Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1907-09-13
PARRY ON ROOSEVELT AND
BRYAN.

Bb1A AN.
Washington, D. G., Sept. I'D. M.
Parry OF indianapolis has taken cud-
gel to both William J. Bryan and Sena-
tor Albert J. Beveridge, for their views
on the labor question rs expressed in
their debate in the Reader Magazine,
aud has prepared a keen and peppery
article, in which he scores both for
evasion, fallacious reasoning and truck
ling to the labor vote.
Mr.. Parry handles both the Reader
disputauts without gloves. He says:
''The real labor question is whether
men In an organized capacity shall O
be permitted special license to violate
law and (2) whether they shall be grant
ed special favors by government at the
expense of the whole people. The
unions assume the power to deny, by
forcible means If necessary, the right
of non-member TO work where, when
and for what he pleases and the right
of the employer to hire whom he
pleases and to manage his own capitol
as he sees it under the law.
Also the unions are particularly clam
orous for special favor from government.
The labor question is thus one imposed
on the country by the efforts of organiz-
ed labor to use its power In an illegiti-
mate way, and it is this attempted abuse
of power which occasions all industrial
trouble and constitutes the entire capital
labor controversy. The real labor ques-
tion has nothing to do with the right of
labor to organize for legitimate ends,
and when cOn6ning their efforts within
the sphere of the lawful, the unions do
in important ways serve the bsst ends OF
society.
"Do Mr.. Bryan and Mr.. Beveridge
address themselves to the labor question
as l have here stated it2 No. They
would not dare to do II. The union
labor man is voter-a very hard voter
to please and still harder to keep pleased.
But horror Of horrors, II he isn't pleased
there Is the fatal roll of the political
enemies OF labor edited from day to day
by Mr.. Gompers. And If Mr.. Bryan or
our own dear Senator should get his
name on that roll 1t would be cstaclys-
mic. Could they tell the unions that
when they strike, when they abandon
their employment, their members should
leave the place where they worked and
not modest in any way their former en-
ployer or the man he hires In their stead?
Could they tell them that their proposed
class legislation could not be granted
without virtually annulling the cOnstitu-
ton of the United States end substitut-
ing in its place a code on the socialistic
order? OF course not-that is they
could not do it from the standpoint Of
public men. Hence we have labor de-
bate which in point of fact is mainly
riyalistic performance to see which can
smear the political salve the deepest.
''But while Mr.. Bryan and Mr.. Bev-
eridge eysde the main issue they have
much to say which requires an answer.
II is only jnstice to Mr.. Beveridge to
say that his views are very much differ
ent from those of Mr.. Bryan. Being
senatorial member of Mr.. Roosevelt's
Cabinet, Mr.. Beveridge is somewhat on
the defensive-it is largely his object to
prove that the national administration is
for labor, but in doing this he is careful
to admit that labor is not exactly the
whole thing in the universe and
that as q matter Of fact capital Is
also entitled to some consideration.
This admission is well.nigh fatal
from a labor point of view as Was
demonstrated In recent interview in the
public press wherein the most conserva-
tive labor leader in the country adroitly
takes the Senator to task by declaring
with pointed emphasis that the labor
question is the only great question and
that sll other questions such as tariff, d.
nances, trusts, etc., mentioned by the
Senator, pale into insignifcance beside
it. Clearly from the labor point OF view,
Mr.. Bryan has utterly routed Mr.. Bev-
eridge in this debate.
"But Mr.. Bryan being of the 'opposi-
ton and exceedingly anxious that some
body else should become the opposition
has no annoying responsibilities to con-
tend with aud apparently no scruples In
further advertising himself as an enemy
of capital. Organized labor says; III
we just had the right kind Of laws no.
body would be poor or have to work
either and Mr.. Bryan pats il on the
back and says: you are on the right
track, boys, Pm with you.' Organized
labor further ayers: The present laws
sre capitslistic laws and until they are
changed we must have the privilege of
violating them whenever We fight capital
and its hirelings.' Mr.. Bryan diplomat.
ically replies 'You are entitled to all
the special privileges that government
can grant You.'
Mr.. Bryan favors the amendment of
the law as to injunctions 80 as to except
labor unions but still leaving the law
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