Arizona republican., 1907-10-31
UNION LABOR
 IN POLITICS
The American federation
 Planning a Campaign
The Trades Union Votes to Be Cast for the Demo- cratic Party.

l and Frank Morrison, the former, presi-
 dent of the American Federation oi
 Labor and the latter secretary of the | same aggregation of labor organiZa-
 tions, are planning q grand coup ir
 the presidential campaign of 1908. | Many moves on the chessboard oi
 labor politics, many statements uttered
 by labor leaders, and many dark hints | and threats made in and out of the secret sessions of lodges and commit ! tees, indicate that MT. Gompers and
 Mir. Morrison will next year endeavoI
 to make cherished dream a reality by
 striving to swing the entire trades
 union vote of the United States against the Republican party and the principle l of protection.
 This would be only one step in ad-
 vance of that taken by MT. Gompers 1 and MT. Morrison in 1906. Then they
 endeavored to defeat almost the entire
 Republican membership of the House | of Representatives. They tried to align organized labor on the side of William
 R. Hearst at the meeting of the New York Federation of Labor, held at Binghampton in September, when ef- forts were made to have that body
 endorse MT. Hearst for the Democratic nomination. Later they threw their
 influence for MT. Hearst and against Governor Hughes. Now both these schemes failed to work Is a matter of
 political history. but if MT. Gompers
 and MT. Morrison had succeeded in
 their efforts, Mir. Hearst would have
 been elected governor of New York,
 and would now, perhaps. be having a
 clear field for the Democratic nomina-
 ton for President.
 But it is with the efforts of these
 great labor masters in national politics
 that the general interest of the coun-
 try is more concerned. That they are
 planning an effort to muster labor as
 an adjunct of the Democratic ma
 chine next year Is a very deep impress
 sion here. Mir. Gompers has threat ened 1t many times. He is infatuated
 with the success his fellow countrymen of England have had in running trades
 union candidates for the House of
 Commons. until they have at times swung the balance of power between the two great parties of England. by the sheer number of labor votes. It was the burden of all the remarks of labor representatives at the hearings arranged in behalf of the bills intro duced in the last Congress providing for the publicity of all campaign con- tributions At that time labor leaders said that they had come to the con clusion that they must take sides as an organization. and throw their solid vote to the party that would do as they wanted.
 Among matters on which they want legislation are the boycott. the eight hour day and the injunction. They de- sire legislation that will legalize the boycott, and an endorsement of that will be one of the things which they will insist upon as a prerequisite of giving support to either party. The Democratic party will no doubt prom ise to support a bill legalizing the boy colt. The Republican party. which regards the rights of property as something also to be considered. is not likely to do the same. The Dem ocratic party will promise to support a measure to provide that no injunc- ton shall be issued against q labor organization until there has been a hearing before a jury. IL has gone even farther than that in times past. The Republican party will not make any such pledge in its platform. in all probability, and on that the issue will be joined. as it in fact Is joined now. The labor unions will want legislation in establishing the eight-hour day to go farther than the present laws. and indeed, the Democratic party Is pledg ed to going just as far as the unions want. There is sure to be some re- strictions in the utterances of the Re publican platform. although Senator has recently. against his or at least in spite of his declared in favor of the day of eight hours.
 The labor leaders were never so ag- gressive as now. It may be that they realize that the time has come to make one grand rally and hazard the future on one cast of the dice. It can be mo- ticcd in the threats on the part of the allied unions against MT Stillings. the public printer, because under the law he maintains the 'open shop with good printing office" It can be heard in the attacks which are made on MT. the secretary of commerce and labor, who is one of the best friends the unions have. It can be heard in the predictions of a labor upheaval against the Roosevelt administration because it has not interfered in the ! strike of the telegraphers. IL can be heard in declarations or hostility to- ward the Republican party because it has not made the closed shop" one of the tenets of its national platforms. |
 It will be interesting to examine the net results of the last excursion made | by the American Federation of Labor l into rational politics. Having failed to | force Congress to enact the legislation | which is recounted above, and having | failed to carry the wild scheme of !! forcing the eight-hour day in digging ! the Panama canal, the federation of | ficials proceeded to intcrrogate mem | bers of Congress on their attitude at | the next session ' Congress on the l various measures which it was de- handing All of the Democrats. or all. answered that they | would gladly support any bill that a | labor union advocated. Some of the | Republican members replied that they | would do tie same thing. Some of | them said they would not. Some did i not answer at all.