Evening star., 1924-12-14
Compers, "Dean of american Labor Chiefs,''
Made Fight for Democracy Great Work

Daniel Thew Wright of the Supreme
Court OF the District OF Columbia sem
fenced the three labor leaders to Jail
for violation of an injunction prohib-
iting the federation from boycotting
the Bucks Stove and Range Company
OF st. Louis. An appeal carried to the
Supreme Court set aside the convic-
tion on technical grounds; and new
contempt proceedings were instituted.
Another. conviction and sentence in
the lower courts were set aside by the
Supreme Court on the ground that
the statute of Limitation had expired
pe1ore the second proceedings were
begun. D.!
Foe OF InJunctions.
During the seven years this case
was in litigation, Gompers exerted
mis- influence to reform Injunction and
contempt procedure. Court decisions
holding that trade unions could not
straint of trade under the Sherman
antitrust law prompted him to
couple with these reforms q demand
for specific exemption from anti
trust prosecutions for labor organ
izations; All these were Incorporated
in the Clayton revision of the anti
Throughout the twenty years Of
antitrust agitation which followed
the enactment of the Sherman anti
trust law. Mr. Gompers was active in
urging legislation and litigation
against the big com mbinations Of cap
itaI which had grown up in the in
dustrial world. He conducted a cam
paign against the United States Steel
Corporation which cul,ninated in an
exhaustive investigation Of that con.
Germ by a committee OF the House Of
Representatives.
Tr =
american Federation Of Labor Mr.
Gompers was constantly called upon
to avert threatened schisms in the
organization. and to bring together
fse1aona1 fse ,ane elements so ,1 which deveiopsd
compromise after compromise was ef-
fected. and the unity of the fedora
tion was maintained. Throughout
he was a stanch advocate OF the
trade union" system of labor organ
union" system, and his efforts and
| those of his followers developed the
american labor movement along the
lines OF the former plan. He waa
Aliated with the federation to act as
arbitrator and mediator in labor dis
putes, and he probably settled by his
| individual efforts more strikes than
any other man in labor history.
Born I'm London In 1850.
Samuel Gompers was born In Lon
don. England, January 81, 1850. His
father was cigar maker and Samuel
mother was a woman Of excellent edu-
| cation and through her influence he
was led to study, Notwithstanding the
| fact that at the age of ten he began
70 help his father support the family.
| to his tenth year and was then ap-
prentfced to shoemaker This trade
| was not to his liking, however, and
| he learned the trade Of his father
| attended evening school for four
| years - =,
| He came to the United States when
| he was thirteen years old and worked
as q cigar maker In New York city,
IN 1854 he first became Identified with
organize the Cigar Makers Interna
| tional Union. He served as secretary
and president of the union for six
years and under his management ii
ganization. He also edited the local
paper of the cigar makers union, the
| Picket" during that time. II was IN
connection with this work that he
: became interested In a national asso-
| citation Of trade unions that would
preserve the autonomy of the local
| organizations. Under his leadership
| the cigar makers union fought the
Knights Of Labor on this principle,
He served as president Of tho New
| York State Federation OF Labor for
two years. and in 1881 founded the
national federation. serving a III
president for tho nrst ave yeara With
out compensation. -.
Several opportunities to enter pub
He Office were declined by Mr
Gompers at different times in his
career He refused to run for the
| state senate in New York, although
] offered both republican and demo.
cratic nominations He declined a
Gov. Hill of New York offered him
| place on the state board of arbitra
tion and President Mckinley tend
| cred him an appointment on the In.
| dustrial Commission. but he de.lined
| ton for g. treaty between the United
| States and Great Britain ,whioh
would provide for the arbitration ,oi
all disputes.
In 1898 no served 40 9 deiesxse to
the national conferences held At cara
ltoga. N. Y. to discuss ways and means
Ito meet the conditions In the United
| States growing out Of tho Spanish.
American war and he was . msmber
OF the committee that presented the
views of that conference to Presi-
dent Mckinley. ,ss 49,
Allied wfth Civic Federatson.
| Notwithstanding earnest ,opposi-
tion by q substantial part of the
lunion labor element, Mr.. Gompers
took an active part In the orgInfsa-
ftion Of the National Civic Federation
formed to establish better relations
between capital and labor. He repre-
sented labor In. ths federation, and
was vice president Of the oreaniSa-
fion. He also took part tn many
+ con gresSeA conferenoe8 and .conven.
I tons devoted to- tbs pfoinotion oi
| social service. - 80
| He was afiiiiated. with the Society
Tor Ethical Culture Of New York city
established in 1857 by Felix Adler
and in addition to the American Fed
| GRAFTON OF Labor he remained an
International Union. He also be-
longed to the 1ree and Accepted
,Msso!s: the Indspsndsnt order of ODD