Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-07
NO LABOR TICKET THE FIELD
At Least None That Will Make Decent
 Showing.

Showing.
 A campaign in Connecticut without a labor ticket would be a surprise to many people and disappointment to republican wire pullers. But everything has pointed to it for the past two years. The disgrace ful proceedings at the packed convention that nominated Baker for governor in 1886 opened the eyes of the laboring men, and the AT honest delegates who withdrew from l that bodyt have done much to disabuse the minds of the independent labor party of the possibility of trying to secure redress at the polls under the leadership of men who sell out to republican leaders. The ap= parent bargain in the appointment of Govel nor LounsEury of Samuel M. Hotch- kiss to be labor commissioner and the re- port issued by that bureau have convinced the workingman that he will have to vote with the party that will look after his in terests in the state and national legislatures.
 The New Haven Register is informed on good authority that there will be no gen eral effort to array labor politically in a party by itself against the two old parties in the coming election. If the leaders in the labor organizations in this state be- lieved there was a fighting chance for a labor party here," says this prominent labor man ''they would not hesitate to enter the approaching contest with an ln- dependent movement. But no such chance presents itself now at least, and the in dications are that the future will not be an improvement on the present circum- stances" He says that men are afraid of the manufacturing influence He recalls lone man who had been heart and soul in the independent cause and who had at tended some of our deliberations, who, when the critical time arrived, gave us to understand that, while he believed in the righteousness of our cause, he could not vote the ticket because manufacturing in fuence had been brought to bear on him in the interests of one of the old parties and he had to submit.
 "The manufacturers are careful enough to clear their own skirts from anything that might have the color of positively or directly influencing the votes of their em- ployes, but many of them take very good care to have their choice of candidates pretty generally known among their work men. There is no resort to actual and bald-headed bull-dozing of the employees, but it amounts to the very same, 1nasmuch as they accomplish the purpose they seek, namely, blow at the labor candidate.
 "What is the use, under the existing conditions of the organization, to think of starting an independent labor movement for the state and national contests! This manufacturing power would be levelled at us to begin with, we haven't the necessary funds for the expense of such work-and without funds or 'boodle, as they some times call it, there is no chance of doing anything, and finally we would encounter very likely what we have in the past the are gument that bread and butter is of mor- importance than a mere vote for the labor ticket or vote for a principle. tell you there can't be a great deal of blame direct ed against the laboring man whose situa- tion is trembling in the balance and who decides to vote as his employers wish, or else take the bread and butter from the workman's family. What course would you take if a boss intimated that to vote for the labor ticket meant your discharge eventually, and meant more, inasmuch as that loss of employment might carry hunger right into your home There is a little margin for a man to debate upon un- der those conditions. He would naturally hold on to his job and not vote the ticket representing principle. That, sir, is just the situation or that would be the situation in many shop throughout this state, ii the labor party should put ticket in the field I don't mean to be understood that all manufacturers or employers would be so intolerant. But there would be many. '