The Washington times., 1908-10-04


Last night the labor leader gave out /
a statement in which he seeks TO re |
flute the attitude which Mr. Taft has
taken on the stump when dealing with |
Gcmpers. The Denver speech of the |
candidate. where MIR. Taft declared |
that he objected 10 laboring men be
lieving Gompers' lies. is the utter
ance which caused Mr.. Gompers 10
reply. The statement is not address |
ed directly to Taft, or any one IN par
ticuIar. and in only the concluding rara-
graph, which sounds ominous, ~ any
Itterance directly addressed to Gir-
Taft.
Gompers denies positively that he is
seeking or has the power TO deliver
single vote TO anyone during the cam
paign. and he claims, furthermore, that
there has been no sentiment he has
ever uttered or step he has taken IN
the present political movement but haa
its initiative in the ranks Of labor.
one rather noticeable feature e the
statement is the fact that It makes no
reference to President Roosevelt and
hevs close TO the line of the labor IS
sue. I; does take a whack at Uncle
Joe" Cannon and Vice Presidential Can
didate sherman. however.
Statement of GOmPers-
The statement is as follows:
Candidate Taft is going from bad -
worse. 4 few evenings ago at NCTth
Dakota he, so the newspapers reported.
handled that man Gompers roughly,
ridicuIed him. and with rasping sar-
casm.' Today's papers say that at Den
yer last night. Judge Taft vigorously
and positively attacked me, and added.
this thing Of Mr.. Gompers having the
labor vote in his power and laborinB
men believing the lies he tells is some
thing that 1 complain Of It is quite
evident that Candidate Taft is losing
his temper. as well as his manners and
his dignity
Cannot Meet Issues.
It assert that he cannot meet these
issues, and he therefore undertakes TO
resort to the welI-known policy of the
pettifogger who has a bad case, that
IS. by abusing the other side. He evil
IDENTIFY believes that by accusing me, he
can excuse himself from a bad situa-
ton.
Candidate Taft knows that his party
and he have declared against any relief
from the un-American discrimination
against the working people practiced by
the courts denying to the workers
equality before the law or trial by jury
when disputes arise between trusts and
I corporations on the one hand and their
I employees on the other
But Mr.. Taft, departing from his
I lighter vein of attack, now accuses me
/ Of lying Perhaps he imagiues that be-
| cause ne once wore the judicial ermine
and then occupied high Office that NE
I therefore is immune from counter 1T
! tack. and is at liberty 10 apply insult
/ ing epithets to me, who have always
] been. and who prefer to remain. in the
ranks with the masses Of our people
who struggle for justice and right: that
/ he would not deign 20 use such epithets
/ toward another citizen providing he
were other than a representative Of la
I Dor.
/ But in what have I lied TN regard to
any matter; at least, in regard 70 Judge
Taft?
Includes InJunctiOnS.
II have said that the Republican ma.
/ j0rity in Congress refused TO pass any
law asked by labor involving the prin-
ciple OF equality before the law Of the
D
pass a law according 10 jac voIuntary
organizations Of the workers the rights
from which they were shOrn by the
Supreme Court decision in the Hatters'
case, the law which labor asked Con.
+ gress 10 pass being less than is con-
tanned in the trades dispute act passed
by the British parliament December
1906 Labor believed and believes that
L.
workers in monarchicaI England should
not be denied TO the workers in the
Republic of the United States. l also
stated that Candidate Taft has not Ut
tered a word on this subject, before OF
since his nomination for the Presi dency
In making these statements, was l ~
ing, or telling the truth2
Get Only Ten Minutes.
81 have asserted that Senator Hop
kins. for the Republican platform com
fmirtee at Chicago, told the spOkesmel
of labor that they could have ten min
utes in which TO present their case
The labor representatives declare,
they could not do so in that prescrib
ed time. and II confined thereto woul,
prefer to 90 away uuheard. that final
", but grudgingly, a few more min
| Ali0 were ElaAl'As mat L4lt ENtpQDll
can platform was a denial of an,
relief from wrong and injustice; tina
it would have been less Of an insuI
had the subject been entirely ignore
in the platform; that when chagri
) ! was expressed as the result Of labor
/ | efforts. representative Republicans a
| Chicago ScOTnfully declared that W
ought to 'gO 70 Denver" that this wa
, made a slogan by Mr.. Van ClCave, an
! his industrial and political cohorts VIII
4 are supporting Mr.. Taft's candidacy.
In so stating, was 1 lying, or tell
I ing the truth?
I Taft Is Authority.
In most of the injunctions issuc
/ by the Federal courts IN labor dispute.
the injunctiOns issued by Judge TAT
2 form the basis for that authority. Tn
injunctons issued by justice GCri5, G
the Supreme Court Of the District O
b Columbia, in the Van Cleave-R p. ok
Stove and Range Company again st IN
American Federation of Labor, its OF
a3Crs, and their 2.O09.rlo constituents
IS based on Judge Taft's intunctions