Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-09-24
PUBLIC OPINION.
Editor of E NEWS

Editor OF EVENING NEWS:
4 In your paper of the nineteenth
there appeared an article written by
j. w. VanCleave, president of the
National Association of Manufacture
ers in which he claims hat labor Or
ganizations have no right to try and
better their conditions either fnan-
cially or politically. Right here, dear
reader, let me ask Mr.. VanCleave
what he is holding the presidents
chair of an organization? Why are
they organized? Is it not to better
their conditions? And why has not
the laboring man a right to a say in
who shall make u laws and govern
our country? l certainly think this
man has a nerve to come into print
with such assertions when he himself
poses as president of q manufacture
ers association. Why did they or
ganize, If not to better their condi-
ton?
Let the reader stop for one NOM
ent and think who we have making
our laws and controlling the working
men. Are they not all organized?
Have we not all kinds of employers
necessities of life controlled by or
BdllACu OOulSo VI liCny LII OluCt W
compel the poor unimportant work
ingmen to pay just whatever they
think to be a, sufficient profit to keep
them and all their families in lux
ury% And yet Mr.. VanCleave comes
out and thinks that the laboring men
have no rights at all only to take
whatever the gentlemen of leisure
see fit to give them. He seems to
think that the laboring men are not
possessed with a sufficient amount of
brains to enter into politics. He for
gets that all the wealth of this glor-
ious country was made for the labor
and political bosses) by the working
menu and certainly must necessitate
some brains in some of the men to do
this. oAnd yet Mr.. VanCleave seems
to think the working man should not
have a say as to whom he wishes to
vote for. What did the so-called
master builders association introduce
assembly bill No. 341 introduced by
Mr.. Mills) for, only to protect their
own selfish interests? And | am
sure that 1t has yet to be shown
where labor organizations have acted
with a view to disrupt any %organiza-
tion whether fair to them or not. 1t
is a common occurrence to read in
the papers from various parts of the.
country where meetings of builders
are held that they endorse the free
and open shop proposition, and why
do they do this? Do they want open
shop in their lines? answer most
emphatically No"
Why do builders in IL city
| go to dealers in this city who sell
builders supplies and absolutely
threaten to not sell to anyone except
members of their organization, and
who is fair to them? But if labor
organizations undertake to do any
thing to protect the interest of the
working class, they are condemned
in public print. | thing, Mr.. Van
| Cleave, it is high time that the work
ing men get into politics and have a
say about their own affairs, and | am
| happy to see that our men are wax
ing up to their duty as citizens of
this country and to retire to private
life those few political and labor
bosses who e to want to W the
men in their employ body and soul.
| say, men, realize who you are vot-
ing for. Vote for the man who is in
the interest of the many, and not for
a man who is pledged to look out for
a few men who spend money in car
rying on corrupt elections to put him
there. Think what you are doing to
better you own and your Fellow men
conditions. And also think OF what
such men as ]. w. vanCleave cares
for the interests of us, only to keep
us down and crush out what few lib
critics we have now. | sincerely hope
that the day will soon come when the
working men win have a square
show at the polls and be permitted to
vote according to the dictates of their
own conscience, and not be smiled
upon and bribed to vote for their
jobs and the employers selfish inter-
ests.
Independent Voter and Member of
Labor Organization.