The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-19
THE REID BLUNDER.

Only those who know what powerful
factor in politics organized labor has
become in this country can understand the
enormity of the blunder perpetrated at
Minneapolis when WHITELAw REID was
nominated for ce-president on the ticket
with HARRISON. The labor unions are not
political organizations. Indeed, in most of
their constitutions there is q clause for
bidding the bringing of politics into the
unions But this non partisan character
of tho associations is the very thing which
makes them powerful in cases like that of
FA1r. REID. Being non-partisan, the men
are free to vote as they please, and it is
their habit to vote against the enemies of
organized labor. 1t is perhaps the case that
as many Republicans as Democrats are
members of the printers and other unions,
but Democrats and Republicans forget
their party politics when an snti-union man
is candidate for Office.
sMr. REID has now conceded to the de-
mands of the printers union. and last
week the New York Tribune Office ceased
to be rat Office, q union foreman and
union printers being employed. This con-
pected the nomination, and desired to
stand on good terms with the great labor
organization. While rejoicing over their
apparent victory at the conclusion OF their
long fight, the printers will not be deceived
into believing that Mr.. REID has
all at once turned their friend,
nor will organized labor elsewhere
accept his sudden conversion. Rather will
the intelligent and thoughtful union men
look upon him with contempt for abandon
ing a contest in tho expectation that those
he has SO long opposed and abused will i'm
mediately forgive and forget The men
will feel that if he Is defeated he will again
be honest with himself and renew his fight
against organized labor.
1t is on record that in 1854. when in the
interest Of the Republican candidate Mr..
REID was asked to placate the printers by
making the Tribune union office, he wrote:
II would rather see Mr.. BLAINE sunk
under an avalanche of votes than permit
the Tribune Office to be dictated to by any
labor organization.
The printers Of New York boast publicly
that last November they worked and voted
against j. SLoAT FAssETT, the Republican
candidate for governor not because they
objected to him personally, but because tho
New York Tribune championed his cause.
They wanted to show that it was war to
the knife; that any candidate favored by
the enemy to organized labor would be
fought as If he were such an enemy.
If only the New York printers union
were concerned, or If only the printers
generally were interested, Mr.. REID might
snap his fingers aud defy them. The New
York union contains nearly 5000 members,
less than 1000 Of whom are voters, hence
they would cut comparatively small
figure at the polls. 1t is doubted that the
printers of any state are so numerous as to
hold the balance OF power. But the oppo-
sition to Mr.. REID comes from or
ganized labor-from union men in
all the trades. In New York state
alone there are about $4,000 men
belonging TO labor unions, and most of
them espouse the cause of the printers as
heartily as If it were their own. The
union men Of California, Of Iowa, of Mas
sachusetts regard the editor and proprietor
of the Tribune in the same light IS do the
union men in New York city, and will take
just IS much pleasure in working for his
defeat. The Minneapolis convention seems
to have been guilty Of succession of po-
litical plumbers, one of the more formidable
being that at the close, when WHITELAw
REID was selected to accompany MIR. HAIR
RIsoN on the journey TO defeat.