The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-12-06
WILSON'S VIEWS
In Regard to our Independent Poll
teal Policy.
HIS SPEECH AT CONVENTION
Sets Forth the Good that Has Been
Accomplished Through that
Way in the Past.
HIS SPEECH AT CONVENTION

During the discussion in regard
to independent political action by
trades unions at the late A. f. of
l.. convention, Congressman elect
w. B. Wilson made the following
pointed remarks.
"Some of us seem to have very
short memories, and as a result we
hear, year after year, the statement
made upon the floor of this con-
vention that the trade unionists
have accomplished nothing by in
dependent political action AS a
matter of fact, we have accomplish
ed great deal. 1 can go back to
the days of my childhood and re-
call that, as son of a coal miner,
L was taken into the mines to mine
coal before l was nine years of age.
BY independent political action
and agitation on the part of trades
unionists that has been made i'm
possible in every coal produc-
ing state in the Union.
When I first went into the mines
we did not have solitary law in
any state of the Union relative to
the sanitation of the mines. Men
worked in the mines without ven
tilation, without any sanitary reg
ulation, and without any inspection
to require sanitary regulation. As
a result of independent political
action that condition is changed,
and while we have not the sanitary
conditions we ought to have, we
have very much better sanitary
conditions than prior to lifetime we
took independent Political action.
What is true Of the mines is true OF
the mills and the fac, orieS. In nv
boyhood days there were no SAM.
tary regulations in any of our states
relative to mills and factories.
There were no inspection laws and
there were no child labor laws in
those days. Those things have
been brought about by independent
political action and agitation,
Years ago, our school system was
very much inferior to the system
we have today. The greatest force
in furnishing us free text books,
in states where we have them, has
been the independent political
action and agitation of the trade un-
ions.
We could go along this line and
cite a number of instances; but |
simply make the citations to demon
Strate that we have been making
progress, and if we have not made
crater progress than we have it
has been due, not to the fact we
did not enter into partisan politics,
but to the fact that we had millions
have been associated with us in
our trade union movement who were
outside of it. The trade union
movement brings together men and
women who have common ideas
along certain lines. They come to-
gether in their trade unions be-
cause of those common ideas; but
those same men and women NAV
differ radically upon other sub
JectS. The man who beliveS in a
high protective tariff. the man who
oppose him and favors a tariff for
revenue, and the man who occu-
pies any of the positions between
these extremes, all agree in opposi-
tlon to tranny of government by in
junction. So while one man may
he nominated upon Il Republican
:lcket, another upon 4 Democratic
ticket, and another upon Socialist
ticket, all three having DETERRENT
ideas on certain lines. may be able
to concentrate their efforts on lines
along which the trade union move
meut is WORKING IuSta,l Of ,,,,,
uniting this organization to a
PARTISAN movement, the proper
thing to do is urge our members to
lndepent politician action that will
enable them to secure the adoption
OF tho things we are commonly
agreed upon. .