We are told that Samuel Gompers is dying; even that he may be already dead.

The old leader of the American Federation of Labor, who has held his office for 43 years, has left the Federation forever; he is not to return any more.

This old man who has been directing the labor movement in American has done much good during his life.

Millions of American toilers have been eagerly listening to the words of Samuel Gompers who had created the labor unions. The existence of these unions has enabled the American proletarians to lead successfully the struggle against capital, to improve their material welfare and their moral status and, finally, to feel that there is a force behind them 2which the wealthy and influential class has to take into consideration and sometimes even to dread; though even now this class sees in the workmen only its slaves.

The workmen, when organized into a union, are a force, a power.

The unorganized mass of workmen is nothing. Nobody considers this unorga-nized mass; the exploiters do not listen to its voice and are not afraid to resort to violence against it.

Samuel Gompers had understood that more than 40 years ago and, having realized that, he devoted himself entirely to the building up of labor unions in America.

Gompers emigrated from England where the workmen had been organized into unions a long time ago. Therefore he knew how such unions could be built 3up. In many respects he was just copying English patterns. In spite of that, the work he was doing was a hard one and at times a thankless one. as he had to organize a mass of workman consisting of people of very different character, speaking different languages and belonging to different nationalities; they did not understand the usefulness of labor unions and often did net want to join them.

Still Gompers, who at that time was full of enemy, overcame all the obstacles.

And the working class of America should recognize that herein lies his great merit.

Of course Gompers has made mistakes. During the last years his attitude towards the immigrants has been particularly inimical, despite the fact that he was an immigrant himself. He was endeavoring to prevent European workmen from coming to America, "so that they could not lower the wages and compete with the Americans," etc.

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This was an important mistake. But who does not make mistakes? Every man is apt to commit them.

The important thing is that all our life does not consist only of mistakes.

In the case of Samuel Gompers we see that, despite his mistakes, he has done a lot of good for the American workmen.

Everybody knows that.

In one of the previous editorials of the Russian Herald we read the following:

"Samuel Gompers, in spite of all his mistakes, has done much good for the workmen of America. He has organized unions, he founded the Federation of Labor, he has succeeded in getting higher wages for the workmen, etc.

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"This is enough for the old man. Further improvements will be achieved in the American labor movement by others: by the young generation."

These words were written when nobody was thinking about Gompers' death, at the time when a new Board of the American Federation of Labor was being elected, and Samuel Gompers was re-elected president.

These words proved to be prophetic: old man Gompers is leaving us, and his place will be taken by young leaders of the American workmen - new men with new thoughts and ideals.