vernment used special deputies to handle the mail, violence of previously unseen proportions broke loose. The New York World in 1894 reported that the strike was like a "war against the government and society." The public perceived these types of movements by unions as though those strikers were in chaos and did not care about any laws. Due to the chaotic violence brought about through the strikes, the public saw this as an act of anarchy and resented the strikes all together. Besides, most American workers were generally better off than workers in Europe and had more hope of improving their lives. For this reason, the majority did not join labor unions. At this time, many workers in Europe were joining revolutionary labor movements that advocated the abolition of capitalism and the establishment of a new socialist economic system. Most American workers, however, followed the lead of Samuel Gompers, with his highly pragmatic approach to problems of labor. They strove to organize strong unions so that they could demand a greater share in the wealth that they helped to produce. They were not interested in destroying the economic structure of the country but in making it work more effectively for their benefit. Gompers believed that unions should be primarily concerned with the day-to-day welfare of their members and should not become involved in politics. He also was convinced that socialism would not succeed in the United States but that practical demands for higher wages and fewer working hours could achieve the goal of a better life for working people. This was known as "bread and butter" unionism. However, it becomes clear that pure and simple trade unionism is not enough. One has to recognize that politics is important to the labor movement and that there is nothing that labor can win at the bargaining table that cannot be taking away by regulation, legislation or political decision-making. Unionists cannot leave politics alone, ...
