Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-19
LABOR IN ILLINOIS
Fight Against Republican Rep
resentativeS.
G0MPERS AND MITCHELL
Will Both Go on the Stump in That
State.
COLLECTING CAMPAIGN FUND
To Be Used in the Struggle-The Chi
cago Districts Analysed, With
Probable Results.
COLLECTING CAMPAIGN FUND


Specidl correspondence OF Inc star.
CHICAGO, October 1e, 1906
Organized labor is collecting a fund Of
$250,Oo0 for the campaign against repub-
Hcan representatives in this city and the
rest of the state who are considered to be
unfriendly to the unions political demands.
A hard fight will be waged the rest of this
month by the labor leaders in every district
of the state where they believe there is the
slightest chance of defeating the repub-
hcan representatives or materially cutting
down their majorities. Democratic candi-
dates in most of the districts have been
Endorsed, and in several of the Chicago dis
tricts the Independence League nominees
will be supported by the union chiefs.
Through this combination 1t Is expected
that several, possibly half, Of the twenty
four Illinois seats in Congress now held by
republicans will be wrested from that party.
Samuel Gompers, president of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor and other promi-
week to take the stump. Gompers will
make two-day speaking tour of the city
and will then go into several of the down.
state districts, according to local labor
leaders. He will devote special attention to
Speaker Cannons district. President John
Mitchell will aid in the fight against the
Speaker there. and sensational campaign
in the Danville, or eighteenth, district, is
expected. Mitchell will also probably take
a hand in the fight for pro-union repre-
sentatives in Chicago.
The Chicago Districts.
In this city the fourth fifth and eighth
districts, now represented, respectively, by
Charles G. Wharton. Anthony Michalek
and Charles McGavin, all republicans are
heavily democratic under normal conditions
The incumbents were swept into office on
the Roosevelt tidal wave and even repub-
Ucdn admit that thew will ha
accomplishing a marvel If they carry all
three districts again this year. They are
worried also over other districts that have
been counted as safely republican, where
the union labor leaders art starting a fierce
campaign in the effort to array the work.
ingmen against the republican candida ties.
This revolt of organized labor against the
republicans Is new factor in local poll
tics that Is giving the republican leaders
grave concern. If the labor vote is not
split and it now looks as though the Inde-
pendence League, the Progressive Alliance
the local union labor political organiza-
tom and the democrats would combine in
most of the districts it is quite possible
from Chicago will be defeated.
Representatives Martin B. Madden, in
the first; James r.. Mann. in the second;
ton, in the fourth; William Lorimer, in the
sixth; Phillip Knopf, in the seventh; Charles
McGavin, in the eighth Henry S. Boutell,
labor's political blacklist and bitter fight
will be waged against each.
The first district is close, with the odds
favoring the democrats under normal con-
ditions. Madden is a weak candidate He
was for years a leader of the gray
wolves In the city council. He is one of
Boss Billie" Lorimer's right-hand men and
has always been knitted by the anti-machine
republicans. Four years ago he was de-
feated In the race by Martin Emerich,
democrat. by a majority of 1,152 Two
years later Emerich was refused a renomi-
nation and split among the democrats
resulted, an independent democrat entering
the fight. In the three-cornered struggle
Madden was elected, the regular demo-
cratic candidate running $500 votes behind
his party strength of 1902. Emerich has
been nominated again. and with the aid of
the solid labor vote, which he expects to
get, 1t is believed that he will again de-
feat Madden.
The second district has long been known
as one of the republican strongholds But
in that district are the manufacturing sub
urbs along the south shore, including South
Chicago with the great plants of the ILL
nois Steel Company. There are many thou
sands of workingmen in this district and If
the union labor leaders succeed in swinging
the majority of these to the democratic
candidate. Herbert ]. Friedman, Repre-
sentative Mann will be overwhelmed. Fried
man Is a young attorney, and while he has
not been prominent in politics heretofore,
he Is said to be clean, able and an excel
lent campaigner. He Is reported to be in
harmony with the labor political propa-
ganda and that the Independence League
and Progressive Alliance will support him
Probably Republicans Will Win.
The third. or Englewood district, is nor
mafy republican by about 1000 votes. but
it was carried by Wilson in the Roose-
welt landslide by 1900 plurality In this
district, also, there are number of factory
and mill suburbs and a heavy population
Here. however he moth, Of