Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-20
BELL AND THE LABOR VOTE

The sponsors of Candidate Gillett
the politico-railway combine, are play
ing their last card. They realize now
that they have a losing game i'm hand
The trend of public sentiment toward
Theodore A. Bell is so manifest that
the Gillett hackers cannot disguise
their anxiety. They feel that their
grip upon political power in California
is weakening in spite of all their ef-
forts. They see defeat staring them
in the face. Hence the desperate at
tempt now made to turn the tide and
save the political machine from the
junk heap.
BELL is a friend of the labor unions
That is the slogan formulated by the
Gillett managers and transmitted for
service wherever it may be used to
advantage. Here in Southern Califor-
MIA, where antipathy to trade unions
is especially strong, the slogan already
resounds in every county. BELL is
hand in glove with the unions-vote
him down." And upon that strain the
spellbinders and newspapers in the SER
vice of the combine will yawp and
shed ink until election day.
That is the last card of the politico-
railway combine. Let us see what il
is worth.
Theodore A. Bell is a friend Of the
Ia Dor unions to just the extent that
Candidate Gillett avows himself a
friend of the unions. In his speech
here Tuesday night Mr.. Gillett said:
mo man should be governor of this
state who would not fearlessly enforce
all laws we have now on our statute
books, no matter whether it hits the
le boring man or the man with a great
bank account"
That declaration by Mr.. Gillett con-
tains the gist of Mr.. Bells sentiments
on the labor question. Equal and ex-
act justice to all classes, workers or
capitalists, rich or poor, is the sub
stance of the Democratic candidates
views on the question of labor and
capital.
AS evidence that Mr.. Bell is equally
friendly to labor and capital, note
what he said directly to the labor Or
ga nizations of Los Angeles: II have
always believed that the chief execu-
tive of the state should not and cannot
be the representative of any special
class" He indorsed the Roosevelt idea
of a square deaP' for all.
But the labor unions made Mr. Bell
their candidate for governor, say the
mouthpieces of the combine. True,
mating a distinctive ticket, and hence
they had to make choice between the
Republican and the Democratic can
didate If they wished to concentrate
is really Harriman's puppet, the unions
could not consistently indorse one Of
the most grinding monopolies in the
United States. Therefore they indorsed
Bell because of confidence that in him
they could depend on square deal"
That is the sum and substance of
Mr.. Bells connection with the unions
He told the unionlsts plainly in his
Los Angeles speech that he had no
sympathy with agitators and that he
would give no pledge beyond the prom
ise Of square deal"
With all these facts as matters of
current news record, the tooters Of the
combine may blow until they are black
wool over the eyes of intelligent CAL
ifornia voters.
The essential difference between Bell
and Gillett In the gubernatorial cam
paign is this: Bell stands firmly on
the platform of the Square DEAL" with
out distinction or discrimination; Gill
lett is held by the Southern Pacific
collar as firmly as was Andromeda
when chained to the rock.