The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-03-28

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The selection of Arthur P. German,
Of Maryland, to be the Democratic
leader in the Senate, has been referred
to as rebuke to William J. Bryan.
The Republican papers that have been
kept uneasy ever since the Bryan SEN
tilnent has controlled the Democratic
party, are heralding the news Of the
ascendency Of the conservative ele-
ment, personif1ed in Senator German
as the return of the party to a policy
Of caution, sobriety and sagacity.".
AS one Of them puts it: @The Demo-
cratic party is tired OF magnetism. It
has taken eight years to recover from
Fhe alectrifying shock which Mr.
Bryan's Gross Of Gold" speech ad-
ministered to the Chicago national con-
vention. 1t has come to the conclusion
that magnetism spells defeat, and that
calm, undemonstrative, long-headed
leaders Of the German type are consid-
erably more likely to bring the party
to the promised And."
How ready they are to dispose Of Mr..
Bryan and the many thousand men
in the nation who think with him, and
who know that the return Of the coun-
try to the control Of the people requires
q radical and aggressive opposition to
the "PoWers that be-
What good would the success Of the
Democratic party under the leadership
and dictation Of German be to the
country? There is no material differ
ence between his wing of the party
and the anti-Roosevelt element of the
Republican party. The opinion has
often been given of late that the lat
ter might support a conservative Demo-
crat for president, if Mr.. Roosevelt is
nominated by his party in 1904.
Whatever is done, this much may be
said: that the workingmen of the
country will refuse to be fooled again as
they were in 1892 They do not want
any more such Clevelandism or Cor
manism as was exhibited in Chicago
in 1894 when L. S. troops were used
ostensibly for putting down lawless-
ness, but really to defeat a labor Or
ganization of railroad employees that
happened to have control of a situation,
against which the power of united cap
ital was arrayed. Better have a Roose-
welt with conciliation for workinglnen,
than a Cleveland with gattling guns
for them.
But it will not be contended for a.
moment that Mr.. Bryan has lost his
power in the Democratic party. The
rank and file have not had a chance to
declare itself since 190O Those DEM
ocrats who attend silk stocking. ban
ssssa s1eIaa
since lost their standing in the party
Their treachery in 1896 is still fresh
in the minds of the loyal ones. Re-
publicans may look to them as repre-
sentative party men, but Democrats
will handle them with tongs. At recent
gatherings Of Democrats, attempts
have been made to ignore the Bryan
wing of the party, but the very men,
tion Of his name would create the
greatest enthusiasm. Bryan may nev-
er be a candidate for president again,
but we can rest assured that the nom-
inee will be a man who stands with
Bryan and his ideas Of government. If
the German wing Of the party will not
be satisfied with this. let them do again
what they did in 1896. The party will
be we'll ridden of them.
General Wood has been charged by
a Major Rathbone with manipulating
the Cuban courts, and that he received
from a ganblig concern, money am
cunting to 5000, and that gifts were
admitted into Cuba free Of duty, con-
trary to law.
Memebers of organized labor may re-
call the protest sent to the President
by officers of the American Federation
Of Labor against General Woods treat
ment Of laboringn1en on strike. Some
Of them were cast into Jail for striking
without violating any law Of the land
sacked under orders of Wood. His
attitude towards labor, and his ex-
pressed sentiments at the time, led
many prominent labor officials to de-
clare that Gen Wood was not above
suspicion in his administration of the
affairs Of Cuba.
II am from Missouri" may be a joke
but the Supreme Court Of that state
handed the Beef Trust something tc
think about last week, that is certain
ly no joke. Five big packing concerns
were fined IS, 600 each for violating the
state antitrust law. If the compan-
les fail to pay the fine within thirty
days, they will be ousted from the
state.
Other states should now take heart
But few decisions will be necessary tc
break the meat combination. The Beef
Trust is not a modern capitalistic or
ganization such as the Steel Corpora
tion It is formed along the "gentle-
mems agreement" lines, and is the
worst form Of a. trust. The modern