The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1906-08-28
LABOR POLITICS
MAKES 9Y0E
PINCH

the republican congress campaign.
+ In the matter of money the demo-
Gratis are not much better on. but
they are more used to 1t. :
Word comes directly from the
New York headquarters that the
dollar subscription plan has proved
failure. The dollars don't come in
fast enough. Manager Jim Sher-
man feels pretty blue over the out
look. The headquarters here in
Washington were closed up some
little time ago, rs measure Of
economy, and now 1t Is learned that
there is to be no western head
quarters. The reason Is the same.
The flush times when tariff fed
corporations were shaken down by
the party bosses seem to have
passed
Just to show that troubles never
come singly, it is announced that
militant and hostile union labor is
taking the field against republican
candidates, with campaign fund
bigger than that of both the demo-
cratic and republican committees
combined.
Samuel Gompers has an organi-
zation, and its members respond
when he asks them for half dollar
or a quarter apiece. is not much
to each man, but 1t aggregates
many thousands Of dollars. There
Is talk even of contributions from
the Canadian members of the Fed
GRAFTON of Labor.
What Gompers may be able to do
with big fund, welding the bal
ance of power between the two
party candidates, is causing no end
of worry.
Where the lightning is going to
strike Is something that Managers
Sherman of the republican and
Griggs of the democratic committee
would give a. good deal to know.
They know. of course. that Comp
ers IS going to try to make an ex-
ample of Representative Charles E..
Littlefield of the second district in
Maine. -
1t was announced early that part
Of the American Federation's plan
of campaign would be an attack on
Speaker Cannon In his district In H.
linois. Later developments have
made it less likely that the Fedora
ton would carry out this attack.
The latter's prestige as speaker
and as presidential candidate
have made him almost impregna-
Bile, and the labor people feel that
their money and time would be
wasted.
Almost all the republican mem
bers Of the judiciary committee in
the house Of representatives are
marked for the opposition of or
ganized labor. 1t was in this COM
mittee that the labor bills met their
Waterloo, and there is disposition
to hold the majority responsible.
John ]. Jenkins of Wisconsin is
chairman of this committee. Other
members In the order of their rank
are Richard Wayne Parker of New
Jersey. De Alva s. Alexander of
Buffalo, N. Y: Chas. e. Littlefield
of Maine, Robt. M. Nevin of Ohio,
Henry w. Palmer of Pennsylvania,
Geo. A. Pearre of Maryland. Jas
N. Gillett of California, Chas @.
Tirrell of Massachusetts, John A.
Stirling OF Illinois, Benjamin p.
Birdsall Of Iowa, and John II. Eos.
ter of Indiana.
The above list has been carefully
scanned by the union labor people,
and agents in their respective dis.
tricts have been asked to report on
the situation. In any district where
there Is an opening. the Gompers
campaign will be waged.
A few of the house leaders will
also be made to feel the CAD. Those
specially selected are Serene E.
Payne of New York, and John Dal-
cell of Pennsylvania. The latter is
regarded by labor as the special
representative of the Pennsylvania
steel trust interests.
The Issues in the many congress.
sional districts will take wide
range. In some 1t will be the union
labor issue, aggravated by the
American Federation's campaign
The republican managers are try,
ing, and will try, to make the peo
pie believe that the issue is Roose
o welt, and the Endorsement of his
administration and the recent rec
ord of congresses.
The democratic managers will
try to push tariff reform to the
front.
In many districts there appears
to be spontaneous outcropping OF
antl-machine and anti-graft senti
ment, with the issue OF reform and
decency against the old time politi
cal ra OIL ma pf craft Ia tbn,o At