Vauclain vs. Gompers

Samuel Vauclain, president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, created a sensation by a speech before the New Orleans Association of Commerce. He brought 500 business men to their feet cheering when he declared: " Samuel Gompers says dire things will happen if we have open shops. My God! Have any of you gentlemen ever seen Samuel Gompers? Will you tell me what there is to be afraid of?

" I've got 25,000 men working for me in a little foundry back East," continued Mr. Vauclain. " I'd like to see any union labor leader start something among them. Why, when the railway strike was starting a bunch of labor delegates came around to the plant. In 20 minutes I had every damned one of them in jail. I was told that I had no right to put them in jail. I said: ' But they're in jail, aren't they? Now go and get them out.' You've got to act quick when you're facing a crisis."

Samuel Gompers replied to Mr. Vauclain's remarks by denouncing his industrial attitude as "best typified by Lenin and Trotzky and their gang." "Trade unionism and freedom will come to Mr. Vauclain's shops," continued Mr. Gompers. " We shall not make threats. We leave that to him. But freedom will come, even into the last fastness of reaction. Neither Mr. Vauclain, Mr. Gary, nor any other autocrat can forever drive slaves on a tyrant's terms in the Republic of the United States. He does poorly to fling his brutal taunt into the faces of American manhood. The late George Baer once said that captains of industry were God's trustees. General Bell once said: ' To hell with the Constitution.' Mr. Vauclain seems to have combined their formulas.

Mr. Vauclain is a solemn looking man, tall and well set up. He wears a "cutaway " as a uniform and looks not unlike a bishop. He works from 7 A. M. to closing and can be seen by anybody at any time.

Born in Philadelphia in 1856, he was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and began work at the Altoona shop of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Since 1919 he has been president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works.