Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-10-16
REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND LABOR
An Equality of Opportunities Sc
cured for Wage Farmers.
William H. Taft's Speech of Accept
ance Gives Party Record in Behalf
of Labor.
(William H. Taft in his speech Of ac-
ceptance

(William H. Taft in his speech Of ac-
ceptance.)
We come now to the question OF la
Dor. One important phase of the poll
cies of the present administration has
been an anxiety to secure for the wage
Garner an equality of opportunity and
such positive statutory protection as
shall place him on a level in dealing
with his employer.
The Republican party has passed an
employers liability act for interstate
railroads, and has established an eight
hour law for government employees and
on government construction. The es
Sence Of the reform effected by the for
mer, Is the abolition of the fellow-ser
want rule and the introduction of the
comparative negligence theory by
which an emplOye injured in the service
Of his em<Oyer does not lose all his
right to recover because of slight negli-
Sence on his part
Then there is the act providing for
compensation for injury to government
employees, together with the various
statutes requiring safety appliances
upon interstate commerce railroads for
the protection of their employees and
limiting the hours of their employment.
These are all instances of the desire
of the Republican party to do justice to
the wage-earnerS.
Doubtless a more comprehensive
measure for compensation of govern
ment employees will be adopted in the
future; the principle in such cases has
been recognized and in the necessarily
somewhat slow course of legislation
will be more fully embodied in definite
statutes.
The interests of the employer and the
comes to division of the joint profit
Of labor and capital into dividends and
wages. This must be a constant source
of periodical discussion between the
employer and the employe, as indeed
are the other terms of the employment.
To give to employees their proper po-
sition in such controversy, to enable
them to maintain themselves against
employers having great capital, they
may well unite, because in union there
is strength. and without it, each indi-
vfdual labOrer and employe would be
helpless. The promotion of the indus
trial peace through the instrumentality
of the trade agreement is often one of
the results of such union when intelli-
gently conducted.
There is a large body of laborers,
however. skilled and unskilled. who are
not organized into unions Their rights
before the law are exactly the same as
those of the union men, and are to be
protected with the same care and
watchfulnesS.
In order to induce their employer
into compliance with their request
for changed terms of employment.
workmen have the right to strike in
body
They have a right to use such per-
suasion as they may, provided it does
not reach the point of duress, to lead
their reluctant co-laborers to join them
in their union against their employer,
and they have a right if they choose,
to accumulate funds to support those
engaged in strike, to delegate to Of
ficers the power to direct the action Of
the union. and to withdraw themselves
and their associates froU dealings with
or giving custom to those with whom
they are IN controversy