The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-10-06

pd16u was uSAU Ill l1S C4Iy ud!l VI
Lewiston, August 10. 1t was preceded
by the largest parade ever held in
that city. The hall was packed to it's
fullest seating and standing capacity,
the stairs even being damned. There
were fully $500 people present. It
Being the opening address and the
keynote of our campaign against Mr..
Littlefeld, my speech was necessarily
long, lasting two and half hours. 1t
was the hottest night of the summer,
the temperature in the hall being 10
degrees. It was real heroism on the
part of the audience to attend meet
ing upon such night, but it demon
strated the keen interest which had
been aroused, particularly when 1t is
known that large meetings in Maine
are the exception rather than the rule.
l shall not burden this article with
the Lewiston speech, extracts of which
may be found elsewhere in this issue.
l later delivered addresses in Rum
ford Falls, Livermore Falls, Bath,
Waldoboro, Rockland, Vinalhaven,
North Jay, Lisbon, Falls, and Rich
nlond. Every one of these meetings
was crowded, and it was necessary to
address many overflow meetings. At
Rumford Falls, many men employed
on the night-shift in the paper mills
were unable to attend our evening
| meeting, so another was held at 8
o'clock the following morning.
Apart from my own efforts, able and
convincing speeches were delivered at
| various points by Messrs. Reid, Hamil-
ton, Ames, Lovely, Golden, Flood, De
| Nedrey, Byrnes, DAllesandro, Tazel-
| aar, Cowper, Conway and Frazier. Ad-
| dresses were also delivered in union
meetings and at social gatherings; the
| appeal being made to workmen not
only to do their duty, but also to pre-
vail upon their neighbors and friends
| to do likewise
Incidentally it may not be amiss to
say that the work of organizing new
unions and strengthening existing
ones was vigorously prosecuted and
ionism has been more fully sown in
benefits of which are already begin
ming to be in evidence.
| Our Campaign on High Plane.
One of the things upon which I in
sisted was that Labor's campaign
should be conducted upon high
plane; that personalities should be
avoided; that the principles for which
Labor stands should be enunciated;
that the campaign against Mr.. Little
field should be made upon his policy
and his record. State or local matters
We're not interfered with. The COM
plants of Labor enumerated in our
! Bill of Grievances and the special
matters in which Mr.. Littlefield had
demonstrated his hostility to labor
and the interests of the people gen.
orally were constantly put to the front
The principles for which Labor stands
the laws and policies which it advo-
Gates, are those which in their fullest
sense carry with them the welfare of
the people generally, hence our cam
paign was not a PARTISAN. one in. any
sense, but Of vital interest to all citi-
zens.
On the other hand, the attitude of
Mr.. Littlefield and of many who spoke
for him and the press which support
ed him was that it was a piece of eff.
frontery for Labor to enter into the
campaign. The exercise of our right
to appeal to our fellow citizens to aid
!
theirs and the attainment of our
rights and theirs was vicipusly at
tackled, ridiculed, and misrepresented
The fact that Mr.. Cannon, of Illinois
Mr.. Taft, Of Ohio, Mr.. Lodge of Mas
sachusetts, Mr.. Beverage Of Indiana
Mr.. Watson of Indiana. Mr.. Hamilton
OF Michigan, and other prominent Re
publicans entered Maine to advocate
the reelection of Mr.. Littlef1eld seem
ingly did not occur to Labor's oppon
ents as being a matter of equal criti
cism, If cause for criticism there be
IN the fact of taking part in cam
paign where one Is not resident
How about the spellbinders so widely
advertised?
Vile, Personal Abuse by Mr.. Little
field.
How angry Mr.. Littlefeld became
during the course of the campaign was
shown when In one meeting he in
dulged in the following epithets to
ward me: "Gompers Is liar, a COW
ard, highwayman and a Jesse
James," and then referred to my per
sonal appearance as if I were enter
ing beauty contest, and wound W
| ny ucC1dIluS Ludt i OuSuL 10 D6 uduS
ed. He stopped to such demagogisn
AS to assert that Labor sought tt
license and legalize murder and con
spiracy to murder.
It is safe to say that the worst plug
ugly of the old-time Bowery politician
type never INDUCED in greater yitup
Grafton than did the Hon. Charles E
Littlefield in his mad frenzy to stem
the tide of Justly deserved opposition
which Labor had aroused among the
people Of his district against him. Ii
his speech at Lewiston he used lang
uage which caused the ladies present
to blush and hang their heads IL
shame; he repeated this language al
several points until his own .partisans
warned him that by such methods he
was disgusting his hearers and by his
malignant attacks upon me was driv
ing voters against him; in fact, that
his attempts at defense were adding
to the hurt accomplished by my
speeches against him.: He desisteG
only when "heckled", by people in the
MEETINGS. who questioned his assdr