The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-08-29
HARRIsoN ON LABOR.
Why worisingznen Oppose the Republican
Ca1,Siitlatf

Candidate.
Since the publication IN The Herald of
June % of an interview between The
Herald correspondent and Edwin r.
Gould, of the Indiana Knights of Labor,
topching upon the subject of BENJAMIN
Harrison's labor record, Mr. Gould has
been kept busy answering correspondence
ON the subjeet-
a large portion OF the letters received
are from promiIient representatives of the
! order, among them are many written by
/ delegates who met Mr.. Gonld at the Rich
| mond and Minneapolis sessions, and all of
/ them indicate that vigorous fight is
I being nn6e fy the laboring classes
against Mr.. Hax ison.
Mr.. GouLD's FURTHER STATEMENT.
Haar correspondent asked Mr.. Gould:
.boes Mr.. Harrison deny these state
mentsg"
NO, he does not. His friends do this
| for him To prove his attitude we will
go by the figures Gonceding that actions
speak louder than words, Lo must admit
what has been charged to be absolutely
true In 1878 the wages of yardmen
wore $1,75; in 1877 they were down TO
4 81 per Gay. having beelfsetit three TIMES
since 1873. q cut of twenty-five cents
each These wages arc shown by the
pay roll. The railroad companies did
not aud do not now deny this fact. Mr.
Harrison, who was appointed upon citi-
Zens' committee to try and reconcile the
men and the railroad companies. was ot
the time the regular salaried attorney
of ono of the principal roads in the con-
troversy. lie had to work for tho inter
est of the railroads against the men.
When these figures were shown him and
lIo saw that the paltry sum of 81 per day
! was all that was allowed switclnnen, and
upon being urged by the men and tho re-
mGioder of the committee to stand by tho
strikers, he signified his disapproval of
the course they had pursued and ursed
them to break ranks and return 10 work
! Was this not an admission that he believed
I 81 per day and two meals sufficient when
he condemned the men for quitting work
| because they could not get more than 81
per day without any neals2 Indeed, his
notions condemn him even more than his
insertions. But the worst part he played
in the controversy was the willing man
ner IN which he deceived the citizens by
! accepting a position at the head of a com
rnittee appointed as a citizens, committee,
Iwhile he himself was in the employ of the
railroads ia the capacity of attorney with
lno other motive in view than To break the
strike IN the interest of the railroad com
Ipanies. The citizens did not know this
and trusted him. 10 had solicited an
appointment on the committee in order
road companies and defeat the strikers
But why was he SO anxious to defeat
the strilzers2 Was it n part of his duty as
a railroad attorney"
1T was, and hs was as eager to defeat
I tho men of one road as another, because
had the Bee line road given in, the road
he represented would hayc to follow. A
break in the ranks of the organized rail
roads would be followed in the same man.
uer as would n break in the ranks of tho
organized strikers. Hence Mr.. Harrison
VAS solicitoUs to cause n break to be made
anywhere-it made 40 difference where.
He had commanded troops long enough to
know that break in the ranks near the
end was as disastrous as in the middle,
and once broken the entire forces of labor
would be compelled to return"
''Did he accomplish tliis?''
YES: He served his employers (tlle
.=il:oGd) faithfully. Hc did not 20 TO the
railroads after the strike ended and do as
he agreed to do by endeayorinsE to secure
for ttoln an advance IN wages. he prose-
cuted the strikers, sent them up for
ninety days. Sixteen OF them were taken
to jail and divided up in four different
county jails. Judge DruulInond was go
bitterly censured for having rendered
such q severe sentence upon innocent men
that The Sentinel was indicted for con
tempt for having published tho peoples
Mr.. Harrison went still further on the
lsubject of wages in n speech delivered at
lAttica, in Fountain county, in which he
cautioned men never to strike, and said
rather than resort to q strike men could
better afford to accept 10 cents day,
which would purchase two loaves of
bread, and water being free, starvation
wonld be prevented. Mr.. Harrison knows
that he uttered these words, and Tho In
dianapolis journal knows it, and since the
charge has been made it fails to offer any
reward for the proof.
"Is any effort being made to prove the
statements you have nader
There is no proof necessary; it is as
well established as though all he'd Been
said yesterday and the entire people had
heard it. The proof i in tho possession
Of The Journal-a cart load. of it. 1t ap-
Ipeared in it's own columns in 1877. II it
did not, the editors cut it eut-of the re-
iports for political reasons. Engineers,
lex-city officers, brakemen, switchmen,
fremen aud all classes of railroad men
heard his remarks, and over n dozen have
been found who are now in the employ of
various roads who claim that to testify In
print would cause them to lose their Jobs,
as Harrison is the railroad candidate
Are the labor organizations opposing
Mr.. Harrisonfn
'.Yos, they arc officially conde.rning
;
labor organizations all over tho state cfti-
cialIy petitioned the legislature to defeat
him for tho senatorship and officially Pc
titioned for the election OF Mr. William
D. DynuIn, tlie congressman from this dis
trict, and over their protest the Harrison
party made him the caucus nominee. A
copy of this resolution was shown tho
Chicago convention, and the numerous
protests published Ia Chicago papers
during the convention ought TO have been
sufficient warning to tho convention. but
having ignored the labor clement in 1876,
1880 and 1888 by placing Bir. Harrison
before the people either for state, sena-
torial or presidential honors, the laboring
classes of Indiana are determined to make
this their last fight against one OF the
most ayowed enemies of labor by strongly
I-opposing Ben Harrison In November. In
annapolis Cor. New York Herald.
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