The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-14
SAMUEL GOMPERS.

nounced, for the federation. full and unqualified support of the government on the part of Americas workers, with the promise that leaders of labor would use their influence to prevent any at tempt to take advantage of the war emergency to press claims for changes in existing industrial conditions. He exerted his influence, through the heads of unions. in the settlement of a num- Der of strikes in manufactories through out the county engaged in war work, notably in the shipping industry.
 Following the abdication of Emperor Nicholas of Russia, Mir. Gompers sent message to the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers Delegates at Petrograd, warning them against agitators, par ticularly those in the employ of Ger | many.
 The midsummer of 1917. MT. Comp CTS formed and headed the American Alliance for Labor and Democracy, which marshalled the labor forces at the country for active support of the gov ernment in the war. Coincidently he de- nounced various peace councils" or ganized in the United States as mask ing a nefarious propaganda of treachery in the name of democracy
 Later, speaking, as he announced, for American labor, Mir. Gompers declaed thart "so long as Germany is ruled by an autocrat, so long as Germans Oc- cupy one inch of French, Belgian or | Serbian soil, it is useless to invite rep resentatives of the workers of the United States to talk peace across a conference table" He again pledged American labor unreservedly to winning the war.
 Leads Strikers
 Mir. Gompers was intimately con nected with almost every great labor dispute in this country for 30 years and headed the labor forces in numerous strikes.
 He was father of much legislation, both state and national, designed to re- lieve and protect the workingman. In recent years large part of his time was spent before legislative committees suggesting, supporting and framing la bor legislation.
 Prior to his founding the national la bOr organization in 1881, the labor movement was in the hands of compara lively small, individual unions, in tht various states, working without mucf real cooperation. By forming the fed eration, he welded the entire movement into a nationwide, compact unit which grew to be power in the political, com nercial and industrial life of the coun try.
 Among the laws Gompers framed supported, or originated, were, tn, eight-hour law for government em ployes; the various state laws fixin: hours of labor; laws establishing Labol Day as the workingmen's holiday; tn, Federal Workingmen's compensation laws; the law limiting the use of in functions in labor disputes; the law ex empting labor unions from prosecution as combinations in retraint of trade and the law regulating punishment fol contempt of court. He was also direct ly responsible for the legislation whicl created the department of labor as seperate department of the federal gov ernment with a cabinet member at it head.
 The legislation exempting trad unions from the antitrust laws, regu lating punishment for contempt, ant limiting the use of the injunction whicl was included in the Clayton anti-trus law passed by the sixty-third congress grew out of litigation against trad unions and their. officials, with whicl Gompers was directly concerned. I'll