The Connecticut labor news., 1923-11-24
GOMPERS REVIEWS A. F. |. PROGRESS IN
 43 YEARS OF LIFE
President Points Out That Whole
 Status of Workingman Has Changed Since 1881.

On November IS, 1881 the American Federation of Labor came into existence and the forty-second anniversary of that important event was marked by the many congratulations receiceved by Pre- sident Samuel Gompers i'll his office from callers and from distant points by wire and letter
 Conditions today, after forty-two eyars of effort and organization, are vastly different than they were when the American Federation of Labor was or ganized," said MT. Gompers in state ment to newspapers.
 had almost to begin at the beginning i'll the effort to remove injustices, many of which were the heritage of the Euro pean feudal system and many more of which were the result of ignorance and of carelessness of human life.
 Employers took thought only of wage earners as instruments to be used as tools were used-to be used and cast aside Legislators gave no heed to the needs of the toiling masses. The whole field was field in which labor's con tentionS had to start at the very bottom.
 Gradually abuses have been elimina- ted. The twelve hour day ha sgone The conception that worker IS a piece
 
 has gone. The contention that a worker IS entitled to no voice in determining the conditions under which he shall give ser vice to society has all but gone. It ling CTS only i'll the darkest corners of our industrial order
 Largely as a result of the struggle by the wage earners for a better life, for more of freedom, for better living and 1 working conditions, for more adequate wage and for a fairer opportunity, the United States stands head and shoulders above every other nation in the world in point of average human happiness and human well-being.
 We still have our problems, and among them are some of the first magni- tude. But they are not the problems of the early days when 1t was necessary to hght for chance to exercise voice, tor a chance to speak We have estab- lished fundamental principles; and the problems of today are largely problems of how to apply established principles of justice and freedom in order to continue the wonderful progress that has been made III our country and by our country.
 In 1881 there were but a handful of organized wage earners. Today there are six millions of them, numbering in their ranks the finest citizenship in L. understanding the needs of our time and having tine determination and the intelli- gence necessary to cope with the great problems of our day.
 Most of the great contentious of the | trade union movement have won general public approval and support Most of the important contentious of the trade I , union movement have dealth with ques- tlons of vital importance to the whole citizenship and not only to wage earners. Such one was the movement for uni Versal suffrage and such one was the movement to abolish exploitation of prisoners for private profit. Such a one was the effort, still continued, to pre- vent flooding of our country with un- assimilable Immigrants
 We continue and we shall continue to struggle flor those things that mean a better citizenship everywhere and for all, | though our first concern IS the protection of the rights and interests of the wage earners.
 Truly there has been progress-won- derful progress-in the forty-two years of American Federation of Labor exis- tence and activity. There IS the whole world today no organization SO power ful, and yet so disciplined and restrained III the use of its power. And there is
 
 for the general good of all.
 This anniversary is merely a mile stone; 1t is not stopping point or even breathing point The issue of the day are pressing and ever-changing. A new congress IS about to come into being, necessitating the utmost vigilance The childhood of our nation must be freed and this freedom for childhood, anachro- nism as the issue may be in this advanced age, IS one of the great issues that must confront that congress.
 Industrial changes are taking place, presenting great issues, not only of labor organizations, but of general policy. The arena IS filled with issues that demand thought, vision and constructive action. In forty-two years of continuous strug- gle and effort the labor movement has given a guarantee of its character, sta bility and purpose. It stands forth as a protector of the institutions of freedom, guardian of the bill of rights, great protagonist of equality of opportunity, and an unfaltering champion of the prirl- ciples of democracy as the guiding prirl- ciples i'll the great affairs of our political and industrial life"
 In honor of the event the American Federation of Labor Building was fes- tooned with a full dress of American flags.