Summit County Labor News

Truman Honors Gompers as
Labor Movement Founder

Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, with the exception of one year, from its founding in 1881 to his death in 1924 was honored as the "architect and builder of the American labor movement" at the dedication of Gompers Square, a triangular park containing a massive Gompers monument.

President Truman, who dedicated the park, praised Gompers as a leader who fought "a long, unending fight for human justice."

"It is an unending fight because the forces of reaction never give up," Truman continued. "They have the money and they have the power and they never really believe the people ought to govern themselves."

Great progress, he said, had been made since Gompers' day. "We no longer subscribe," he added, "to the nonsensical idea that economic well-being trickles down the scale from the

well-to-do and the wage earner. We have prayed that if the wage earner and farmer are prosperous and secure the rest of the people will be prosperous and secure. Today, the working people of the United States are better off than any workers in history.

The President's address was featured by a pledge to continue the fight for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act and a slashing attack on enemies of inflation control. He assailed the influence of profit-seeking special interests and charged Congress failed to provide the means for effective curb of inflation.

The administration, Truman said, although trying to do its best was unable to hold prices down because scores of special interests have ganged up for the purpose of securing short-run advantages for themselves at the expense of the rest of us.

Truman said that throughout its fight for human justice, a stable economy, rising production and world peace, the American labor movement had followed the principles of Samuel Gompers. "And," he added, departing from the text of his prepared speech, "all these principles have been carried forward by my friend here, William Green."

AFL President William Green sat directly to the right of the President and on the left of Margaret Truman, who accompanied her father to the dedication ceremonies.

"Samuel Gompers strove to keep America's wage earners free - free from dictation whether from employers or from Government," Green said in one of the chief addresses. "These fundamental purposes made him the leading opponent of Karl Marx, who urged workers to seize and operate the government to solve their work problems," Green added. "Marx taught the erroneous doctrine that economic methods and conditions determine the social, political and intellectual life of men. Gompers made war on such doctrine and relentlessly attacked the disciples of Marx--both Socialist and Communist--for their philosophy took no account of the soul of man."

Secretary of the Interior Oscar L. Chapman, who served as master of ceremonies, said that Gompers was "not only a great trade unionist, but a great educator." He said in large degree the "strength of America can be attributed to the fact that we are free of class struggle," and that it was due in large part to the work of Gompers.

"In naming the park for Mr. Gompers," Chapman said, "we are acknowledging that Samuel Gompers was one of the architects of the noble American house in which we are privileged to live while we work out our destiny as a free people."

Other speakers were Secretary of Labor Maurice J. Tobin and Clement F. Preller, president of the Washington Central Labor Union, who made the welcoming address. The invocation was by the Rev. George C. Higgins, National Council of Catholic Men. Rabbi Louis Barish gave the benediction. There was a band concert by the Musicians Union, Paul Schwarz, president.

Special guests included two close associates of Samuel Gompers, John P. Frey, retired president of the AFL Metal Trades Department and Miss Florence C. Thorne, still active in the AFL research department. Another special guest was Mrs. Florence Gompers MacKay of Washington, a granddaughter of the AFL founder. President Truman read a letter from Mrs. Samuel Gompers, expressing regret that her health would not permit her to attend and her thanks for "the great tribute to my late husband."

Gompers Square is on Massachusetts Avenue, between 10th and 11th Streets, a block from the AFL building and the International Association of Machinists building. Naming of the square in honor of Gompers was first suggested some months ago by John Herling, editor and publisher of John Herling's Labor Letter. The suggestion was taken up by the Washington Central Labor Union and other organizations and individuals.

The Gompers Monument shows the AFL founder seated, surrounded by figures symbolizing justice, liberty and other principles of organized labor. On the face of the monument are famous messages from Gompers urging labor to hold fast to voluntary principles and shun compulsion. The monument was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt Oct. 7, 1933. It is the work of Sculptor Robert Aitken and was paid for by voluntary contributions from working men and women throughout the nation.