The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-10-03
AGAINST HONEST LABOR.


Some Old Letters of an Illinois Poiiti.
clan Who Wants to BE q Senator.
When General John NJ Palmer was
nominated for United States Senator by
the Democratic State convention he ao-
cepted the action of that body and made
speech in which he asked inquiry into
his entire life, and on that verdict he
proposed to stand:
1.-THE Democratic party named me for the
ONCE of United States Senator SO that my
whole life could be subjected to inquiry and
criticism. 1t deemed II proper to put up can
didate, and invited by SO doing the press and
people to criticise and lay bare the past deeds
of that candidate. / have no fault to find with
it." t
In his letter to Congressman William
E. Mason, declining q challenge to
joint debate before the people, he said:
"a very large number Of the electors Of the
State, by nominating me as o candidate for .
seat in the United States Senate, have made
themselves responsible not only for my political
opinions and conduct, but for all the important
acts Of my public life"
There are, no doubt, reported speeches
and political letters of General Palmer
that would make very interesting read
ing. just at present his friends appear
to be excited by the publication Of q
letter which he wrote in 1886, that ex-
presses his opinion as to these ques-
tions: ~ the power Of the National
Government to make money by Its
fat" and (2) to control railroads and
other corporations. and 81 his hostility
to labor organizations. The few lines
of the letter on these subjects are as
follows:
81 dislike irresponsible authority, whatever
| form it may assume. ], therefore, dislike the
doctrine of a central or National authority
| with perhaps underlined power, and which car
make money by its fat, own railroads and tele
graph, and by the process Of its courts punish
| laboring men as for contempt, without trial BY
| jury or at the discretion Of its judges. die
Ike great labor organizations that assuns to con
troll the personal CiH dnd conduct Of all n'sn Uhs
| labor"
It must seem by this declaration Of
principles that the candidate seeking the
labor and farmer vote holds opinions di
rectly opposed to those expressed by
the labor and farmer organizations. he
is opposed to Government money, Is op
posed to Government control Of railroad
and other corporations, and he is op
posed to great labor organizations thai
assume to control the individual labor
l ers.
Some years ago General Palmer gave
to the public an official declaration o
his opinions on subject of vital inter
est to free labor, and he was in a posi-
ton where his opinion carried so mucl
weight that it was enacted into tn,
form of law still on the statute books
but which will expire by Limitation
within short period. When he wa
Governor of Illinois, in message to thu
General Assembly under date of Ma.
"a, 1871, he said:
THE only practical system for the successful
management Of the penitentiary in my iudg
ment is that which combines the retention Q
complete control Of the discipline and govern
ment Of the convicts with the lease Of their Ia
Dor TO persons engaged in special pursuits q
substantially embodied in tho bill that passe
the Senate at the late session and was under
stood to be acceptable to a large number Of tn
House of Representatives. can not for5s1
the aggression of hope that such measure tpi
ns.et ne approval of the General Assembly"
A writer in labor journal, callin
attention to this part of General Pal
mer's record, expresses his regret tina
it was not disclosed in 1883, and say
that "the trade organizations who hav
labored so heroically for twenty year
to abolish this infamous system woul
not have been so jealous in their sur
port had they known the hollow friend
ship of General Palmer" the author G
the prison contract labor system Of tn
State. Probably notl But they vii
not have the excuse of ignorance thi
year.-Chicago Journal.