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[The labor movement is] a movement of the working people, for the working people, by the working people, governed by ourselves, with its policies determined by ourselves.

Samuel Gompers

No lasting gain has ever come from compulsion.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Come Compulsion Ever Gain Lasting
Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people. . . .
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Long Movement Order People Struggle Work
Our mission has been the protection of the wage-worker, now; to increase his wages; to cut hours off the long workday, which was killing him; to improve the safety and the sanitary conditions of the workshop.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Cut Cutting Hour Increase Long Mission Now Protection Safety Wage Workday Kill Worker
The freedom of speech and the freedom of the press have not been granted to the people in order that they may say things which please, and which are based upon accepted thought, but the right to say the things which displease.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Been Freedom Granted Order People Please Press Say Speech Thing
The right to say the things which convey the new and yet unexpected thoughts, the right to say things, even though they do a wrong.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Convey Life New Right Say Thing Through Unexpected Wrong
You can’t weigh the soul of a man with a bar of pig-iron.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Bar Iron Man Pig Soul Weight
There may be here and there a worker who for certain reasons unexplainable to us does not join a union of labor. That is his right. It is his legal right, no matter how morally wrong he may be. It is his legal right, and no one can or dare question his exercise of that legal right.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Certain Exercise Join Labor Reason Unexplainable Union Worker
One fact stands out in bold relief in the history of man’s attempts for betterment. That is that when compulsion is used, only resentment is aroused, and the end is not gained. Only through moral suasion and appeal to man’s reason can a movement succeed.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Arouse Attempt Betterment Bold Compulsion Fact History Man relief Resentment Stand Use
Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Dangerous Done Experiment Fads Ought People Themselves
To free him from the tyrannies, petty or otherwise, which served to make his existence a slavery.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Existence Free Make Otherwise Serve Slavery Tyrannies
You can’t do it unless you organize.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Labor Organized Union
Show me that product of human endeavor in the making of which the workingman has had no share, and I will show you something that society can well dispense with.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Make Man Product Share Show Society Something Working
Do I believe in arbitration? I do. But not in arbitration between the lion and the lamb, in which the lamb is in the morning found inside the lion
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Arbitration Believe Found Inside Lamb Lion Morning Umpires
The trade union movement represents the organized economic power of the workers… It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Economic Movement Organization Organized Power Reality Represent Trade Worker
Let social busybodies and professional “public morals experts” in their fads reflect upon the perils they rashly invite under this pretense of social welfare.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Bodies Busy Moral Peril Pretense Public Social Under Welfare
In the last analysis, the welfare of the workers depends upon their own initiative. Whatever is done under the guise of philanthropy or social morality which in any way lessens initiative is the greatest crime that can be committed against the toilers.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Analyse Committed Crime Depend Gret Guise Initiative Matter Social Toiler

[The labor movement is] a movement of the working people, for the working people, by the working people, governed by ourselves, with its policies determined by ourselves.

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[The labor movement is] a movement of the working people, for the working people, by the working people, governed by ourselves, with its policies determined by ourselves.

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