Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-09-09
PERsHlNe AND GoMPERs
Testy Little spat on Question Of who
Won the War.

General Pershing and Samuel
Gompers had n tilt in Washington,
Tuesday night given at the conclusion
of the exercises celebrating La
Fayette- Marine. Day. At least official
Washington records it as a clash oyer
the question of whether labor won the
war. Mr.. Gompers had spoken on the
after dinner. programme and while he
made no claim that labor won the war,
he did tell the record of the American
Federation Of Labor during the war
and declared that previous to the en-
try of the United States its sympathy
was with the cause of the allies. Gen
eral Pershing however, apparently re-
garded MI Gompers's remarks as a
claim that labor had won the war.
Some of those who Jheard his remarks
quote him as having said substantial
ly: "The policies of this republic are
not determined by labor unions or by
any other organizations, but by the
concensus of opinion of its patriotic
citizens of whatever affiliations.
want to say that every American is a
patriot whether he belongs to some
labor organization or is just an ordt-
nary citizen and that 1t isn't ques-
.tion Of labor unions, 1t isn't a question
of any organization, IL isn't a ques-
tion of whether we belong to some as
.sociation or not. It, is a question of
whether we are loyal citizens OF the
United States. I am here to say to
you that the members Of the labor
unions weren't the only ones who won
the war. 1t was the citizens who in
herited their patriotism from their
forefathers who came across In the
Mayf1ower and helped determine and
decide the independence OF America as
well as those who have adopted Amer
lean institutions as their own. IL
seems to be about time for us to rise
up and say that America shall be ruled
and governed by American citizens
and not by organizations which have
their own selfish purposes to serve"
The incident however, did net develop
into a debate and ended with General
Persning's speech.
Washington, Sept. 7.-Samuel Comp
ers issued the following statement to-
night in connection with what official
Washington regards as a tilt between
General Pershing and the president OF
the American Federation of Labor at
the conclusion OF the exercises here
Tuesday celebrating lafayette -Marne
day:l General Pershing is quoted In
the newspapers today as having said,
1t wusn't labor that won the war. II
seems to me it's time for some one to
say that 1t wasn't this association or
that which won the war-it was the
loyalty of all the straight forward
American citizens which brought sue
cess to the allied cause 1t is to be
presumed that those who read the ex-
tract from General Pershings speech
at the Lafayette Marne day banquet
concluded that in my address which
preceded I had made the claim that
labor won the war, OF course / made
no such statement and much as ! re-
gret the necessity for saying so, there
was no ground for the rather testy
remarks of the leader whom we all ad-
mire and to whom we all owe q great
debt. With everything else contained
in General Pershing's speech l found
myself in full accord. regret ex-
'ceedingly that I should have made 1t
necessary for me TO make this state
ment. I have been proud of the re-
cord Of labor during the war. 1t was
a magnificent record; unsurpassed by
labor anywhere, unequalled by labor
IN any other country. l am proud
that this record should have been made
by American labor. That I repeat and
ShaIl ropeot yheneyer IL seeing Oppor-
tune or necessary. / did not say that
labor won the war. / offered no rea-
son and no excuse in my remarks for
what General Pershing had to say.
regret, as perhaps he himself now
does, his lack Of tact, his impropriety.
General Pershing is a brave and
splendid soldier and pay him the tri-
butte of saying that his generalshir on
the battle field Is much better than his
generalship as an after-dinner speak
er."