The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-06-11
ORGANIZE NOW FOR
CMOING ELECTION
Ii Organized Labor Hopes to Secure Anything
In the Way of Remedial legislation Now is
the Time to Act.

The time for workingman to
do his best thinking in regard to
politics and how he ought to vote
to best protect his interest is be-
fore the nominations are made
(When he Is apt to be- Influences
by the personal of the parties
candidates) and before the spell.
binders of the various political
parties take the stump and proceed
te mISlead and confuse the aver
age mind. This is the time for
the members of organized labor to
begin to ask themselves the uups
tion: "Shall we again assist in
putting men into office because
they are members of our party and
their names appear under that
, emblem, or shall we, as sensible
th1nkln ng men, use our very best
efforts to nominate our own men
nj en- in whom we have confidence
men from our own ranks, who
have been tried and have proven
themselves worthy of our trust?''
Three enemies of labor infest the
ranks of workingmen-the non.
union man, the union man who rc
sorts to violence, and the voter
who never scratches his party's
ticket. The last is the greatest
menance both to labor and the
pIbllc. His blind regularity con
stltutes the strength of the politi-
Cal machine, and a strong politi-
cal machine makes enlightened
and progressive government i'm
| possible.
/ There is another evil which
IS equally sinister and degrading to
our American manhood which We
mink lh more prevalent in Ka-
nawha and Fayette counties than
elsewhere, and that is the mean
advantage that wealth takes over
the poor and unfortunate on elect
tlon day, and by the use Of money
stllie the real voice Of the people
so that at the present times an
honest election in these counties is
practically an impossibility.
The law upon this subject is
clear and plain and ought to be
enforced, and the man who sells
ms vote should suffer a penalty of
"i'ii hiiSu ulScIlcnI lOr certain
period. and the man who buys the
Vote-bartering in the poverty or
misery or crime of his fellow man,
should he condemned and punish )
ed as the nearest malefactor of
the century; and yet, and we are
ashamed to acknowledge it. that
the law which is intended to make
the poor man the equal of his
more unfortunate brother at least
one day i'll the year, is eagerly
violated by those whom it seeks to
protect
Happily, through the intrust-
mentality OF recent events it has
been made plain to the working
people that under the present com
mercial election system a scoundre]
is as liable to get into office under
one political emblem as the other:
and until we rid our minds Of the
thought that party emblems are
potent factors in making bad men
good: and until we throttle the
voice of the political tricksters
within our own ranks, who are
ever fearful lest we should ..go
as the yoke bearers and waterboys
TO system as pernicious as it is
certain to bring about CON
dltlon which will make our great
American labor movement one big
laugh before the whole world.
Political conditions and in
huences must be affected political
~. 1t is as true OF labor as of
capital. The next election will be
all-lmportant one. 1t will EN-
brace the election of the highest
executive officer of the nation.
With the election of that officer
VIII be carried the fixed political
politicies that will have much to
90 with the future conditions of
labor. Our interest now demands
that we take political action. We
can t ignore it an conserve the af-
fairs of labor placed under our
supervision. Organized labor
must be consistent and engage in
political activity We can't sit
idly by and permit the enemies of
organization to fix and perpetuate