The Topeka state journal., 1908-07-22
Statement Of President Samuel
2 GOmpers Is Made Public.
Urges His Followers to Stand by
Their Friends.
HE MEANS DEMOCRATS
Says They Alone Did What Was
Asked of Them.
Ignored by Republicans in Con-
gress and at Chicago.

Washington, July 22-Samuel Com
pers, president OF the American FEEDER
alton of Labor, has made public his
statement to his organization Of the
treatment accorded labor's representa-
tives by the two national conventions
and appeals to union labor to support
the party which has recognized the de-
mands of labor.
The appeal will make it's appearance
in the current issue of the Federation
ist. the organ of the federation. The
only threat made is that the working
man, who votes for the Republican
ticket, viii have "to reckon with his
conscience and his fellow workmen." +"
This threat follows a long denial that
labor's chief promised to deliver the
labor vote" to Mr.. Bryan After going
into detailed explanation Of the falsity
man has right to his political belief
and should vote as his conscience die
tates, Mr.. Gompers says:
While We do not wish in any way
to interfere with each mans right to
choose his own political affiliations, yet
We say frankly that the worker who,
in this campaign, supports the party
or the candidate, who has contemptu-
ously and boastfully announced hostili-
ty to labor's interests-well, he will
have to reckon with his own con-
science and with his fellow workmen."
The statement, which would fill more
than three solid newspaper pages, has
for its Introduction a presentation of
the efforts of President Gompers and
the members Of the executive council to
have the two conventions includein their
party platforms labor planks submit
fad w fadarofinn officials
Turned Down at Chicago.
ITO state the case briefly" the state
ment continues, 1.-The national conven-
tion of the Republican party, in Chi
cago, refused to incorporate the de-
mands of labor in it's platform. and
instead inserted a plank on injunc-
tions, which indorses the existing
Dor disputes. The Democratic conven-
tion in Denver. on the other hand.
made labor's demands part of its
platform"
The planks proposed by the fedora
ton are then quoted at length and
following these the plank finally adopt
ed by the Chicago convention. The
Republican plank Mr.. Gompers de-
nounces as "a. fiimsy. tricky evasion OF
the ISSUE" and as a "proinjunction.
not an anti-injunction declaration
Discussing the plank. he says:
uc NcpuOlCdL plduh WOQiQ iudhC
more acute the wrongs by which the
toilers are forced to bear the unjust,
judicial burden of injunctive discrimi-
nations. That part of the plank declar-
ing that the Republican party will up
hold the authority and integrity of the
courts is gratuitous, indefensible and
covert insult, not only to the men of
labor, but to the courts themselves. 1t
implies, that the integrity and legal
authority Of the courts have been Ques-
toned. 1t was adopted to appease the
corporation magnates and corporation
lawyers, who demanded that the Re
publican convention adopt such de-
claration. The same sort Of influences,
which demanded the Incorporation of
this declaration in regard to the courts,
fashioned the declarations and altitude
of the chamber Of commerce and
where in the revolution for American
independence when they assured King
George of their loyalty to the British
crown and their unalterable opposition
to American independence. 1t was bet
ter that the Republican convention had
entirely ignored the question than to
have attempted to foist such a plank
upon the people"
Asked for Bread; Received q Stone.
Mr.. Gompers defends labor unions as
voluntary in character and formed for
the purpose Of advancing personal
rights" After further discussion Of
the Republican convention he drops
il with the declaration that labor ask
ed it for bread and was given stone"
At the Denver convention, Mr..
Gompers says, labor's demands were
given the attention their merit de-
manded. The result of their labors in
Denver, he says, was the inclusion In
the Democratic platform of a plank for
which he and his colleagues had been
working for many years. He says:
I'VE desire to repeat that We believe
the whole mass OF workers OF the
country will respond in hearty SYM
pathy with the Democratic party in the
coming campaign as a result OF It's ac-
ton in the labor plank of the platform.
They will be of practical benefit to the
workers. We have no hesitation in
urging the workers and our friends
throughout the country to support the
party in this campaign which has
shown it's sympathy with our wrongs
and it's desire to remedy them and to
see that the rights of the people are
restored. We say this not necessarily
because 1t is the Democratic party
which has done 1t. We would urge the
had incorporated our demands into its
platform and promised to work for it's
fulflllment."
Mr.. Gompers scores the Republican
congress before which he and his col
leagues appeared at the last session
with demands for anti-injunction legis-
lation and declares it guilty of "abso-
lutely refusing to enact the demands
of the workers for right and equitable
legislation and boasting that it was
willing to take the consequences" In
this same connection he applauds the