Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-05-29
BIG CROWDS HEAR
G0MPERS-ALLEN
DEBATE ON LABOR
RIGHT to Strike the Issue at Stake
in the New York Dis
cussion.
BOTH DISPUTANTS
RECEIVE OVATIONS

debate on the comparative merit Oh the
middle class union" and labor unionism,
With Gov Henry J. Allen, OF Kansas, ana
,amuel Gompers, president OF the Ameri-
AN Federation of Labor, upholdlng ther
respective sides; g
Governor Allen is the champion OF
Tho Labor court as established IN the
,en Kansas law for the settlement OF
disputes between labor and capital. Mi
-;ompers holds to the old labor union
des. with the strike as weapon tor
.nforcing demands.
GoMpERs OPENS DEBATE.
Mr.. Gompers won the night to open
the debate and each speaker was allowed
an hour and a half to present ms argu-
nents Judge Alton b. Parker presided.
Persons holding reserved seat tickets were
admitted until $50, when the hall
sas thrown open TO those holding admls-
,ion tickets. Police lines were rlg1dly
maintained and only those having tickets
we're allowed TO pass.
Il do not hope TO convince Mr. Com
,ers that strikes are wrong, sa Id GoV-
,rnor Allen before the reception. what
/ hone TO accomplish by the debate is
/, make the plan of our Industrial Court
more generally known and understood,
specially among members OF organized
labor.
The governor said labor was beginning
IN realize that the so-called Kansas Law
was for il as we'll as the general pubic
and that labor interests III his state were
demanding that it be gwen fair triai.
He asserted IS per cent of the applications
before Industrial Court were from labor
The reds are not dangerous, SAID the
Governor. ''because they are we'll looked
hrnV- the
,rnment. The most menacing thing Is
The condition of industrial quarrels
The essence of life is production. The
country has seen this situation grow up
without realizing how we have changed
II the mast 40 wears. The systems OF
production and transportation are so well
,novn that we are dependent upon each
other and they are dependent upon one
another.
The Kansas law is not against labor
II is the remedy for the rapidly growing
events of political unrest which has been
80 hard upon the public -,
we are now AT the parting OF the ways
in the great controversies which are occu-
nyinc the minds Of our people, declared
Mir. Gompers, beginning his direct argu,
ment OF the debate. "On the one mana
Ne have the great constructive moNenlent
Tor progress, for civilization and with all
.,e tasks these impose and on the other
and we have those who are leading the
.,drsc Of reaction. OF injustice, OF tyranny
The time j. at hand when there must
. determined whether the eternal prIn-
MOS &c freedom. Justice and democracy
sail hold SWAY or be supplanted by the
tyranny and the injustice Of old.
Mr.. Gompers said he wanted 70 lay
down \ few fundamental principles, and
ore Of his executive committee, AIRS.
sarah 4. Conboy, read the following state
Tho fact that the voluntary organ
izatinns NJ the vige workers are declared
III the courts 10 be trusts and com0lna-
tions in illegal restraint OF trade, does not
.e.esssrilv 50 constitute them. In fact,
no unions are not such None OF their
.,rbievcmpnts III behalf Of the tOllers or
society at large can be confused with
the selfish and pernlclous activities OF the
illegal trusts.
The trust even at its best, Is an or
pspization of few TO monopolize pro-
Juction and control distribution OF ma
tsriaI nroducts The voluntary asso-
cations Of the wage workers Tor mutual
benefit and assistance are essentially
different. The fact must not be lost
sight OF that the power OF labor Is not
material commodity. There can be no
trust in anything which is not yet pro-
duced.
Resuming his address, Mr.. Gompers
said.
There is a common error IN the mind
of a large number OF our people, and
peoples of the whole world. who confuse
the term labor and capital as being IN
exactlv equal position toward each other.
The fact of the matter is that capital Is
the product Of labor.
FREEMAN DEFINED.
The difference between a slave and q
freeman Is that the slave must work when
his master or owner directs and wills.
The freeman may stop ms work, and
whatever consequences OF suffering that
NAV be involved In his suffering and the
suffering Of no one else. The right OF a
freeman to dispose of himself, of his labor
and his labor power has been set forth
IN a Supreme Court decision, an opinion
read bv the then Associate Justice Of the
supreme Court, Mr. Hughes, in which
the principle is set forth clearly that no
man IS free: that involuntary servitude
pxists when man must work against his
WILL
'.There is one thing about the labor
question which il automatic, Mr. Com
pers continued; that Is, if you attempt
TO OUTLAW strikes by legislation, depend
unon Il. YOUR law viii be futile and you
will simply make criminals and lawbreak-
ers of workmen who are honest, patriotic
citizens.
There is but one ground upon which
anv justification NAV be assumed To tIe
men to their jobs and make strikes un-
lawful; that is the concession that oui
republican institutions and our democracy
have ceased. Admit that and ! have nc
word 10 debate except that | combated
every moment of my life. The Boston
Tea Party was very nice affair. What
was it except strike against England
tyranny and injustice!
Mr.. Gornpers' direct argument ended
amid prolonged applause and cheers, a
the conclusion of which labor delegation
presented him with floral Offering
ALLEN pLUNGEs RIGHT N.
Governor Allen also was. greeted Will
prolonged applause when he was intro
duced. He lost no time IN coming 4
the defense Of the Kansas industrial
Court, building his argument on thu
premise that "the safety Of the public
is the supreme law.
He declared that this was the funda
mental axiom upon which Ae and hll
supporters were working and which
governed his attitude toward capital
labor and the disputes which arise be
tween them. He asserted he was no
L., IF -.