Evening star., 1945-12-23
Fifty Years Ago
An event of the very highest impor-
tance in the trade-union movement was

An event OF the very highest lmpOr-
tance in the trade-union movement was
chronicled in The Star
Mr.. Gompers for December 1s. 1895.
Victorious as follows: Samuel
Gompers was elected
president of the American Federation of
Labor in New York Saturday afternoon
by a majority Of 18 votes over John
Mcbride, his only opponent. The vote
was: Gompers, 1.041: Mcbride, 1923.
Every Socialist delegate voted for Nc
Bride" Mr.. Gompers (who already had
served as president of the organization
from Its start in 1886 until l894 kept
the office he so narrowly achieved until
htSdeath on December Is, 1924. 1t never
again happened that his leadership was
in any serious danger.
Historians commonly do not think of
Grover Cleveland as having been q
master Of Eng
venezuelon Boundary lish prose. Yet
ro,,,,v.,.v he could and
did write his
native language trenchantly and melli-
huously even when he was deeply dis
turbed. For example. the final para
graph of the message which he sent to
Congress on the Venezuelan boundary
dispute, printed in The Star on Deem
Der II, 1895. may be cited. 1t reads:
Il am, nevertheless. firm in my convic-
ton that while it is grievouS thing to
1ota Stx~ c1,
speaking peoples of the werld as being
otherwise than friendly competitors in
the onward march of civilization and
strenuous and worthy rivals in all the
arts Of peace, there is no calamity which
a great nation can invite which equals
that which follows a supine submission
to wrong and injustice and the conse-
quent loss of national self-respect and
honor beneath which is shielded and
defended a peoples safety and great
ness"
An editorial in The Star for December
1S, 1895, discussed the views of officials
in Great Britain
British Reaction regarding Mr.. Cleve-
To MESSAGE lands declaration of
America for Amer
leans" in part as follows: 1.-The position
taken by Lord Salisbury is absolutely
untenable. Public opinion in England
ought to force the English government
to prompt and amicable settlement
with Venezuela. England ought
to recognize that South America is not
Africa and that she cannot fix the line
arbitrarily to suit herself. The United
States has neither formed nor expressed
an opinion as to where the true boun-
Diary line lies. But it has declared that
what nobody but England denies to be
Venezuelan property, and what it be-
comes convinced is Venezuelan property.
shall not be forcibly taken from the
American and placed under the Euro
pean system, If it can prevent by any
means the aggression"
\ +
The Star of December 10, 1895. re-
ported that: Washington will see its
first street railway mail
Trolley Line car next Monday morn
Post Office ing. The new car in
tended for this pur-
pose has been fitted up in the WASH
ington and Georgetown Power Building
and Is now ready for service. It is of
the usual length Of q trailer, equipped
IN miniature way precisely like large
steam railway mail car, with distribute
ing table, letter and paper pigeonholes
and cases and pouch stands. This car
will run on regular schedule between
the terminus of the main branch Of the
washington & Georgetown Railway In
Georgetown and at the Navy Yard.
making l3 round trips daily. It will thus
carry mail to stations along the route
rs times day"
Woodward & Lothrop's advertisement
In The Star for December 20. 1895 fea-
tured holiday
Gifts With presents" from
international Flavor many different
parts of the
world. The list included: India cushions.
Bagdad cushions, delft crepe cushions,
Turkish water pipes, Benares brass
cobras and candlesticks, Kus-Kus and
peacock fans, Moorish lamps, India
Dhurri couch covers. Japanese screens.