Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-01-09
GOMPER'S LAST SPEECH
DELIVERED IN MEXICO;
farewell TO DELEGATES

On December 6, 1924, Samuel Com
aars delivered the last address of his
sareer before the convention Of the
pzn American Federation of Labor In
.gxice City. 1t was in the nature of
fafewell to the departing British
Eternal delegates. 1t contained more
IAN farewell, however. Much un-
#5btedlv lay behind the words con-
.s#saa in that brief message of bon
.@yage. That Mr.. Gompers intended
.sis message to be formulation of
.=.neiples upon which the renewal of
.sffruational relationship with the
F5rapean labor movements might be
asssible is believed by his close asso-
s#4teS TO have been the case. He was
wing the British delegates a message
= AXE with them to European labor
- broad gesture of friendship and
5qsire for renewed fraternal relations.
Tais is the last address delivered by
lie departed leader:
/ wish just to say that you leave
to you, Brothers Cramp and
SUales-I am sure | express the hope
aa8 sentiment of my associates and
GsIeqates and the visitors to this con-
x.n.ion-for your pleasant Journey TO
vair homes, and that you may find
fBera in the movement with which you
s,e associated new fields of endeayor,
new opportunities for progress.
This problem with which we are
confronted in the western hemisphere
Is enc which requires much OF our
time. There are several countries In
America in which for two or more
mea To quit work, or to organize tenn
uararily, for the consideration of their
interests is crime, as it was just
a little more than hundred years ago
in England. Many of these countries
are agricuitural and primitive. And
sgstcm of peonage such as | have
indicated as existing in some of these
countries and the right of free labor
in Mexico and in the United States
and Canada-that can not long con-
tinue. Either one will be entirely free
or the others will be entirely enslaved.
We have determined, so far as
humans may be in a position to de-
termine, that the day of slavery and
peonage shall come to an end for all
time. Ii is diificdit for men, how
ever great their knowledge, to have a
complete understanding of situations
and conditions which prevail at least
from three to six or seven thousand
miles away, and in view of the fact
that We have immigration of all char
aeters coming westward, we have
within our borders men who seeming
" do not have the interests or the
desires or the opportunities to under
stand the great problems with which
We are confronted in this hemisphere,
and they either go back to their
home countries, or, if they remain in
cur countries, they write back home
ard give a whole. entire misrepre-
sentation of the situation with which
We are confronted and the ideas and
deals with which we are impreg gnated,
fer the purpose of doing our work,
and they tell our labor men of Europe
more facts which are untrue than
can be comprised by whole diction-
ary--and the work in which our men
and women are engaged, the whole
character of our men and women,
reoresented as charletans, barnacles
upon the economic body polite of the
world.
Our task is very difficult one, but
We are undertaking to do it, to meet
II and to help wherever we can, and
it Is fortunate for us, as it is good
for you perhaps, that you have been
with US and seen US at our work. You
have seen us at our best, and you have
seen US at our worst, Take home the
picture of our work and our efforts.
We have no intimate knowledge of
your problems. We know that you
are best qualified to deal with them.
So you go on in your way, and we
will go on working in our way, and
if We can come closer in spirit and If
We can organize in fact and operation,
1t will be good.
In our sympathetic cooperation with
you and your work and doing what
Ne can in our own humble way to aid
You, we leave you to determine poll
cies and practices as best becomes
the situation with which you are
surrounded. We are justified in re-
curing as an element of justice and
freedom of opportunity to ask that
our movement have a right to determ-
inc our own policies, our own prac-
ices, which do not conflict with the