The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1920-09-03
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Samuel Gompers is a little man,
When he sits in his chair his feet
scarcely touch the floor In the ton
neau of an automobile they are perch
ed midway in air Yet for states
manlike grasp on all problems of
state, national, international and indi-
vidual, he may be said to be the Ben
jamin Disraeli of the labor movement.
He is an English Jew, as was Disraeli,
with much of the voice and manner
attributed to that great statesman.
He was born, though, of poor parents,
who apprenticed him at the age of ten
to a shoemaker 1t was then he felt
the full tragedy of industrial slavery
in the silk weavers, who were cast
into the direst poverty by being
thrown out of work through the intro
duction of machinery In a new coun-
try, under new opportunities, and new
inspirations, the revolt of that early
period yas to give birth to vision
destined to raise him and the workers
to power and prestige unprecedented
in the history of labor
At the age of thirteen he came to
this country, where he took up the
trade of cigar maker Unionism was
scarce a name, though a few scatter
ed unions existed, held together by the
Knights of Labor, for the purpose of
effecting a shorter workday. In 1881
Samuel Gompers and r j Mcguire,
a carpenter, conceived the idea of
building up militant organization
on civic lines. Fired with enthusiasm
for the perfection of the American
Constitution, they conceived an indus
trial democracy modelled on the same
plan as the government of the United
States, both in its federal jurisdiction
and state sovereignty, and in the sys
tenn by which the federal government
exercises only such powers as are con-
ceded to it by the states. 1t was to
be a federation, however, Of organiza-
tions, each of which was to have its
own government and determine its own
needs and requirements, in the light
of the experience of the members Of
the organization, and the federation to
have no rights except that which was
to be yielded them by the organiza
tions making up that federation. Sam
uel Gompers was elected its first pres
ident. Each of the fathers of the con-
stitution of this industrial democracy
took solemn vow to forego all world
ly power and prestige, money and po-
Utica! influence, for complete service
to the furtherance of their new repub-
lie
For five years Gompers worked at
his trade, while he assumed on the side
the ar uous role of president, with
out pay. He became known as an
agitator. He was blacklisted. He was
often without work, and when work
was at hand the pay was SO poor that
cften for lack of five cents he had to
walk from the heart of New York far
into the East Side, where ne lived.
In the sixth year the industrial repub-
lie had grown to such size as to de
mand all the time of the president. He
drew then his first salary of $1,000 a
year. And it is only within the last
few years that his salary, in the teeth
of his own opposition, has been raised
to $4,000 Save for one term, he has
been the honored and loved president
of the industrial republic.
At seventy-one years of age he lives
to see the infant federation of his
early years grow in the year 1920 to
4,050,000; 112 national and interna-