Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-10-24

Labor Organizations In Philadelphia,
Pittsburg and Elsewhere 60 On
Record Against the Candidacy Of
Judge Yerkes.
1t has about dawned upon the Dem
ocratic leaders that they made a grave
mistake when they nominated Judge
Yerkes for justice of the supreme court,
They have discovered that he Is be-
ing bitterly opposed by organized labor
throughout the state. and that many
thousands of Democrats propose to cut
him on election day.
Yerkes has been scored by labor lead
ers in every county in the common
wealth, and the public action taken
by the Central Labor Union Of Phila-
delphia last week, in calling upon
workingmen to vote against him SIM
ply opened the eyes Of the Democratic
leaders to what they are up against.
1t is recalled that when the late
William M. Singerly was a candidate
for governor, there was secret Or
ganization of organized labor which
when the polls were closed, demon
strated the fact that they had gotten
many thousands of Democrats to vote
against their party's candidate simply
because Of his hostility to the typo
graphical union. Singerly never knew
what hit him until he began to analyze
the returns and he found that in the
district where the labor vote was
strong he ran away behind his col
leagues on the Democratic ticket.
The labor leaders say they thought
the Democratic party had been given
lesson and that it would never again
place upon its ticket a candidate whose
election was opposed by the working
men.
Throughout Schuylkill, Luzerne,
Lackawanna, Westmoreland, Lawrence,
Fayette, Dauphin, Allegheny and other
counties where organized labor Is
strong, the word has been passed to
enlighten the workingmen as to the
opposition Of Judge Yerkes
PHILADELPHIA WORKINGMEN
ACT.
In Philadelphia it is predicted that
not less than 10000 voters who might
otherwise have cast their ballots for
Judge Yerkes will vote for his oppo-
nent Justice Potter. the Republican
nominee.
The Central Labor union Of the
Quaker City includes the great allied
building trades. including the carpen-
ters. the painters. bricklayers and
other mechanics. nearly every one Of
whom is a qualified voter.
At meeting last Saturday night
of the Political Labor Union in Moor
head Hall. Pittsburg, resolutions were
adopted condemning Judge Harman
Yerkes as an enemy to organized labor.
The statement recalls the fact that
Judge Yerkes sentenced rioters during
the traction strike Of 1896 to the peni-
tentiary, the sentences being regarded
rs the severest ever imposed under
such circumstances. The final clause
of the resolution follows:
Resolved. That we call on the work
ing classes all over the state, independ-
ent of affiliations, to vote for Mr. Pot
ter and thereby secure for the state
bench a man Of broad views, of ad-
vanced ideas, and man who is thor
oughly in touch with the interest of
labor as we'll as capital; a man who
will strain every effort in the behalf of
an advanced and honest government.
Evan Lloyd is president and William
P. Purdon is secretary of the Political
Labor union of Allegheny county.
PROTEST FROM READING.
The Reading Labor Advocate, a
newspaper published by workingmen
and the organ Of organized labor, in
a recent editorial said: Judges Yerkes,
Of Bucks county, who heads the Dem
ocratic state ticket for the supreme
court judgeship. can hardly expect any
support from organized labor in this
state. Yerkes is now rounding out his
second term on the bench in Bucks
county and during the score Of years
he has worn the ermine, has given
some very strong proofs that he has
but very little sympathy Tor the labor
unions. This was strongly demon
styated during the trials Of the men