The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-25
NEW PARTY FOR LABOR MEN.
UNION RrLES WrST M OBErED
~ IRIS CHtEF PLANK

Publ,e OwnrrSiip, the single Tax aR'
IDlrect Nomination other s'Iauses !.
the freed ~ thr lincsin IDem0cFati'
Observation-Disclosures t!on'pers Plan
The frat Of n crop Of labor political bodie'
% he formed IA the result ~ the advice oi
President Samuel Gompera Of the American
Federation of Labor that the unions act
independently In politics has been launched
under the name OF the Abraham Lincoln
Democratic League In the Ninth Assembly
district. Representatives Of the league
were at all the labor headquarters yester-
day with copies Of the platform.
The platform credits these sentences to
Abraham Lincoln:
Labor liz prior to and independent OF
capital. Capital is only the fruit Of labor
and could never ave existed II labor had
not first existed. Labor is the superior OF
capital and deserves a much higher con-
sideration.T
Its main planks follow;
When those employed in any profession.
trade or calling through their accredited
Representatives make the rules and reGnla-
tiOns under which they are willing to work
no other authority should be recognized
= "pih' NJ " w w 1922 '
used by the people. to accommodate the
people, and not to make money for The fcw.
In a government of the people. by the
people and for the people no one should
be permitted to exercise authority unless
amenable to the people.
The great obstacle In the way Of true rep
resentative government to-day Is the private
control Of public utilities,
Government by Injunction Is government
-, tha Int tNrat " tho Law ttGttrninr thn
functions of the maker and the executor of the
law.
To offset the control Of conventions by
bosses we favor the direct nomination Of all
candidates for public Office, as well as the
election OF United States Senators and all
postmasters directly by the people.
As the increase of land values is produced
entirely by the density of population. we favor
the single tax on land values as a means Of
restoring to the community what rightfully
belongs to it.
Alexander Law Of the Brotherhood OF
Carpenters, chairman OF the league, said
that it had been started shortly after Presi-
dent Gompers issued his political pronun-
ciamento. The movement was to be a
national one, he said, and notifications about
it had been sent to the American Fedora
ton of Labor and the affiliated unions in
the different cities.
What, if any, independent political action
the C. F. u. is likely to take could not be
learned yesterday. The executive COM
mittee, to which the question has been
referred, reported that it will make the
question a special order of business at it's
next meeting on Friday. No publicity is
to be given to the plan until it Is presented
to the c. F. u, which will be in a fortnight
from next Sunday.
According to the representatives of the
American Federation of Labor a number
Of cities throughout the State have started
political leagues in accordance with the
advice of Gompers. Herman Robinson, the
New York representative of the American
Federation of Labor. said that he believes
that the new political movement among the
labor unions will be a bigger one thar the
public anticipated. In a number of cities
throughout the State, no said, labor political
leagues have been formed for the first
time.
Il believe, . he said, that the present
time is more opportune for labor to take
political action han it has been since the
days of the Henry George Mayoralty cam
paign. The people have learned a good
deal since then, INC if the Central Federated
Union takes the proper action it has a
good chance, as both the Republican and
Democratic parties are more or less divided.
What form the plan might take 1 would not
undertake to predict, but | belle We hat
labor politics is in the air everywhere