Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-10-21
ATTAcKs ON LABOR UNIONS.
Tat, Running Mate Indorsed the At
tack---NIonopolies Praised.

Chicago, ILL.,, Oct. 16.--While VIM.
III. Taft g travelling about Ohio and
elsewhere, making frantic appeals for
the support of laboring men, his rum
ming mate on the Republican ticket,
James S. Sherman, is giving his in
dorsement to the statement that
labor" unions are composed largely
of anarchists. socialists and dema-
gogues.
Mr Sherman heard the organized
wage workers of the country thus de-
nounced by trust magnate, who
presided at meeting where he spoke
and gave approval to the sentiment
expressed. When Mr.. Sherman ap-
peared recently at Akron, Ohio, the
meeting which he addressed was pre-
sided over by o. G. Barber, the presi-
dent Of the Diamond match trust.
Mr.. Barber introduced Mr.. Sher-
man to the audience. In doing so
he made use OF the following lam
guage. as stenographically reported:
'In our plant at Barberton $50
employees are to-day producing as
many matches as 5000 did in thirty
six factories score of years ago
when the corporation was formed.
Each succeeding year in the his
tory Of the organization more money
has been made. Although the cost
of raw material and labor has been
increased, labor-saving devices and
increased demands have made the
earnings OF the corporation greater.
To-day our Barberton plant produces
60 per cent more matches than all
the factories combined at the time
Of the combination.
Zone of the main reasons for the
success Of the Diamond Match Com
pany is that it's directors have never
tolerated union labor in it's shops.
They have always been open. We
have had no one to dictate to us
what wages we shall pay, what men
we shall hire, and what hours our
employees shall work. Labor unions
to-day are composed largely of anar-
chists, socialists and demagogues.
at is not the monopolies that
stand against the advancement of
theNcountry; they are the public bene-
factors, They are responsible for the
advancement of the wages. We hear
much about the classes and the
masses. The greatest number Of or
ganized laborers Samuel Gompers
ever had under him was 100000
men. This is a country of 8O,OOO,-
600 Of people. The union men are,
therefore, the classes, and the re-
mainder are the masses, and 1t is
these classes that are the real ty-
rants of the country. They resort to
violence to gain their end, and they
always cling to violent principles"
This was the speech of Mr.. Barber,
president of the match trust, in in
PRODUCING the Republican candidate
for Vice President.
Mr.. Sherman sat beside the trust
magnate and listened attentively to
his denunciation Of organized labor
and his laudation Of combinations
and the open shop. He heard union
men characterized as anarchists, So
cialists and demagogues. He heard
union men called tyrants and also
heard monopolics termed benefac-
tors. He sat by and gave his full ap-
proval to these statements. When
he arose to speak he uttered not a
single word in protest against the
slanderous statements Of the mighty
trust magnate and by his silence upon
the subject gave full approval to
what Mr.. Barber said. At the same
time Mr.. Taft was, travelling about
the country appealing to union labor
to support the Republican ticket.