Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-27
COMPERS TO WORK
FOR PEERLESS ONE
Labor Leader Will Take Stump
for the Democrats.
GIVES OUTLINE OF PLANS
Other Officers of federation Enroll.
ed for Strife.
ELECT FRIENDS" BATTLE CRY
Organized Workingmen Intend to
Oppose Those Who Are Indif-
ference to Their Cause and
Defeat Them.
GIVES OUTLINE OF PLANS
ELECT FRIENDS" BATTLE CRY


Defeat Them.
Samuel Gompers will take the stump in
favor of the election of William ]. Bryan.
and his Observation-Disclosures officers
of the many crafts-are to do likewise.
The Federationist, official organ of the
American Federation of Labor. issued to-
day. contains an official outline of the
plans and purposes OF the workingmen
in the present campaign.
Stand by our friends and elect them:
oppose the Indifferent and hostile to our
cause and defeat Them" is the shibboleth.
Mr.. Gompers is today in executive con-
ference with some of the labor leaders
who are noted as speakers and political
workers. They claim that labor holds
the balance of power in any event, and
that Bryan's election is therefore already
assured.
Labor Day for Opening Campaign.
Labor day now near at hand. will be
labor's firing line. following the skirmish-
ing now in progress.
ION this Labor day. 1905" President
Gompers says in the Federauonist, I'VE
extend fraternal and sincere greetings to
the toilers of our country. Considering
the many important happenings in the in
dustrial world since last Labor day, We
find much upon which to ponder seriously
md oil ,cl ull 10 OF
greater efforts in behalf OF the great
principles upon which the labor move
menu is based.
country were keyed up to the keenest
energy, ready and willing, as usual. to
perform their great service to society, a
monstrous, unnecessary and purely arti-
| fcial panic was thrust upon our people
| through the manipulations of the princes
| of finance. Since then nearly 100000 of
our wealth producers have been thrown
upon the streets In idleness.
Anomaly Is Presented.
IAN outrageous anomaly is presented in
this great country of ours, so rich and
fertile, when men vainly seek the oppor-
tunity to render service to society," to Gre
ate wealth SO necessary for their own and
the common good. 1t is travesty upon
our civilization, interrogation mark to
all the claims of progress.
OF one thing III may rest assured. that
the workers of America will not rest con-
tent under a condition so woefully at va
| rance with the welfare OF our people.
There will not and there must not be cre-
ated in the United States a permanent
army Of unemployed workers.
During the year We have seen the Su-
preme Court interpreting the Sherman
antitrust law to make it apply TO the
voluntary associations of wage-earners-a
law passed at the demand of the people
to protect them from aggression and out
rage at the hands of the trusts and COR
porations.
Under this Interpretation of the law
the labor unions are declared trusts. con-
spiracies and unlawful combinations in
restraint of trade. This Supreme Court
decision makes not only every officer. but
every member of every organization Of
la Dor liable to prosecution by federal au-
thority. and to a fine of 5000 inn
prisonment for one year, or both in the
discretion of the court; also liable for
treble damages in cases where they eXer-
else their right of voluntary associated
effort to protect their personal rights and
liberties
The far-reaching character of this de-
cision must constantly be kept in mind.
The toilers must spare no effort to Sc
cure remedial Legislation for the restora-
ton of their rights. which have been SO
seriously jeopardized by this decision.
Accorded Scant Courtesy.
AT the convention of the republican
party at Chicago ii is well known what
scant courtesy was accorded, and that
which was Incorporated in the platform
was worse than if the entire subject had
been ignored. 1t was an affirmation for a
law that would give statutory authority
for the very worst abuses of the inJunc
ton writ-an authority which does not
now exist. On the other hand the rep
resentatives OF labor were welcomed by
the representatives of the democratic
party.
I'VE simply repeat here that the Amer
lean workers are not playing politics.
They are engaged in an earnest, serious.
determined contest today to secure the
rights OF the working people and all our
people-not in some future, dim, distant
day but now Americas workers cannot
afford to postpone what is their absolute
interest and duty now. 1t is useless for
any one to pretend TO say that either the
executive council or the president of the
American Federation of Labor has bar
tered labor's vote. pledged it or attempted
10 dictate what the toilers shall do in the
exercise of their franchise.
Neither the executive council nor the
president of the American Federation or
Labor approached the political parties as
democrats or as republicans. Neither in
dividually nor collectively are they an.
nexed to any political party, nor is the
labor movement annexed. The men and
the movement propose to be as independ-
ent after this coming election as they are
today or have ever been.
To Seize the Opportunity.
OF course, each voter, whether wage
Garner or a citizen in any other walk OF
life must be the final arbiter of his own
franchise; but we opine that the men
of labor. that the great mass of think
ing. intelligent. patriotic Americans. will
not fail to take advantage of the oppor-
tunity now presented to perform their
whole duty to themselves, to their country
and to the generations yet to come.
Then Mr.. Gompers speaks for himself.
as follows:
$50 far as we are personally concerned
in this campaign there is neither personal
advantage nor preferment of any sort
which can come to US. Some have earnest
ly and others sneeringly intimated that
some high political Office awaits us as the
result of democratic success In the coming
campaign. We can but answer that there
is no Office within the gift OF the people
or the government for which We are a
~ ndida or u-h NJ would arc2nf Il n