The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-10-27

WITH RESPECT 10 THE SPEECH
DELIVERED LAST SATURDAY
NIGHT AZ OPERA HOUSE HY
JOHN ] ccHflAyElsl
The first aud ossi9Iy tie best Ses
ieetyed point da5le ~ John y ;ornweli
~ tis Democratic audience Oh lastl
Saturday evening at the Fairncnt ops
3erat House vas
That the Democratic platform de-
iclared i'm favor Of creating the once
of Secretary Of Labor, 50 inst the.
wage earners might have represen.
tattye in the Presidents csbinet 10
look. after their ,interests.s
The uniformed who were present
applauded heartily this declaration,
and received this promise" Of their
party with a,relIsh. They did not
know. as Mr.. cornwell ought to nave
known. that the Republican party has
already provided an independent de-
partment Of Commerce and Labor, the
lead of which is member Of the
Presidents cabinet. HIS audience did
rot know, as Mr.. conwell should have
known, that this department tor labor
was created By a Republican congress
In spite OF the opposition OF tae Dem.
oeratic members thereof. Here are
The facts:
In 1884 congress passed an act ere.
sting the Bureau Of Labor and the bill
was signed by President Arthur. In
1888 the Bureau was taken from the
Department Of the Interior and made
an independent department Of labor,
and every vote cast against II were
Democratic votes. In 1903, a RepubIl-
can congress established the Depart
nent Of Commerce and Labor and
made It's head a cabinet officer.
Mr.. Cornwell's speech led his hear
ers to believe that labor has no rep
resentation in the Presidents cabinet,
and that the Democrats propose now
for the first time to give to labor such
representation. But most any of the
children OF the fathers who We're there
and WHO are attending Mr.. Rosters
school, could inform their parents that
labor Is now represented In the cabi.
net and also tell them VINO the pres
ent secretary is. These children can
tell them that the Department Of Com
merce and Labor was organized by
Geo. B. Cortelyou; that he was sue
ceeled by Mr.. Metcalfe, who also was
succeeded In 1906 by Oscar s. straus,
OF New York, who states his policy
to be ito do for labor everything that
the law permits the department to do"
So that the Democratic party not only
occupies the position OF promising
something which the wage earners al
ready have at The hands. of the Repub-
lican party; and at the same time en-
deavoring to conceal from the voters
that they have this Representations:
but it also is promising now what it
opposed when It's members in. congress
had chance TO aid them in getting
It.
Mr.. Cornwell must have startled his
audience when he declared. Il do not
believe the same rule of law should
apply to labor as to capital This dec
laration was like the promise Of the
cabinet officer, intended to catch some
unsuspecting wage Garner. Mr.. Corn.
well is reputell 10 be good lawyer,
and knows full well that all class leg.
islation is unconstitutional; that no
law can operate to affect the man of
much wealth that does not also to the
came extent and In the same manner
affect the man OF little wealth. He
knows that no law could be enforced
under our form of government which
undertakes to control the conduct OF
men who have millions differently
from men who have only hundreds or
less.
Mr.. Cornwell also said: we be-
lieve these panics can be prevented
by guaranteeing deposits in banks"
What. fine thing for the country it
would nave been If Mr.. Bryan han
thought of that, when he was i'll the
5Sd congress, and had assisted in pass
ing such bill instead of the free
trade Wilson Bill! what distress
might have BEEN avoided If the Dem
ocratic party, when 1t saw the country
going SO rapidly to ruin in 1898 under
Its free trade law, had called congress
together and Immediately passed this
guarantee deposit law. and stopped
the panic!
Mr.. Cornwell's audience waited long,
especially the Republicans who were
present, toVhear him come up to the
Ho,,, a., io,,,. 49, a,