The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-09-18

matter is. the state federation has been
organized only comparatively short
time. and many of the unions have not
had the opportunity to become affiliated
with IT, although they are of the Ameri-
can federation body in fact, and must
sooner or later name their delegates Tor
the central assemblies, like the Salt Lake
federation. or send delegates to the con-
ventions of the state federation itself.
There has not been time TO do all OF this
work during the brief time the state fed
Grafton has been ir existence. and conse-
quently there are still absent from our
muster rolls the names of representatives
of many local unions.
I'VE talked this matter over in commit
tee for long time, and finally the opin-
ion prevailed that these unions should
have a Voice-that the federation should
not take snap Judgment on them. So far
as reputation of the Gompers circu-
lar is concerned. il is rot. and no sane
man will give serious consideration to
any silly talk of that kind.
Comparison of Platforms.
''As your paper has printed the letter
OF Mr. Gompers and the executive COM
mittee in its complete form, / need not
call your attention again to the fact
that Mr.. Gompers does not advocate the
election or urge the support of any can
dldate for president. He merely sets
forth the planks in the Democratic and
Republican platforms which relate to Ia
Dor. He does not even comment on them,
save 10 say tQdt they are Sel1-eXpidn-
atory and the difference so wide that
any one may see the friendliness of the
Democratic party in its declarations, and
the adroitly worded disregard of the Re
publicanS.
MIR. Gompers does not ask any union
man to vote for Bryan, neither does he
deny any man the right to vote for whom
soever he pleases. All Mr.. Gompers and
his associates ask is that the union men
of the country study the platforms of the
two parties and then determine in their
own minds which is the better.
1T is the first time in the history OF
national politics when either of the great
parties has given recognition to labor ex-
cept in a milksop way. This time the
declarations of the Democratic party in
its platform are in black and white. and
utterances of the Republicans are worse
than white paper spoiled with bad writ
ing.
Vote is Unanimous.
when the report of the committee was
brought into the convention it was adopt
ed unanimously. The delegates felt that
the unions which were not yet represent
ed should have an opportunity TO give ex-
preston to their sentiments. You will see
by the last paragraph of the resolution
that. instead of turning Gompers down,
we have done our best to turn Gompers
up
There are any number OF Socialists
Socialists who have no use for the Re
publican party any more than they have
for the Democratic party-who ore going
to vote for Bryan this year. They are
the men who are Socialists to the core
in principle, but they are first of all
trades unionists. and they see the futility
of voting for the candidate on their party
ticket, because. by no possibility, could
he win So they, as trades unionists first.
will read Mr.. Gompers. letter and vote for
the platform that holds something practi-
cal and tangible for the laboring people.
instead of theories which would be ideal
If only they could be made practical
win venture to say that one-tenth of the
Socialist vote in Utah will go 10 Bryan.
not because they love Debs less or con-
slider their principles wrong, but because
they regard both in the naturalization as
innpoSsibilities at this time