Evening star., 1906-09-03

men who depend on their daily labor for
support; that the time expended In promot-
ing our cause is direct pecuniary loss:
tnat we are working for the cause of prog
ress In which you are interested
The Progressive Alliance movement has
not commended itself to the local manage
reason that the movement is beyond reach
or control by personal or factional infiu-
ences This movement was not conjured
INTO existence as an instrument of personal
motive IL Is neither the creation nor the
creature OF an individual will II is the
spontaneous expression by the hundreds of
thousands OF laboring men OF this me-
tropolis of their conscious need for n way
To escape from political partisan servitude
Organized labor In Chicago-as In Ameri-
Gals weary OF the dominion of political
paIoes which divide In order to conquer
and hold II in subsection. on the one hand.
whiie on the other 1t has learned from
experience with false prophets the lesson
OF distrust.
Grounds for Distrust.
The Progressive Alliance. as the political
expression of the organized labor OF Chi
cago particularly. has grounds to distrust
the professions OF friendship indulged I'm
by the sponsors for the Independence
League. ana IL that chartered corporation
shall persist In its efforts to place judicial
ticket In the field at the coming election it
must be apparent to every man who senses
the situation that the real purpose is to
divide the progressive forces at work I'm
this community In order to create a sub
serSlent political machine: and this with no
hope or prospect of Influencing the result
OF the coming election. but with a view of
getting Into the municipal primaries next
spring SO as to play a part In national poli-
tics.
We can find no possible Justification for
this attitude OF treachery to organized
labor for years In the past the Hearst
papers have necessarily urged upon or
ganized labor the necessity for a movement
such as is now the program of the Progress
slve Alliance. yet barely had this movement
come into life when every possible effort
was made by the representatives of the
local Hearst interests to secure its control;
every means from fiattery and blandishment
to bulldozing and blackmail were employed
Inducements to Merge.
These interests. now standing sponsor
for the Independence League have time and
again. through personal interviews and by
committees. offered everything in exchange
for a name They have offered to furnish
campaign headquarters and officer the
same, to provide newspaper backing to
finance a campaign. to elect any sort of a
ticket which might be named. on any kind
of platform which might be drawn by
the Progressive Alliance. IL only we would
call this organization a branch of the
Hearst Independence League. This was as
clearly impossible that a child might
change the color of its eyes
The Progressive Alliance. remembering
the past bearing in mind the influences at
work from these sources in 1904 1905 and
1908; recalling the deals and bargains and
the double course in every relation and
connection where these interests had a
voice; not forgetting the utter lack OF every
vestge of principle, except the voracious
all-devouring insatiate and insane greed OF
power shown In their every expression.
cannot find at this time any basis for ne
gotiations with the interests referred to
I'VE regret that you should be the un-
conscious instruments of a purpose to ham,
string the movement toward political in
dependence on the part of organized labor.
and the agents of personal despotism in
spired by pure selfishness masquerading as
patriotism
I'VE appeal to you to refuse to permit
yourself to become the advertising medium
of a purely Hearst movement. and respect
fully urge that you enlist in the service Of
a cause instead of a man."