Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-09-06
SEC. TAFT At BATH.
CONTINUED from Page TwO.)

Dor, an honora BILE organization which
has accomplished much for the wage
earners and is capable of accomplish
ing much more when properly directed
by those who exercise the functions
for which they were elected to office i'll
the union. | have no prejudice against
the Federation of Labor. My sympa-
thies are with it in all efforts and
struggles to improve the material con-
dition and secure a larger share of the
profits of production for the wage
earners. | do not, however. believe IN
prescription in politics. 1t is foreign
to our institutions; foreign to gov
ernment of the people. | am opposed
to Mr.. Gompers political method of
blacklisting men who vote as their
conscience and judgment for the well
fare of their constituents dictate.
TT is stated that Mr.. Gompers has
made an assessment upon the MEM
bers of the Federation of Labor to Sc
cure money for use in this campaign.
A member of the federation may be
Republican in favor of Republican
politics, but he is assessed to make a
campaign against his own interests
as he sees them. because Mr.. Com
DptS lS ODIFSeu- SuCIl IIIttHouS Ill po1-
itics have never succeeded in this coun-
try and they never will. The ole
now-nothing party tried this method
of blacklisting all who were not native
born. 1t would have blacklisted Mr.
Gompers and other Federation leaders
as not qualified 10 hold public offices
But the:Iife Of that party was short
I remember when 1lenlagogues, not
the farmers into an alliance to secure
exceptional legislation not given to
other citizens.
Put the farmers put their feet on that
effort and stamped it to death. The
farmers are more than one third of the
people. but they ask no legislation that
is not given to all til" people.
Such efforts will always fail because
every man is here a cO-sovereign and he
exercises his inalicnablc right to unite
with his fellows. be they farmers. or
foundry employees. or railroad men, or
doctors. or lawyers. and agree upon poll
ci7s which they believe to be for the best
interest of the whole people. / believe
this effort to combine the vote of organ
ized labor in politics would fail even If a
ma aiority of the Federation of Labor
adopted it. am certain that it will fail
as the order of Mr.. Gompers and the
executive committee of the organization.
The working men. both union and non
union, Of this country are as jealous of
their sovereignty as are the farmers or
any other people. They will act with tn"
organization in what pertains to tho pur-
poses of the union, and they will follow
Mr.. Corpcrs so long he exercises the
functions for which he was chosen as
president Of the Federation. But they
will not follow him in his self-assiImcd
function of debating how they shall OK
ercise their rights of citizenship. They
will go to the polls and with the Austria
linn ballot in their hands they will walk
under their own hat brims and not under
that of Mr.. Gompers.
Mr. Gompcrs has a grievance against
your representative, as he has against
President Rooscvclt. myself and 10 or 30
other men in public life We refused to
disregard our oaths of office and enact
legislation which Mr.. Gompers demanded
He is aggrIcvcd because Congress sus-
pended the Shour law on the Panama
canal. where it applied to alien labor. not
American labor. He is aCETi"vcd because
the President has authorized the employ
mcnt Of Chinese labor IN digging the ca
nal because American labor cannot and
VIII not 20 there. lie is aEgricved be-
cause Congress would not enact an anti
Injunction law which he approved and
declared constitutional. Some men. anon,
them Your representative" ana myself. did
not believe the proposed law to be either
constitutional or favOrdhl" to all the poo
MI prnppcpI tn n, ,y,,tr
law. which is older than our government
ard which by legislation and decisions of
the court which under the constitution
interpret the law. have from the begin
ming exercised the power to protect prop
crty from destruction and damage where
tn" damage would h" irrcparablc.
This proposed law demanded by Mr..
Gompcrs in substance prohibited the
United States courts from issuing injdnc-
tions in any case between employer and
employc. unless necessary to prevent ir-
reparab" injury to a property right of
the party making the application. for
which injury there is no adequate remedy
at law: and in the next sentence the bill
provided and for the purposes of this act
no right to carry on business Of any par
tiCular kind or at any particular place.
Ut it Hll, Snall DH construed, h"lt, con-
sidcrcd or treated as property or as con
stituting property right
This means that what is property and
property right under ordinary intcrprc-
tation of law shall not h, Cousid. red
property or a property right in labor
dispute. It would he one Law for the m"n
to seek t" destroy property in a strike
and another law for those who sock to
destroy property under all other circum-
stances. one law for the striker and an
other law for The rest of the people.
Mr.. Gompcrs has hlacklisted US he
cause Congress failed to pass that law
He has read us out of civilization. But
speaking for myself. | had rather 1uit
public life now ard at tho age of 20 quit
forever. true to the civilization we have
developed, true to the distribution of
powers t. the executive. the lecislativc
and the judiciary. which are a check upon
each other. than to retain public Office
and make such a sacrifice to nv own
self respect ana at such terrible cost to
the country. While God gives me life I
will not by my act take from any citizen,
he he rich or poor. union or non-union