Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-10-14
ALARMED ABOUT LABOR.
President Urges Managers to Give
Wage Earners Attention.

President urges Manager 70 wv
Wage Earners Attention.
NEW YORK, Oct. ia messen'
ger from the President arrived at the
Republican national committee head
quarters IN Manhattan. yesterday with
orders for the managers to give closer
attention to the labor vote. which Is
reported to be in bad shape. so far al
| Taft is concerned. says the Brooklyn
| Eagle. Curiously enough. at the
| same moment the Democratic mana
gers were claiming that Bryan Will be
elected through the capture OF
large proportion Of the labor vote, 80
! per cent of which this year they ex'
pect to support the Democratic ma
tional ticket.
The man from Washington with
message from President Roosevelt
was James b. Reynolds, who became
famous a couple of years ago as an in
| vestigator Of Packing Town. Chicago.
| Reynolds has been feeling the pulse
again under a confidential appoint
ment from the President. This time
he has been looking into the labor
! situation in order to find out Just what
progress Gompers has made in his
effort to swing the American Fedora
| ton Of Labor to Bryan
Reynolds made his report to the
| President last week. 1t was not at
all satisfactory. In fact. it created
| some alarm. Reynolds reported the
campaign which Gompers has been
| making for Bryan is bearing fruit.
OF course many of the union men
1 have not been Influenced ly the Com
pers propaganda and propose to sup
port Taft. believing that his election
will insure steady employment. 9th
ers, however. have accepted the Com
pers argument that this is fight for
the perpetuation Of the labor union.
and that defeat for Bryan means the
end of the union.
Bryan Men Claim Labor.
1.-The silent vote. made up largely OF
| the labor vote. is going TO determine
this election, and it is going to be for
| Bryan" said one Of the managers at
| the Democratic headquarters. We
| figure that our ticket will get S. per
cent of the strength of the labor vote.
and that this will be SUFFICIENT to car
ry the important States. In the past
We have never got more than IS or
40 per cent of this vote. save in the
campaign when Cleveland was elected.
| THE reason I am so confident that
! the labor element will be the deter
mining factor in the result is that
| the Republican detection among this
! class of voters is in the doubtful
States In Maryland. West Virginia.
New Jersey, Connecticut. and New
/ York Bryan is going to get tremen-
! dous labor vote. A lot of factories
and manufacturing establishments
have been shut down for the past
! three years The full dinner pail is
real issue there and it is all against
. Taft.
II believe We are certain to carry
Maryland on the labor vote alone. I
also believe that the same influences
that control the labor vote of that
State will extend to the other impor-
tant Eastern States.
Got the GlasE~orkers.
I'm South Jersey. for instance. is
strong organization CT glass workers.
They have always voted the Republi-
can ticket. practically solidity. We
have tried to break up their Repub!i-
canism by running their leaders for
| ofices on the Democratic ticket. but
never made any Roadway. This year
LIS per cent Of these glass workers
| will be for Bryan.
I'VE recently sent agents into the
doubtful Eastern States to see how
the negro was going to act on election
day The result was surprising. Our
information is that the purchasable
negro vote will not be cast this year.
In the past, when the Republicans had
no end of campaign funds. the negroes
in Maryland. West Virginia. New Jer-
sey. Delaware. and other coast
| States were always induced to go to
the polls. With no Republican cash
in sight this year they will stay home
The Democratic managers assCf.
that they are not attempting to an
Auence the labor organizations. They
say the work for Bryan among them
is being done bv Gompers and his as
sistants. The labor people have head
I'quarters at the Gilsey House. in Man
haitian. and see INTO be very busy. II
is understood that they are being
I financed BY the Democratic national
committee.