Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-31
IN LABOR CIRCLES
O.

| the part Of Capt. Mathews and Lieut.. Null
| hall Of the police force at the time Of the
death of Engineer Hugh Murphy of the
Southern railway is being watched with
great interest by the thousands OF engineers
and fremen In all sections Of the country.
Engineer Murphy was scalded to death
while pinned to the earth by his locomo-
| tive which had overturned at 9Th street
and Maryland avenue southwest. 1t Is al
| legged that the engineers life could have been
| saved had 1t not been for the policemen
| under the Immediate orders of Mathews and
Mulhall, who. it is further alleged, pre-
vented the railroad men from aiding in the
| rescue OF the engineer, compelling them to
stand back while Murphy was being slowly
smothered by the escaping steam.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
decided that as two cases had occurred in
Washington within year. there should be
| Of the brotherhood, Thomas H. Brickley
and H. c. Sparks, were assigned by the or
ganizatfon to bring about thorough in
quiry into the circumstances surrounding
| Engineer Murphy's dath Labor papers in
| all parts of the United States have taken
| the matter up, and the findings Of the trial
board are anxiously awaited
1t was said in the Labor Vindicator that
| should 1t Nbe deemed necessary to carry
the matter further the necessary funds to
any amount required will be, forthcoming
/
| ganization, the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers seconded by the Brotherhood of
| Locomotive Ffremen and organized railway
| men generally
| The same labor paper calls attention to
! the beautiful custom of the locomotive engi-
| neers in holding memorial services each
year for those who have passed away.
The statement is being widely published
| that the entrance Of the American Fedora
ton of Labor into the realm Of politics has
membership at large. The dissatisfied ones,
I 1t Is said, will vote their disa pprobation at
| the coming convention of the A. F. Of L..
| which opens in Minneapolis November IL.
| Editor j. c. Skemp, In the current number
Of the Painter and Decorator. voices the
| sentiment of some Of these. He declares
| that the reason for the Indifference to the
| present labor political campaign is due to
| the fact that trades unionists who believe
| in self-government refuse to be committed
! to any program in the adoption Of which
| they are not consulted. and resent the
| sumption Of irresponsible authority and
| even the semblance OF dictation by their
| leader,
| yet, knowing the aggressive democracy
| of trades unionsn President Gompers and
| the executive council continues Editor
| Skemp, without consulting the three million
| members of the American Federation of
Labor. decided to commit the trades union
| lists of the United States to a platform
| which they had no hand in framing, to a
policy which many think ill-advised and i'm
| practical. to a campaign for which ad-
| equate funds have been provided.
1.-THE committee in charge is handicapped
| by the choice Of lieutenants, who, having
| been partisans of the old political parties in
| the past. have persistently opposed indie
| pendent political action. and the ignoring of
| those who for years have advocated the
| adoption Of a labor political program and
| who one would expect to be most active in
| the present movement. Little had been done
to awaken the enthusiasm of the rank and
| file, or to give them confidence, and we do
| not consequently anticipate many victories
in the present campaign. but believe that
| from its sins of omission and commission
| we shall learn valuable lessons, none per-
| haps as important as the uselessness of in
| dorsing old party candidates. who. under
compulsOn, half-heartedly promise to sup
port our program.
However, despite these temporary mis-
| takes in policy and method, the future Of or
ress may be delayed, but not prevented. The
poverty of results from our present cam
| paign is but matter Of small Importance.
1t will have served its purpose If it con-
| ton Of Labor of the inadequacy and i'm
practicability of halfway measures and a
| milk-and-water platform.
| THE coming Minneapolis convention
should discuss the question exhaustively.
outline a definite policy and take the steps
| necessary to obtain an authoritative ex-
| preston Of the views and wishes of the
rank and file, upon whom the success OF the
| movement depends"
Touching on the same matter-labor in
poIitics-Max 8. Hayes has this to say in
| the labor department of the Cleveland
Leader:
Organized labor's entrance into politics
at the solicitation Of President Gompers
and the executive council Of the American
| Federation Of Labor is not resulting satis-
| factorily up to the present. While no move
has been made by Cleveland unions further
| than to indorse Mr.. Gompers' plan, still the
! local unionists are watching the experiment
| in other places with considerable interest
| as upon the success or failure of labor's
political efforts in other cities and towns
| will largely depend action relative to this
question to be taken next year. The at
| tempt to deliver the labor vote to some
! friend throw 1t against enemy"
! has already created some bitterness in Chi
| cago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington
| and quite number Of smaller cities.
Several months ago the New York Cen
! trail Federated Union a delegate body
similar to the Trades Council of Cleveland,
appointed committee to form a political
| organization. Naturally, the various parti-
| sans struggled for advantage. There were
! two democratic factions, the Tammany and
Hearst followers, goodly sprtnkl1ng of re-
gagged in four cornered contest, and the
political ship had stormy passage for
weeks A few days ago the political COM
mittee virtually threw up the sponge. de-
claring that 1t had been ignored by the
dominant parties and that labor had no
friends" not even in Hearst's Independ-
ence League, the managers or which Organ1-
cation had CURLY informed them, as their
enthusiastic fellow-workers Of Buffalo had
been notified in SO many words. that labor
Is good enough to vote, and what in blank
more do you want?"
"Officially labor will take political &C
ton in New York this year.
I'm Philadelphia the labor element has
been split in factions. The dominant ele-
ment seems to be attached to the Penrose
machine, while the Emery-democratic fusion
combine has put up q union labor party
ticket to draw votes from the regulars. The
socialists are fighting both of the larger
factions
"Chicago's Federation of Labor has w.t.
messed some Of the stormiest sessions of
its history within the past few months.
There are five or six groups pulling and
hauling in that body. Mayor DUNES
followers were successful In forcing the
federation to keep out of city politics.
and only candidates for Congress and the
state legislature were Endorsed, mostly
on the democratic and socialist tickets.
The Washington Central Labor Union
has been the scene of some fierce wars.
at one Of which the secretary declared BIT
terly that about six weeks more Of this
and you won't have any central body"
THE Detroit Federation of Labor is dis