The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-09-28
LABOR IN POLITICS.


far developed rs to be read clearly, il
to persuade organized labor that it has
NO proper place in politics, and that it
would be injurious to union to take
part in political contests. The mode Of
persuasion is rs plain rs the motive.
Individuals possessing influence in their
several unions are appro .che and by
verbal argument or otherwise it i
sought to enlist them against the now
popular proposition that organized Ia
Dor should vote Tor its own representa-
tives-that it is fall .cious. and will not
result rs well for the fuse as would CO.
operation with one or the other Of the
old parties.
1t is hardly nece sary to state tina! all
such approaches are made without tho
ightest reg ,rd Tor the real interests of
labor The soiiritnde is entirely in be-
h,lf Of the old parties. The Demo-
cratic manipulators are ready to adopt
any measure toward keeping their
strong holds sol d. and the Republicans
are ls vigorously bent on main aiming
taeir strength intact. They both recog-
nize that the November election in Penn
svlvania il to be close shave all around,
and therefore their eff ,rts toward pre-
venting workingmen from voting for
+ workingmen and retaining them accord
ing to their old party affiliations. Says
the Democratic boss: Assist us and We
will do all you wish" Says the Re-
publican boss: Assist MS and we will
10 all You wish" Judged by the light
of experience they are both lying as
usual. Assist the one or the other
and it will amount to just what it has
amounted to in the past-absolutely
nothing Labor is surfeited with polit-
ical promises, made to be broken and
invariably smashed without the ghost
Of IN apology. About election time
these promises are plenty; committees
to investigate labor affairs are set going
by Legislative bodies, duly wound up to
run until the votes are polled, when
they run down and stop short.
Ii was SO with Hewitt's commit
tee wich investigated exhaustivelv
into labor complaints, and Congress re-
fused it the privilege to report. 1t was
SO with the Pennsylvania Legislative
committee on contract convict labor.
which got SO far rs to publish its re-
port. hut Mt this stage the report was
dropped out of sight by the Legislature.
Whether Democratic or Republican leg
islatiye bodies. the same result is certain
before election much fuss and hypo-
critical determination to probe to the
bottom and right wrongs: after election
an aching void, a blank: the whole mat
ter falls prone: the workingmen voters
have been influenced and no necessity
exists To pursue ills further until an
other campaign shall move the bosses
to repeat the same old sell on innocent,
unsuspecting, iliotie labor.
Another illustration is the Eight Hour
law passed by Congress. 1t was put
through in such shape as to be practi-
calls imperative. though now it is be-
ing galvanized into life to serve the
purpose of the fall campaign. 1t is inn
possible indeed to turn to any act Of the
old parties ostensibly in the interests of
labor that does not show under its sur
face arrant demagogism-a mine of n.y.
\ pocrisv and premeditatedf false pretense.
The workingmen of America should.
after the experience of years he, we'll
grounded in the belief that they can se-
cure the repeal of obnoxious laws. the
Enforcement Of good laws aud the adop-
ton Of laws required to assure their
welfare, only by taking the bit in their
teeth and making determined bolt in
to party of their own. In this State
more particularly what can they hope
for from any of the three tickets nomi-
mated BY the Republicans and Demo-
Gratis. filled ont as they are by an array
Of lawyers? How can II. Of J.. con-
sistently vote for men of that profession
when the rules of the organization re-
ice. such from memberships -L aLor
Tribune