Samuel Gompers to Woodrow Wilson

Title

Samuel Gompers to Woodrow Wilson

Creator

Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924

Identifier

WWP25122

Date

1918 August 14

Description

American Federation of Labor complains about the Man Power Bill.

Source

Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers

Publisher

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum

Subject

Labor unions--United States
World War, 1914-1918--United States

Contributor

Danna Faulds

Language

English

Provenance

Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.

Text

Sir:-

The Senate Committee on Military Affairs has incorporated a provision in the new draft act stipulating that those registrants who are placed in exempt or deferred classes shall become subject to military draft if they do not remain steadily at work when physically able. The amendment in this respect reads as follows:

“Persons engaged in occupations or employments found to be necessary to the maintenance of the military establishment, or the effective operation of the military forces, or the maintenance of national interest during the emergency, provided, that, when any person shall have been placed in a deferred or exempted class for any of the reasons in this paragraph set forth, he shall not be entitled to remain therein unless he shall in good faith continue, while physically able to do so, to work at and follow such occupation, employment, or business, and if he fails so to do shall again become subject to the draft; the President shall make regulations for enforcing this provision.”

This provision clearly means that the Act will provide not military draft alone, but draft for all labor in occupations at home.

The membership of the American Federation of Labor has but one purpose in this war--to win the war. Its purpose is to so conduct itself as to give the greatest possible strength to our country.

The American Federation of Labor has given every service at its command to make the military draft a success thus far, and it will continue to do so. It has voluntarily rendered full and unselfish service in industry. It has taken great pride in giving freely its best service to the Republic.

The American Federation of Labor must, however, protest most emphatically against any measure which aims to place the working people of the country under the draft compulsion in industry. American labor would at once regard such a measure as a direct attack upon its integrity, and affront to its pride in past achievement and a suspicion concerning its motives for the future.

It will be unnecessary for me to recall to you the record of conduct and achievement made by American Labor since our country entered the war, but may I call to your attention the fact that in England where there exists legislation affecting Labor in a much more compulsory manner than in the United States, there has been a record of more wide-spread disaffection and stoppage of work.

American workers ask but one thing and that is that they may have the opportunity to work under conditions that will permit them to give their best service to the country. They are ardent in their desire to serve fully and continuously. They recognize fully what is at stake in this great struggle. They need no compulsion, and I am sure I voice their views when I say that they will feel the keenest resentment at any attempt to compel them to give that which they are already giving gladly in a cause which they hold more sacred than life.

It seems to me improbable that this proposed compulsory legislation meets your conception of what needs to be or ought to be done and I express to you the protest of organized Labor against the contemplated compulsory provision in the belief that it will find agreement in your own view of what is just and right.

Respectfully yours,

Saml. Gompers.
President,
American Federation of Labor.


Honorable Woodrow Wilson,
President of the United States,
Washington, DC

Original Format

Letter

To

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/WWI1128.pdf

Collection

Citation

Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924, “Samuel Gompers to Woodrow Wilson,” 1918 August 14, WWP25122, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.