St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-26
Ben Harrison Denounced by
Every Labor Organization
in Indiana.
His Chinese and Railroad Rec
ord While a Member of
the Senate.
Workingmen Hold the Bal
anee OF Power in the Hoos-
Iep State.
Germans Opposed to Him on
Account Of His Know
Nothing Record.

From Thursdays Chicago Trib-
une, Leading Republican Organ
in the West.
Ihe sensation of the hour is the an.
nounced advocacy of the Union Labor
Party OF Indiana for Gresham. Its rep
resentatlveS are here and are working
quietly, but openly and systematically
Tor his nomination. Their course is as
openly lndorsed by the officers of the
party In Chicago and by resident ma
tional officers. An incident of the situ-
ation Is their pronounced hostility to
Harrison.
There are eight labor leaders here
from Indiana engaged in the work.
Ihey are: John Bodenmiller, president
OF the Pressman's Union of Indianapo-
lis; Milton Farnum, organizer for Indi-
ana of the Federation of Trades. a ma
tlonal organizations; John F. White.
president of the Hairspinners' Union of
indianapolis; I. M. Gruelle, of the La
Dor Signal, president of the Central La
Dor Union of Indianapolis, and national
chairman last year of the Union Labor
party; William Smith, president of the
Iaihters. Union OF Indianapolis; and
OF the Capital District Knights of I,abor
which extends for fifty miles around In,
dianapolis.
LII is thus apparent that the announce
ment comes with authority. The posi-
tlon OF the Union Labor party is best
set forth in the words of Mr.. Wilson.
He says:
..'One errand here is to endeavor to
bring about the nomination of the best
possible candidate. That candidate
must be an honest man, whose attitude
towards the Interests of the laboring
man has been straightforward and sat
iS1act0ry. Feeling thus and believing
that there is possibility of the NOM
inatlon of Gresham, we are here to aid
IL, II possible, by our efforts in his be-
half. we are opposed to the nomina-
tlon OF Harrison because we believe he
is the weakest candidate with respect
to the support of labor who can be
nominated. We want Gresham, but we
do not demand his nomination. We
will accept any man whose attitude is
favorable towards labor and who can
carry Indiana"
''Do you mean to say that Harrison
cannot carry Indiana?''
Il do. Harrison cannot carry the
state of Indiana, and Gresham can.
Gresham is many thousands stronger
than his party, and | am willing to de-
clare my belief that he can carry the
state by 10000 majority, the largest by
far ever given Republican,
why cannot Harrison carry the
state?"
Because the labor party holds the
balance OF power in Indiana and would
work and vote against him.
IVY hat have you against hlm?"
"He is wrong on the Chinese ques-
ton, and every workingman in the coun-
against the railroad strikers. When he
was in the senate we put bills in his
care. He had them referred to commit
tees, and that is the last ever heard of
them. At the time of the senatorial
canvass there was not labor organiza-
ton that did not pass resolutions de-
nOuncing him. That shows how labor
regards him in Indiana. | mean
what | say when l state
that labor holds the balance
of power in Indiana. We voted for Por-
ter and he was elected We voted
against Calkins and for Gray last time
and Gray was elected. l can give you
any number of instances where we took
decided action and carried the day.
When Bynum was renominated for con-
greSs two years ago Democratic organ
ization was formed with a strength of
1,5O0 to defeat him. We withheld and
in the face of it elected him by 300
majority. When Robertson Republi-
cam ran for lieutenant governor from
Allen county, the banner Democratic
county. Watson, the Democratic NOM
inee, incurred the displeasure of the
labor party and we quietly boycotted
him. The result was the state was car
ried by the Republicans. When r. A.
Shield was nominated by the Republi-
cans III 1884 or 1885 for state treasurer,
we fought him because he had assisted
the Western Union to fill the places of
striking telegraph operators, and the re-
suit was that he lost the state by 10000
majority"