The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-10-03
REPUBLICAN, LABOR LEGISLATION.

The demagogues who are attacking
the republican party on its labor
record proclaim, by that fact, their
ignorance OF this country's history for
the past half century. One OF them
says: sour fight against the republi-
can party has only just begun, and we
are going to carry the war into
Speaker Cannon's district. We are
going to ask Uncle Joe what he or the
republican party has done which has
helped the w%orkingman in all the
years which have passed since he en-.
tered congress-" That will be a rash
question. Mr.. Cannon entered con-
gress in 1873, at the beginning of
Grants second term. One of the
pieces Of legislation of that first con.
gress, republican in both branches, in
which Cannon served was the passage
OF the resumption act which went into
operation in Hayes time, ia 1879,
which lifted every dollar in the coun-
try's currency up to the lOO.cent. gold
level, and which has kept it up TO the
gold line ever since. Let that demo-
cratic demagogue try to figure out the
billions Of dollars of increased pur-
chasing power which the resumption
act gave to the wages of the working.
men of the United States il the twenty
seven years in which it has been in
operation.
In the third Of the century in which
Speaker Cannon has been ia congress
the republican party adjusted the
tariff to the needs of American labor,
always keeping the interests OF the
workingman in mind, and always pro.
tecting him against the cheap labor of
Europe, as presented by the com.
modities which we're shut out at our
custom houses in favor of the domestic
products. Incidentally, too, the re.
publicans had to repeal one demo-
cratic tariff-the Wilson.Gorman
party peridy and party dishonor"
act-which Cleveland denounced and
refused to sign, but which VEN on the
statutes through the operation OF the
ten.day time limitation. Cleveland
declining to veto it, despite his dis.
like for it.
Let these foes of the republican party
try to estima ate the tremendous ad.
vanccments which have resulted to the
workingman by the homestead act
signed by Lincoln in 1862, which has
planted millions of homes throughout
the west. which has created great cen.
tiers OF industry and which has melted
the building OF tens of thousands OF
miles of railway. Let them also try
to figure the benefit to the laboripe
man which will come from the national
irrigation act of 1902, shaped by
Roosevelt aud passed by a republican
congress.
Possibly the demagogues will say
that all this legislation was for the
benefit OF the whole country, and was
not melted at all by the labor unions.
They will be correct in that ded uction.
ms legislation was for the benefit of
all sorts OF workers, of all forms of
employment and of all sections. This
Is how the republican party legislates.
In the republican party's program OF
national betterment there are no lines
OF class, section or occupation. The
republican party legislates for the en-
tire American people. The benefits of
this legislation are felt in the labor
unions as we'll as by the ten times as
many wage-workers outside of the uu-
lons. Moreover the American people
will applaud this action on November
Is, 1906, by giving the republican party
a new commission to continue its good
work.-Globe Democrat.