“Well,” he answered slowly, “I learned both to think and to act, and to
feel strongly enough on these great questions of labor to be willing
to sacrifice my personal convenience for my aims. I have felt great
devotion to the common cause of the manual workers, and I can say
nothing better to young men than,—‘Be devoted to your work.’”
When I asked a very intelligent workingman why Samuel Gompers is so
highly respected by the workers, he replied:—
“Why, because,—because he’s Sam Gompers,—but that doesn’t explain much,
does it? Well, I will say because he has done more for labor than any
other man in this country, because we can trust him down to the ground,
and because he’s in his work heart and soul.”