Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-03
WORKING NAN IN POLITICS
Labor and the Llborsrs the Bulwart Of
American Independence.
COERCION OF WORKERS GREAT MENACE
Edward ~Rosewater's Address to voters
Of Seventh ward on lights and
DutIes of the LabOring
Man in Politics.

Following IL the full text Of the speech
OF Edward Rosewater, delivered in the
Seventh ward Friday evening, dealing with
the question OF labor and the rights and
duties Of the laboring man, particularly as
they affect the present municipal cam
paign:
Fellow Citizens: l might say fellow
workingmen. for / spring from the ranks
OF labor and have been a bread winner
nearly all my life. I commenced to earn
a livelihood when l was ~ years old.
served thirteen years as a telegraph
operator and / doubt whether any OF you
put in as many hours at hard labor as I
do. For more than thirty years | have
been an employer Of labor, but my sym
pathies always have been with the toilsrs
because I know what II means to be a
wage worker.
Tonight l propose TO talk to you about
the political rights and duties Of the work
ing man. l want to impress upon you the
fact that the most precious asset Of the
American working man Is his elective fran
chise. In no other land under the sun Is
there such absolute equality before the
law as is enjoyed by the citizens of this
republic. At the ballot box each Of you Is
a sovereign; each Of you is the equal Of
the richest man in the land; wealth and
station count for nothing under our political
system and corporations cannot cast a
single ballot except through debased and
degraded manhood.
No War on Corporations.
Now do not decry corporations as such.
I would not counsel or ccuntenanoe war
fare upon them except when they levy I'M
righteous tribute upon the people or con-
spire to destroy self government. But
they cannot destroy self govornmenta as long
as the ~workingmen Of America are true to
themselves and true to their country, 50
long as they do not barter away their man
hood either for money or the opportunity
to earn money.
The wage workers Of America who labor
for a living in the shops. in the mills, in
the factories, in the warehouses and office
buildings are the bulwark OF Americas free
institutions. The greatest menace TO
Americas free institutions is the
political coercion Of workingmen
by their employers. This does
not relate only to corporations, but also
to individuals. When you hire out to any
body for wages you agree to give Vi a
certain number Of hours to your employer
and he pays you for the muscle and brain
you have devoted to his use, but in selling
your lhDOr you 40 not DdTIeT away your
soul. and your employer has no more right
to compel you to vote for the party of his
own choice than he has to ask you to match
your religion to his religion. The en-
ployer who threatens you with discharge
or seeks to compel you to vote against
your honest convictions is more dangerous
than the man who would advise you to bur
glarize a store or to set a house on IRE. II
ever the time comes that the corporate en-
pioyers or single employers of large bodies
OF men can deliver them at the ballot
box like so many chettels the government
from the earth, 4,
some Omaha History.
Now let me relate TO you a story Of a
campaign In the city of Omaha just thirty
years ago. Back in 1873 every ONCE in
the city hall and court house was filled by
democrats. The republicans appeared to
be in a hopeless minority, but they nom
mated a ticket for county oflces and
started to make a vigorous campaign. The
outlook for a republican victory was de-
cidediy doubtful until the day before cleo
ton. About moor on that day two tele-
graph operators called on me at the old
Bee building and one OF them wrote a
message which, in substance, read as fol-
lows:
OMAHA. Oct. -, 1873: To s. II. II.
Clark. General superintendent Union Pa
cinc Railroad, North Platte. Neb.-Please
instruct Union Pacific shopmen to cast
their votes for the democratic candidates
for sheriff and treasurer.
(slgned). A. J. PoPPLEToN.
Mr.. Poppleton was at that tim general