The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-21
Move Of Presi dent Will \ | /
Not Check C,.ai:.ml,l'lpaig \ |: n 4
.Gompers D eClar res. 8
ACTION OF Pr ROMPI
APPEA E D no BE E
Interests 81 Republicans in Con-
gressioral Ele ctions Being 4.
looked After BY Mr. MI Roose-S3l
~ velt@ Persona Confer ~
ence toS p 81 !: HeIdl 4 lat i soys-
ter Bay on Monday B
4 S(Frocam7 ON our Regular cor.r,espon dent.)I


(From Our Regular correspon dent.) HIGH
ssS'wAsII1NGToN. b " July % E'resssssss
dent 7ompers. Of u the Amer lean FEEDERS
ton of La BOZ, 4 said to day that the letter.
81 the President directing the on forps-si
ment OF the eiE "a our law would net
cause any any; let Up In the q ght which the
Federation OF Labor q king gainstS
certain Republican candi ties for Econss
gress. 81 AN sss Ss3s af
q President \ Gompers intimated Il that the
prom ii cation of the resi- dent eightss3#s
hour order at this par rticular time mightS
be construed as evid Hence that the adnin.S
4 d worried Il 8 bout 81 i the cominis
election In the Second Cons gressi sionalS SDis-.ss
trictg of M aine, which U.s. ct present Sreprss
sented BY Lit field Sss
he American Federatio sof q Labor
SO IL President Conn mpers Si not slect-fSl Il
Ing any precinct IN. \ the Second Maine 4 Il
District ana the ID Dor unions are
perfect II harmony An determinat tioaS
:to defeat Littlefield,5 who presents 4
everything but labor. cause
4 Will & Continue Eli ht. als3 sSsEssI
The President ): Ell hour; order will sdds
some good. but it vii not turn iabor's
vote TO Littleflel ID no will cause any
let up on the part of5 organised hlaboRsj
8to4Vote against candid ates who refused u
last Congress to respond TO the appeahF u
of labor .ass
4 since 1908 this IS what the FEEDER
alton has been try Ing to have lone \: Re-
Speated instance Ssof oil ationr of
eight law
thes Prasid ents al d Ethe mem bersg az iii
Cabinet. The eject ssof freside lent
alleged deol sion this ma tterS$wll1
course. be good % only this step should
have been taken long ago.
1t 8a viii s not rel ieve the CongressnenE;
who have beerS INF n end " or differents
.toSs the lright hteous demands ofs organizedss
labor of their ponsi bilities.s One ~ I;
the principal items NJ I'M abor's bill u 81 s
of Congress, was that the ederations 6:
had been unabl to- get b act ton on tho "
new eight hour law covering "a sgovern-s
9ment work js At that time VI the NJ President hi
promised a thorough q invest tgat lion Of tho
Instances cited Y. by ii the Federation and X
5a8 strict enforcement OF he present law. N
He is now merely carrying out SS that
promise, Si E he has issued the order to- IN
day reputed ito him. 5ssS
Move Very Slowly, 5 52
= Any one not acquainted with the n acts A
would think that THIS act ION on the part "
OF the administrations was most prompt
and that the Presidents action In ORDER
Ing the strict enforce ment n OF the eight
hour law was the outcome I Of \ theis svisfG 4.
to the White House ION the 2lst Sof l6St "
wac presented to- the President But thesss "
fact: Il, !, the American Federationg OF La bork
called the Observation-Disclosures attention. ia NJ
the violation OF the eight-hour law BY q
contractors and officials a s far n back a n
the 18th Of septembe ber, ,sg 1906. .as WI h kept
after the department and correspondent 8,
with the President furnishing him with IA
data on the subject but mot until after
we cal lied with the commit ittees on the s2lst
OF last March and presented labor's bill |
of grievances, VI and again referred to sa
the gross violations OF the 8eigh t-hour law
and the Indifference of officials charged 81
with the enforcement n; has our demand n
for the enforcement of the eigtt hour law u
been needed, . 4; Il slES III lY
z President Gompers said one effect OF "a
the Presidents order was (: to Soverrulss 81
the decision rendered by the judge-adYo-&@ us
cate OF the army In September 1905 that
War to institute proceedlng 81 for viola
ton OF the lEht-hour law Parties who
think the law Il beln 8 violated by cons
tractors, the Judge dvooate-general said. 6
should submit their complaints to n tho s$
proper United States attorney. fSf
Is Master Stroke. 4
Notwithstanding this reiteratlon OF thu a{
pu rpose OF the Federation to fight Presi-;
lent Roosevelt has certainly again den1on-sES
ztrated his possession OF wonderful abtll.,
ties as q politician. His letter to the
Secretary Of War and the Secretary OF IA
the & Navy !, directing them to prosecute
contractors on government work who Il
violate the Federal statute prohibiting the tss
OF employees on such work longer.
than eight hours In any one day, Is llp.3
a master stroke and ol gne
to make the President pretty solid With iS
the masses In the workingnlen's tunions,sg
The letter Is a palpable attempt to- head
Off the opposition OF the labor element to 81 II
the Republican candidates for Congress- 53s 4
in many States, and Ia nothing more nor Ell
less than the protest which the heads Of s
the American Federation OF Labor pre-
sented 10 the President at the Whlts3s2
House last spring, The President. as NIT,
Gompers points out. promised az me
time that II the labor people wohld specil Ss
q particular case in which tho law had
- taan or was being violated, he would tnt-
t,ats stepa looking to Its enforcement
l. understood that ths excuse for the Gs
later ia directing the rigid endorsement a.
the law is the viola don of ths. s1sh t'hoAaE
statute by the contractor VINO - ereeev "a
1ng tne bridge which IN to connect tive
hiils III Oh Connecticut Avenue, extended. IN
Ms city. II Ia also understood that the ~
contractor nm who is constructing = dEx !.
sonk for ths government As Charleston.
q, q, viii he Indicted for Violation of the i
law in about ten days. S.S Il
There ia reason for sAytnA ttAt % sS
prasiden. is virtually directing the Rey
ouhlican congressional esnpatgn In
yeas. Wbtls Rspysssntatl ~ I'm 49,