Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-14
we have already accomplished in public

! opinion. '''N :" p''"'
DESPITE the attitude of the hostile por-
tion OF the press. We know from various
authentic sources that there has been
among all our people a general awakening
In behalf of labor's just demands In the
congressional and legislative campaign
tnrousnout the country the major portion
OF all discussions and contentious has CEN
tered upon the questions of labor and the
society.
1T is not surprising that many good citi-
lens heretofore only had vague nation of
Iaoor demands and the sound logic upon
wnicn they were based; but the launching
vi vi ouI campaign. aye, even the Pronunciation
cs,s .ns hoseiie portion of the press. has
caused a great accession of public interest.
discussion means that all sides of a
question come in for hearing. The de-
sire OF the general public to know what
our campaign Is about has given labor
representatives a greater opportunity than
ever before to present our claims and to
snow that they are founded upon justice, a
patriotlc and humane desire to help all our
people. The Americans desire to deal hon.
estiy and fairly with propositions which
yond measure
1T is surprising to many who have not
hitherto studied the subject to find that.
Wnie we made a clear-cut and definite cam
Palgn on certain issues. including, for In
stance, the eight-hour and anti-injunction
bills. these and all labor's demands seri-
ously concern every citizen. -frrespectiye of
whether he be member of organized la
Dor or not.
Truth is an eternal verify, and our
cause needs only to be understood In order
to win the support of all sympathetic, pa
triotlc and right-principled men.
we gain by every discussion. We gain
even by every hostile attack which pro-
vokes comment and gives an opportunity
to show what is the truth in regard to
our cause. The discussion of the specific
measures which labor advocates has led
TO consideration of the ba lie, economic
proposition and philosophy upon which
such demands are founded. Many so-called
statesmen no less than the multitude of pri-
vate citizens have found that our cam
palgn mas forced a more careful study of
problems which heretofore have been passed
over with conventional phrases which cover
ignorance of important subjects
1t Is worthy of note that the organiza-
tion OF workmen has received a marked i'm
Petus during the months of the campaign.
This Is another evidence of it's educational
value Inc woi {ers who had not hereto
lore understood the purpose of our move
mem, pesan to take an interest when they
heard the demands of labor so persistently
discussed, even by our opponents. To look
into the subject of organiza ton always
must mean that the man who has not here
tofore belonged to a union will be con-
WINGED that his own best interests are con-
served by standing shoulder to shoulder
with his fellows in the labor movement for
the important, economic, Industrial, po-
ward by the organized hosts of labor Our
! members have shown great unselfishness
IN abandoning. even for the time being, in
ternal dissensions for the establishment of
the great principles involved
while at this writing no definite re-
SUITS can be predicted. feel confident that
we have enough congressman elected and
pledged to the rights of labor and the people
as to make it impossible for anothe hostile
or indifferent Congress to treat labors de-
mands in the future as they have been
treated in the past
And In passing it may not be amss to
express the opinion that in the pending
session of the present Congress the lessons
of labor's campaign will have a salutary
influence.
AS time goes on the consensus of opin-
lon Is agreed that the exercise by labor OF
its economic power is. after all. certainly
the greatest power which can be welded
labor writer in the Pittsburg Dispatch
says:
While the American Federation of La
boris political campaign. viewed from the
standpoint of material success. was fall
ure, there were a few exceptions that DEM
onstrated that If trades unionists choose
to emulate the solidarity on political lines
manifested by their brethren in Great
Britain they might make a visible impress
In legislative halls.
The most conspicuous of the successes
of the trades-union end of the campaign
in Pennsylvania just ended was won by
L. -. Nichols OF scranton. an Independent
republican. who will sit in the next Con-
gress as representative from the tenth
district. Mr.. Nichols Is president of Dis
trict l of the United Mine Workers, with
headquarters at Scranton. He has occupied
that position ever since the revival of the
miners organization in the anthracite field,
just previous to the strike of 1900. A
Welshman by birth. he was employed as
an engineer in the mines at Nanticoke. be-
low Wilkesbarre, when called to lead the
miners of his district He Is a man of ex-
tremely quiet manners. with a record of
clean. consist ent trades unionism, aps en-
joys the confidence and respect alike of
the operators and the miners. President
Mitchell actively entered into the campaign
for his election. making number of
speeches. as did also President Gompers.
"In the western end of Pennsylvania Will
liam B. Wilson. national secretary treas
urer of the United Mine Workers, resi-
dent of Blossburg and man of more than
usual ability, came near winning out over
Elias Deemer in the fifteenth district Out
side of Pennsylvania Timothy Healy, presi-
dent of the International Brotherhood of
Stationary Firemen. will go to Congress
from the nineteenth New York Congress
sional district. and Henry Gottlob, a printer
of Newark. N. j.. and an official of the
New Jersey State Federation of Labor,
won legislative honors. These three sue
cessful candidates in the recent elections
are delegates to the convention OF the
American Federation of Labor. which opens
tomorrow at Minneapolis. and will doubt
less receive an ovation from their fellow
delegates.