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You can’t do it unless you organize.

Samuel Gompers

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 labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Article Commerce Commodity Human Being Labor
The periods of unemployment accompanying depression in the business cycle . . . present a challenge to all our claims to progress, humanity, and civilization.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Accompanying Business Business Cycle Challenge Civilization Depression Employment Period Progress Une
Workingmen are at the foundation of society.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Endeavor Foundation Men Share Society Working
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
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.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Determinedlabor Governed Lace Movement People Policies Work
Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people. . . .
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Long Movement Order People Struggle Work
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
What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Arsenal Beautiful Book Labor Less More Nature Opportunity Revenge Schoolhouse
No race of barbarians ever existed yet offered up children for money
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Children Economic Inequality Este Money Offer Race Vbarbarian
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
So long as we have held fast to voluntary principles and have been actuated and inspired by the spirit of service.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Actuated Decision Inspire Long Principle Service Spirit Voluntary Wise
The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Against Business Company Crime Fail Failure Operate People Profit Worst
Labor Day is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Art Day Dead Devoted Labor Living Men Nation No Race
Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better men, time to become better women, time to become better and more independent citizens.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Bvaluable Earth Fraternal Independent Men Out Relation Thinking Time
The man who has his millions will want everything he can lay his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil who wants ten cents more a day.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Cent Devil Everything Hand Lay Man Million Poor Ten Voice
To be free, the workers must have choice. To have choice they must retain in their own hands the right to determine under what conditions they will work.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Choice Condition Determine Hand Must Own Retain Right Under Worker
Show me the country that has no strikes and I’ll show you the country in which there is no liberty.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Country Liberty Show Strike
There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too long endured that we are not determined to abolish.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Abolish Aspire Denied Determine Endure Long Order Right Wrong
All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Dayis devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Amn Battle Conflict Connect Degree Holiday Less Man Other Over Power Race
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 working people know no country. They are citizens of the world.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Citizen Country Know People World
You can’t do it unless you organize.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Labor Organized Union
No lasting gain has ever come from compulsion.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Come Compulsion Ever Gain Lasting
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
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.

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You can’t do it unless you organize.

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