The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-09-13
HAGER and THE
LABOR Vote
His Plea for Protection for
Children Falls Flat.
Good at Spinning Cheap Meaning
less Phrases to Burc0
Workingmen.

campaign at Lexington last Saturday
for Governor, speaking Of child Ia
Dor, said:
81 am led to give brief attention to
the agitation for laws prohibiting the
employment of children below GER
tain age in mines and factories, and
commonly designated Child Labor
Laws The children of the State,and
especially those among the poorer
class, need such legislation far more
than the wage they earn
If the Democratic party be the friend
of the poor and the weak, as it 50 Of
ten vociferously asserts when it needs
to bunco workingmon out or cheir
votes, why has it not long ago placed
such legislation on the s,a.u.e books
and provided for the faithful enforce
ment Of such laws?
The Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor goes on to say:
There s no more piiabie signt
than that Of young and -endcr boys
and girls wearing avay .0eir livos in
the smoky factory - dismal nine,
evinc.rg IN their coun,euances tne IN
salu.ary effect of the confinement and
strain incident TO he work
Why mas not the Democge .ic parry
during all the years it has been in full
possession of all departments of the
State government. made Z imposs Bile
for legal enactment for sucn pa
bic sight" % be- seen IN mis- Common
wealth as mat Of young and tender
boys and girls wearing away thc-r
lives in smoky factories OF dismal
mines?'
These sights, 'piiablc" though S.
w. Hager declares them 10 be, nave
been observed in this Commonwealth
for years and years by all men who
cared to take note of cncm; but ,acy
do not appear 10 arouse c0mpassi0 III in
the no5rs of Dempcra - Legislatures
Judges or Executives except when
these gentlemen feel the need Of work.
ingmen's votes 20 boost them into
public office.
Candidate Hager can see the evil
of "s,un;ng or Ietard;ng the physi-
cal growth and development Of the
boy or girl of young and tender years,
especially when he feels that ne must
have the votes of wogkingmen or he
cannot be Governor. But candidate
Hager viii discover before tris cam
paign is over the politicians game
Of flim-flamming the workers out of
their votes by their sham and hypo-
critical pretenses of friendship for
them IS growing increasingly diff
cult from year 20 year.
Again candidate Hager in that sec
ton OF MS address devoted 70 capt
tai and labor" sagely observes: with
a proper understanding Of the mu,ual-
er regard for the rights Of each on the
part of the other. there should be no
differences between them"
Candidate Hager places mighty
low estimate on the INTEL. gence Of la
bOreTs, when he believes ne can de-
cciye- any great number of them by
that long ago exploded theory that
the interests Of capital and labor are
mutual.
Workingmen are interested in Sc
curing the shorter work day, higher
,,,aoy,o .rd ,,ora b,,,,ana conditions of
work. The capitalists are interested
in maintaining long hours Of work and
low wages.
Tao interests of capitalists and wag
workers are Numerically opposed ne
one TO the other.
Again Mr.. Hager says: "The organ
ization of the great army Of wage
earners in this country is essential for
their self-presorvation." Why so?
Who or what class is seeking the des-
trucl-n Of the great army of wage ear
ncrs If tie interests of this army of
w7g' carners are the same as the in
forests Of their employees? The gen.
tlemen IS simply repeating a number
Of seIotypod phrases that have been
made 10 do duty before by bourgeois
politicians.
TIE following sentence from Candi-
date Hasers' speech, without capital
the laborer cannot sell his heir
and barter his Drawn and muscle"
shows mat while lie can spin cheap
and meaningless phrases 70 bunco
worhugmen out of their votes, he is
absolutely ignorant of the very ter
miuology OF the subject Of the labor
movement. The laborer does not sell
his hire or barter his Drawn" He sells
the only thing he has to sell viz, his
labor power in the labor market for
the highest wages he can get. Again
the gentleman says: "The Democrat
ic party has always been the friend Of
labor in this country, and has favor
ed and encouraged its organization. !"
To this / reply, the Democratic par
ty has never been friend of labor in
this country, and is not to-day. To
prove this l could cite numberless