The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-01-31
On President Gompers is the Abusive Tactics oil
Two Inundated congressman
IS AN INSULT TO THE CAUSE OF UNloN1sM
tefed and Wharton Taken to Task by Current Tss,p Of
the Federahonists and Few Of Their Underhanded
Methods Are Shown Up

STRIPPING pettifoggers-the errand
boy OF the masters of Packinstown.
! 1T was our privilege, as well as our
duty, to go into that district and
TO urge the election Of Mr.. McDer
mott, bright young American, an
enthusiastic, liberty-Ioving and
sympathetic union man. Under
the SOLDERING influence of political
retirement, Mr.. Wharton may come
to reason with himself, if his hide
and mentality are not too impen
etrable, and some time repent of
ms ignorant, vicious, and malicious
asperSlonS toward those of whom
he now has not the faintest appre-
clatlon or understanding.
But, after all, Mr.. Wharton,
attack is only on par with that of
the Hon. Charles Il. Littlefield
who denounced, "that man Com
peis'> as a coward, jesse James,
and high wayman. Since the
election Mr.. Littlrfeld has, upon
every occasion, undertaken to con.
vince people that, despite his loss
of nearly 5000 votes in his district
yet, to use his own language.
"Gompers helped me-" In an ad.
dress at meeting in Washington,
ID. e., he discovered reporters
present and refused to continue
until the newspaper representa-.
tlves were ordered from the hall.
1t SO happened that several stcno.
graphcls were present who took
down MIR. Littlefield's speech, in
which i'll the vilest terms he de.
nounoed, not only the President of
the American Federation of Labor,
but his (Mr. Littletield's) collea-
CUES on various committees of
which he is a member, as well as
the entire membership of the House
of, Representatives.. Stigmatizing
them as "cowards. Stcnographic
copies of this speech are now to be
had for the asking, and Mr.. Little
field has quite Il time of it to. sex
plain" to his colleagues. But
members of Congress need not de-
pend upon the accuracy of the re-
port of that speech, nor upon Mr..
Littleficld's dcnials.
he gave vent to similar abuse
upon the public platform during
the campaign i'll Maine. In those
speeches he denounced every mem
Der of Congress who voted favor
ably upon any of the bills in which
Labor WAS interested, stigmatizing
| tAcm as towards and knaves. We
1 feel sure it will not be necessary
( for us to pay serious attention to
| Mr.. Littletield'S denunciation of us
rs "a highwayman,' or as "a
] Jesse James" These genteel terms
are only coined by one of such
mind as the gen leman from the
| Second District of Maine. AS to
| the charge OF cowardice, surely. if
I that We're part of our character
! iStics, we could have enjoyed Il
/ term of greater rrpoSe and safety
by remaining at the American
/ Federation of Labor'S headquarters
! during the campaign in Maine, in
s cad of going into his district in
an effort to secure the genueman's
political scalp. Mr.. Littiefeld
may think of US as running, but
we beg to offer him our distinguish
ed consideration. and the assurance
that, when we are running, we are
not running away from, but after
an enemy-to the interests of labor
and of the common people.
We have referred to the ex-
pressionS of Congressman Wharton
and Littletield here. not from ANY
particular desire to make perSua!
defense. for we verify believe that
the people Of our country will take
such attacks at their true value. as
the outpouring from minds sur
charged with bitterness of defeat i'll
the one case and humiliation III the
o+her-
In any event Messrs. Wharton
and Littletield should bear III mind
that Misrepresentation, vituQeFatlon,
and abuse does not constitute either
defense or justification of their
: own Indifference and antagonlsm