and
commissions having to do with labor
and for insistence upon the Engllsh
language as the only language of the
country.
Toward the end OF Mr.. Gomperss
address he was interrupted by
woman who demanded to know what
he was going to do for Tom Mooney
and by a man who demanded that ne
for ireland
81 do not know what | am gong to
do for Mooney" he said to the hrst,
sfbut I venture to say that have done
100000 times more than you have.
"I am willing to leave the govern
ment of Ireland to the Irishmen in
Ireland and not to the professional
Irishmen, Of New York" was his reply
to the second interrupter This man;
persisting in his question, was ADVISED
to hold a meeting of his own.
Contrary to expectations, Mr.. Com
pers had little to say on Bolshevlsm
or socialism, passing over this phase
of public agitation with the declara-
tion that labor, instead Of following
sftcr "cure-all," preferred to follow
in the safe paths of evolution.
Labor's Part in War
In opening, Mr.. Gompers described
laDOIS DdIC III luc piS-NnA oe>J
it pledged its unanimous support TO
the war if war came, at the same time
insisting that labor standards be not
lowered. This pledge, he declared, had
been kept, as had the conditions LAID
down. To the fighting men in the
ranks he paid high tribute, at the same
time insisting that due credit must De
given to "the fighting men IN industry:
"There are some lessons which thlS
war must have for u.s." he went on.
IN my judgment, we are in graver
danger now than at any time during
the war Peace conferences are not
always dominated by the spirit of free
dom and Justice and democracy, and
it has occurred that people which
have secured in their own country an
element of freedom was forced or
yielded voluntarily these rights at the
peace table.
81 call your attention to this fact:
That in the United States when
treaty has been negotiated with an
other country or other countries and
that treaty is ratified by the Senate
of the United States, it becomes the
supreme law, and any law upon the
statute books in conflict with the
terms of the treaty is wiped off the
statute books and becomes nil.
The working people of the United
many sacrifices, have been misrepre-
sented and maligned and their mo-
tives impugned and their honor ques-
toned, but fighting true to the line
we have secured in the United States
of America from our Federal govern
ment and from our state governments
and municipalities, rights written into
the law
"Al the delegates from the coun-
trio l. \ i
vising the terms of the treaty are not
prompted by the highest spirit of free
dom and justice and demo ocracy
We have helped to make this fight,
we have helped to bring about this
victory and in the language of the
declaration of March -, while are are
fighting for freedom and justice over
there we are going to maintain the
freedom and the justice and the rights
of the masses of the people over here.
Won't Relax Vigilance
More than one hundred years ago
one of the greatest philosophers pro-
duced by the United States sounded
this warning: Eternal vigilance is the
price of liberty Men of labor, men
and women of all walks of life, don't
let US fail to keep that warning in
mind, that eternal vigilance is the price
or liberty now as much as, aye, more
so, than at the time when jefferson
coined the phrase. 1t will become in
creasingly necessary for us to be vigi-
liant If we want to guarantee and vouch-
safe our liberty for the future
1--WE have now upon the statute
books the principle in law and in fact
that the labor of human being is not
a commodity, is not an article Of com
merce, and that, as we'll as being
laborers or workers, we are human,
with the same rights of sovereignty
before the law as we'll as to lead our
everyday lives. A principle of this
character is now too sacred to be bar
tered away to the reactionaries who
may desire to stem the tide of democ-
racy the world over.
eve have secured the freedom of
the seamen, the right of the seamen
to own themselves when their ships
are in safe harbor. Oppressed labor
where the flag of the United States
flies is abolished, and we are not going
TO permit any coterie of men to barter
away the freedom we have gained after
so many years.
"It might as well be understood that
IN fighting political autocracy we do
not want and won't consent to have an
Industrial autocracy take its place.
Has Answer for Barr
Referring to recent speech of Mr.
Barr, ~ the Founders Association, Mr..
Eomposs declared that not all the Boil
sheviki are in the ranks of labor la