The record-union., 1896-10-31
"Merely Mildly Requested"

MCICiy NAHuly NC4uCSlSOs
Eds. Record Union:" In your ac-
count of Governor Budd's address at the
Old Pavilion in this city last Tuesday
night he is reported to have said that:
He had watched the action of the Re-
publican party in this city. He had seen
the head men of the gigantic corpora
tion requesting their employees to turn
out in parade in honor of the Republic
can candidates. They were not coerced,
they were merely mildly requested to do
so; but that request could not be by
them denied. The men to whom it was
made depended upon the corporation for
their bread and butter, and did not dare
to disregard it,
In my communication dated October
list / referred to the very liberal and
charitable way in which one of our
speakers referred to Senator Stephen M.
White as an honest, conscientious citi-
Zen outside of politics, and expressing a
belief that the speaker had rather over
done the thing. Evidently Senator
White and Governor Budd are of the
opinion that anything and everything is
not only fair and excusable "in love and
war" but also in politics. In that I
must differ with any and all on that
generally accepted theory, even at the
risk of being thought a crank. A man
who is truly honorable in his private life
will not stoop to miSrepresent or lie in
political matters. In regard to "the
mead men of the gigantic corporation"
Governor Budd having probably seen
that Senator Whites remarks were too
broad and sweeping to be sustained by
facts, or to be favorably received by
honest, intelligent citizens of this Sec
ton, put 1t more mildly. But even our
Governor could not resist the tempta-
ton of referring to the subject which
political stump speakers have long since
worn threadbare in order to capture the
vote of the rabble, until it has become
not only monotonous. but uninteresting
and tiresome to intelligent listeners.
In expressing my sentiments upon
this or any other subject do so of my
own free viii, and being unknown even
to my shopmates, therefore uninflu-
enced by anyone-the contents of my let
ters never being seen except by myself
until they reach the editor-with moth
ing to gain or lose politically or other
wise that / know of, write simply for
my own satisfaction in the cause of JUS
tice and truth as / see mad understand
them.
Il eiill iltlllIeI dulUOTlZcu To speak IOT
the officers of the company nor for my
shopmates, among the latter of whom
are men of various if not all political
opinions, many of whom doubtless en-
tertain sentiments on many subjects at
variance with mine; yet, in one thing,
i think that the majority, if not ALL are
agreed; and that is, inasmuch as Mr..
Huntington and his chief officers guar
antee to US political liberty as far as
they are concerned, and as we do not
so outside of the works to meddle With
others political affairs, we do not want
outside meddlerS to interfere with ours.
If Governor Budd had seen the head
men," etc, he must have been on the
premises and kept a sharper lookout
than those who work there every day;
for all the merely mildly requesting"
Ito turn out in parade" that I have
known came directly from our club
officers, who are workingmen among US;
and if we are not to be accorded the
same customs and privileges as clubs
organized outside, why not?
And does the fact that a man holds
an office in a railroad corporation debar
him from any rights claimed by others,
among which is the liberty we all claim
as freemen to try to influence our
friends and neighbors to vote for who
ever we believe to be the best candi-
date?
The only remark on political subject
i have heard rumored about the shops
as coming from a prominent officer of
the company was that the men were at
liberty to wear a Bryan badge as large
as a cartwlreel if any so desired AS far
as / am individually concerned, am an
independent American voter, a slave to
no man or party, but free to vote for
whom I believe to be the best candi-
date; and all else being equal, make it
a rule to vote for such as are friendly to
the interests of my employer and who
ever would not do so ought to be
ashamed to receive their money: but if
/ were certain that my employers
choice was a very bad man there would
be no need of the advice of political
stump speakers. for there is not force
enough In the United States to compel
me to vote for him.
/ have worked in quite a number of
large establishments in this country,
and can truly say that 7 never saw so
little political interference with work
ingmen as in the Southern Pacific shops
here. Two of the most common faults
among mankind are treachery and in
gratitude; the former the most to be
despised, the latter the most inexcus-
able. H.
Sacramento, October 29th
The Congressional Issues.
It is a question that every California
voter should put to himself whether he