West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-11-15
OUR Washington LETTER
President ROOSsVeltS Personality In
Recent Elections
GREATLY INFLUENCED OUTCOME
Labor Unions in Politics Immigration
for the south-More Shipments
May Be Made

WASHINGTON, d. c., Nov IA
However one may look at the elec.
tions from partisan point of view,
1t cannot be denied that the person
ahty Of the President has more than
anything else to do with the general
outcome. In certain states the ex-
pected naturally happened. The
Solid South was not broken and the
Republican states in the North were
not touched. The Democratic party
made considerable gains in members
for the house, and this may be con-
for the Republican party as we'll
For the Republican majority at the
last session OF congress was entirely
too large to be readily workable.
In the doubtful border states the
personality OF President Roosevelt
was in most cases the deciding fac
tor. He was just as much an issue
in the fight as though he had been
actually on the ticket. Therefore,
the result is TO be credited more to
the man than to the party, and il
may be said that President Roose-
welt has not been at all ohary in sp.
proprIating Democratic working
doctrines when it seemed TO him
that they were right. Party feeling
aside, there is something to be con
sidered in the fact that he has had
left to him a congress of complex
ion that will help him carry out his
ideals of square deal.
One of the most interesting results
of the election is tine showing which
the American Fed Grafton OF Labor
did not make as political working
power Frank p. Sargent, c)mmis-
sioner of immigration, came out as
soon as the polls were closed in a
long interview on the Au' jrc, in
which he undertook to show that thr
iaOoring vote was Il real power IN
politics, aud that the only reason
why II was not more pDtently felt in
the present instance was because the
laboriAg man had more faith in the
Republican party than they had in
their own leaders. 1t must be un
derstood that Mr.. Sargent is himself
a labor union man. He was for
years the president Of the Order of
Railway Firemen, and as such he
naturally wishes To make out the
best case possible for oIglnized
labor. He declares that the labor
vote has proved Its efficacy and that
the labor union in politics has come
To stay. He knows, too, although
he did not say so, that there is Just
now the strongest anti political
mOveme MT possible to conceive go
ing on in organized labor circles
against the dictate Of Mr.. Gompers,
the president Of The American Fed
Grafton OF Labor, who forced the
federation into politics to satisfy his
personal wishes. The question OF
whether or not the labor element
should become a working political
force was never submitted 10 the
tfhion at all in proper official form.
# was a personal moYe Of Mr. Com
pcrs and some of his inumatcs, and
there is at toe present moment a
very strong undercurfent of opinion
in the feder alton that may entirely
reverse or nullify Mr.. Gompers' die
tstcs.
Speaking OF the commissiorcr Of
immigration recalls to mind the fact
that he has just returned from
Charleston, S. c., where he and
numb.r OF other immigration bureau
officials were present at the landing
Of large consignment Of Italian
imm grants, who cime 70 that port
ffr distribution in the South rather
tlan to Ellis Island, New York,
which has been the immigrants
usual destination.
The ship which brought them
was North German Lloy der, and
il may be understood that the bust
ness Of immigrant transportation is
due very largely to the North Ger
man Lloyd and the other big steam
ship lines, which find il a remunera
tive traffic. They send agents
abroad TO drum up traffic. and in
most cases wholly misrepresent The
situation in the United States,
smply for the purpose OF getting
human freight to carry. They have
found Ia recent years that the con
] gestion Of partially undesirable i'm.