New-York tribune., 1920-05-29

Allen also held an informal reception
on the stage.
Reach Stage Together
A few moments before o'clock Gov
ernor Allen and President Gompers
reached the stage together. Distin-
guished friends of the opponents ac
companied them.
As men take sides at ring contest,
Governor Aliens supporters were
aligned in semi-circle behind him on
the right side of the stage, and Presi
dent Gompers was likewise backed on
the opposite side.
' Among those behind Governor Allen
were Roger w. Babson, George Gordon
Battle, DR.. Nicholas MURRAY Butler.
James w. Gerard. Henry p, Davison
George W. Wickersham, Paul D, era.
vath, Herbert Hoover, William Eel
loves Morgan. Alolph Lewisohn, George
roster Peabody, Mrs. John T. Pratt ard
Miss Mary Garrett Hay.
Mr.. Gompers had behind him War
rem 5. Stone, +. f. King, C. f. Whitney,
frank Morrison. James P. Holland, Mrs.
Sarah Conboy, Edward |. Hannah and
others prominent in labor
Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"
from the pipe organ on the stage. Alton
b Parker made short Introductory
speech In which he appealed fer par
tlsans of each to listen with courtesy
and respect to arguments which may be
opposed to their views"
lhe boxes were filled TO overf1oWinp
and the floor Of the hall was alternated,
row by row, with supporters of each
side. More than $50 of Governor
Aliens supporters wore yellow sun
flowers on their coats, emblematc of
Kansas.
Crowd Evenly Divided
b No official decision at the conclusion
OF the debate was rendered. but judg-
ing from boos and Kisses it appeared
that the crowd was evenly divided.
Mr.. Gompers arose promptly at
O'Clock and was cheered for two min
utes. He rebuked the enthusiasm as
sertlng that it was stealing his time.
Mr.. Gompers began with a quotation
from Shakespeare, saying:
shakespeare puts into the mouth Of
Brutus this wondrous warning: There
Is TIDE in the affairs of men which
I taken at the food leads on to fortune;
omitted, all the voyage of their life is
bound in shadows and in miseres'
We are now at the parting of the
ways in the great controversies which
arc occupying the minds of our people.
On the one hand we have the great
constructive movement for progress,
for civilization, and with all the tasks
these impose; and, on the other hand,
we have those who are leading the
course of reaction, of injustice, Of
tyranny.
Fundamental Principles
Il want to lay down a few funda-
mental principles now
These were READ by Mrs. Sarah A.
Conboy.
& The fact that the voluntary organi-
cations of the wage workers are de-
iclared by the courts to be trusts and
combinations in illegal restraint of
trade does not necessarily so consti-
tute them. In fact, the unions of work
ers are not trusts. None of their
achievements in behalf of the toilers
or society at large can be confused
with the selfish and pernicious activi-
ties of the illegal trusts. The trust,
even at its best, is an organization of
a few to monopolize production and
control distribution of material prod
Iucts
The voluntary associations of the
wage workers for mutual benefit and
assistance are essentially different
though the unions of workers endenvor
to control the disposition of the labor
power OF their members, this fact must
not be lost sight of: that the power of
labor is not a material commodity
There can be no trust in ANYTHING
which is not yet produced. The human
power to produce is the antithesis of
the material commodities which be-
come the subject of the trust control.
"A
flesh and blood, brain and Drawn. 1t
IS part of the human being; it is the
human power to produce. In their very
nature the associat tions of men to pro-
tect and advance the rights and the
powers of mans untrammeled owner
ship of himself and his power to labor
cannot and ought not to be regarded
as either trusts, corporations or con-
splracles IN illegal restraint Of trade.
Principles in Statutes
The Clayton act, declaring that the
labor of a human being is not COM
modify or article of commerce, put
these principles on the United States
statute books.
1T is not my desire to attempt to
call into question the motives of those
who are engaged in an effort to make
the workers subservient to their
MASTERS nave no 1eellng IN my heart
against those who are trying to make
strikes, cessations of labor, unlawful
and criminal.
Il can see in them, as | have seen
and as you have seen, men who, tired
and impatient of the struggle of the
human family, want to find royal
road to the goal of tranquility and
peace.
Strikes Uncomfortable
There are some who would, in the
effort to tie the men to labor to their
Jobs, to their tasks, go back to the
ages that have been luckily and gladly
passed over by which the man cf labor
was not only slave but serf, and
who was. if he and his associated
themselves for the purpose of i'm
. proving their material condition,
J charged with conspiracy to rob their
employers of their labor, and who, for
. the first otfense, had had their ears
cut off and for the second were
/ branded upon their foreheads with a
red-hot iron with the letter "V." in
! dicating vagabond. Tor the next Of
fense they were branded as slaves for
! ever and hanged to the gibbet
s; Il have seen, in my more than fifty
: years of service to my fellows. many,
: many nostrums proposed that shall
s reach the goal Of life without any fur
\ ther ado. | agree that strikes and
s cessatlons of work are uncomfortable,
make for inconvenience, but, my
Fl trends thhrp ara como tb;pr, .,,o.r,