The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-06
4 BATTLEFIELD
Peaceful Revolution Has Been
Started In Connections.
LABOR WINNING OVER CAPITAL

workingmen Carried Three Munic-
ipal Election Hartford's Mayor
Sees In Result New Order OF
Things Which May Spread All over
the United States In Near Future.
Staid old Conne0 acut has become tn,
new battle-ground of labor and capital
A coal shoveler, a mechanic and a dry
goods clerk have within a few weeks
been made m~ayors~of three Of it's most
important cities.
Danbury is next to vote for u halter
for mayor and Meriden FOR a wage
laborer. The whole state is stirring
with the peaceful revolution which
threatens to deliver the machinery OF
government Of all the cities Of the state
into the hands of workingmen. They
are confident of electing the governor
this fall.9 1t is a clear cut fight all over
the state between the corporations and
the forces of labor.
The deep moving current Of rebellion
was seemingly without concert 1t all
came from a common II 1t set to
working, with results unequaled in any
attempt of workingmen to control mu.
nicipal politics before. This is the score
up to date:
Bridgeport-Mayor. Dennis Mulvihill.
stoker.
Ansonia-Mayor. Stephen Charters,
mechanic.
Observation-Disclosures, Ignatius A. Sulli.
van, dry goods clerk.
Not a defeat has been chalked up.
The leaders declare they have found
the secret of success for workingmen
in politics. The yes of the working.
men Of the nation are on the expert.
ment. Many believe that the movement
in Connecticut is destined to be historic
and marks the beginning of a complete
revolution in the relations of the work.
tngman toward public affairs.
Mayor Sullivan, the new mayor of
Hartford, is not a dreamer. but he de-
clares Connecticut has found the Sc
cret of success in politics for the work
fngman. He says that the American
workingmen have only to take lessons
from Connecticut to dominate the mu-
nicipal politics of the country. He is
confident that the workingmen will
elect the governor of the state this fall.
A New York World correspondent
spent three hours with this interesting
the other day, aud in the course
of their conversation Mayor Sullivan
said:
II have only this fixed determination
in mind, to give the city an honest, i'm
partial administration. guided by good
common n Common sense is hard
to beat. The league has a platform,
which will be followed. 1t mentions a
few specific matters, but it may be
summed up in the pledge to give the
city an honest and economical admins
tration. =
II want to bring labor and capital
nearer together. That shall be the aim
Of my administration. A better UNDER
standing is all that is needed. Half the
problem would be solved If we could
only bring them to understand each
other. Then would come sympathy.
abraham Lincoln is my model and
said the mayor. Fright here In
Hartford in a speech he made during
the great shoe strike at Lynn in 1861
he said: 4 thank God for labor unions.
I thank God that there are men who
know when to STOP l wonder why
they have left that out of Lincoln's
speeches.
"Workingmen have been impotent in
politics heretofore. On election day 1
have seen workingmen hard at work at
the polls. Working for what? Working
for the ticket that somebody else put
out. 1t occurred to me that If working
men could do such effective work for
others they could do it for themselves.
They have the power. The problem is
discover how it may be used. The
intelligent workingmen Of Connecticut
have found the way.
'The only real clear cut victory on
the straight issues was here. At Bridge
port the issue was a corrupt admins |
tration. At Ansonia the injunction is
sue decided the election. One corpora
ton owned the town and ruled by court
injunctions. Here it was a straight
out issue of securing the recognition
due to the workingmen and long de
MED.
I'VE thought the city administration
here was bad. Not only were working
unable to get out Of it what they
thought right. but it was believed that
money had passed hands among city
officials. These things finally led the
to assert themselves"