The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-07-05

Tact and Diplomacy in a eliot Air"
Platform-State Issues Met with
Provisos-Inconsiste of Gov.
Van SAINTS Sham Fight Against
Railroad Merger-Halden's Defeat.
Both of the big political parties have
met, nominated their candidates, framed
their platforms and adjourned. If there
We're no such thing as political bias, L. A.
Rosing would be the next governor of the
state of Minnesota, that u.s. if the ques-
ton was settled on ability and sincerity
Compare the platforms of the two par
ties. The Republicans, with their tact
and diplomacy; their knowledge of the
| peoples sentiments and passions, have
framed "Hot Air. platform which
really says and means nothing. Fully one
half Of the planks dwell on national is
sues. They are firm on. these. They are
| compelled to be. They have a president
who will not stand for anything else. 1t
is different, however, with their governor.
Getting to the planks on state ISSUES
they straddle almost everything of i'm
portance. They say that the laws of this
| state have been opposed to the consolida-
ton of competing railroad companies,
and praise the governor for his fight
against Jim Hill, but they do not say a
word about the consolidation Of the Iron
Range railroads, which have joined the
United States Steel corporation, or the
failure of the governor to fight it. Both
oil dat e IL.
insincerity of the Republican admins
tration is apparent to every thinking
person on this fight against the merger.
1t would be unpopular to fight the Iron
Range merger, because almost every in
f1uential business institution. and politi-
clan in st. Louis county is under more or
less obligation to these railroads.
1t is different With the other merger.
The farmers, the backbone of this great
state, don't want a merger Of railroads.
1t means greater freight rate on their
produce. They protested against it, and
the administration seeing an opportunity
for political capital made showing of
fight.
Where is the consistency in permitting
parallel lines to merge in one instance,
and opposing in another instance the
merge" of other lines? Does it not ap-
pear like fake play from the beginning?
We favor the equalization Of state
taxes, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. Is this
not another straddle! What does it
mean? Simply Il repstition of what has
occurred in This state ever since the big
n rfv hoS hoop j., bo
turned down the only leader of the party
who ever stood for equal taxation.
The Republican labor plank is the
best joke of all. At the end of every
sentence it straddles again, and says.
wherever practicable" It in no way re-
fers to organized labor, or gives it any
encouragement in it's struggle for better
conditions for those who toll, although it
devotes considerable space in another
plank recognizing the necessity of the
cooperation of industries for the protec-
ton of trade" Compare this with the
platform of the Democratic party. 1t
does not sympathize with labor. Labor
does not want sympathy; it wants some
thing more tangible. Their platform says:
WE PLEDGE OUR SUPPORT TO
ORGANIZED LABOR, ETC." There is
no straddle in this. The men who wrote
it, would not stand for it.
The Republican convention turned
down Odin Halden for state auditor, but
it was not Halden they turned down.
Every candidate from this county will
receive the same kind of treatment inst
so long as St. Louis county continues to
pile up big Republican majorities.
The campaign will be on shortly. From
every part of the state comes hope and
good cheer. The people are tired of de-
ceit. They want an administration like
that of Governor Lind's. A man in the
State House is wanted who will carry
out the wishes Of the people, rather than
of bo