Semi-weekly herald., 1908-08-17
LAsoR's SUPPORT OF TAFT.

paper who has just paid high tribut,
u Taft says things which are bein,
said BY thousands Of wage workers al
over the country. He declares that b,
ia particularly pleased with Taft's way
of dealing with the labor problem, a,
set forth In the speech accepting the
elimination. Addressing Taft, he says
that the real workers Of the country
as distinguished from the political la
borers. will view your stand on the
labor question with that approval
which has Its inception in the eternal
sense Of Justice and fair play, thai
underlying principle of independen,
thought and action which has made
our nation great. and In the continu
ance of which our future as people
30 largely rests" 1t is for the railway
employees Of the country. who number
over 100000, whom this labor editor
sPeaks in particular. but he undoubt-
edly voices the opinion of a large ma
1ority of all the workers, in every
calling.
y Mr.. Taft should make public all
the letters of approval by leaders
among the wage earners which are
sent to him he would keep the news
papers busy in printing them. The
one which he has just given to ,ne
press. however, tells what most of
them think. All the legislation In the
interest Of labor which has been en-.
acted in the past half q century has
been put on the statute books by the
Republican party. Every wage worker
who knows the history Of the country
knows this. The Democracy has never
granted any favors to the wage Garner.
That party tried to spread slavery
throughout the territories, and thus to
expose the wage worker to the basest
and most demoralizing sort OF compe-
tition. The Democratic tariffs Of 1846
and 1857 exposed the American worker
to foreign competition which closed
many American mills and reduced
wages in those which kept their doors
Qpen. The Republican party stopped
this DepaoGratic discrimination against |
the American worklngman. By driv-
ing the Democracy Oh. of power the
Republican party shut slavery out of
he territories. displaced the free trade
democratic tariffs by measures which
granted ample protection to the home
worker. and thus made the United |
States the leading manufacturing |
country on the globe. In the aggre.
gate Of it's manufactures the United |
States passed England in 1880. In
iron production It went to the front |
in 1896, and in coal output 1t beat /
England In 1900 and thus went to the
FIRST place. Today the aggregate of
the United States manufactures ex-
ceeds that Of England and Germany.
our two nearest competitors, com
bined. and our lead is increasing. This |
ia one Of the results OF Republican /
policy. Fhich the Democrats have op
posed nom the beginning, and which |
they would abolish In 1908 II they
should carry the country.
Here are some of the reasons why /
the political laborers. like Gompers
md Mitchell, find 1t impossible to
draw many Of the members OF the
labor uniogss over to the support of
Bryan. T&terusade they will have
ae littl0 = sAience with organized as
mill lob i
In Gomper's own country. England
the labor unions participate in politics |
as unions, but nothing of that sor;
will be seen here. The workingmen
in America have a habit of thinking /
and voting for themselves. No man in
the United States carries the labor
vote In his pocket. In the recent scs.
sion OF congress an employers liabil |
tiy act was passed, which protects |
workers ON the railways. In recent |
years the Republicans have passed |
laws protecting workers in many call |
ings. They have reduced the hours Of |
work o0efailroad telegraphers and
other employees. In many cases the
present administration has arbitrated |
disputes between workers and employ. |
ers, and prevented disastrous strikes |
and lockouts. The Republicans have
recently strengthened the contract Ia |
Dor law. and thus have protected the
'kcme worker from injurious compe-
tition from abroad. The number of |
workers In the factories of the coun- |
try, which was 1911 900 in 1860, the
year previous to the entrance Of the
Republican party into power. was In
creased to 5.470.000 in 1906, the latest
year in which the government made
an enumeration, and the wages paid
to them Increased from $37S.S78.O0
In the earlier year to $2,611 900. 900
In the later one. The deposits in saw
ings banks, practically all Of which
are contributed by mechanics. factory
operatives and laborers, Increased
from $149.0OO. 900 in 1860 to $780,
100000 in 1907. The gain in every
one Of these items has been greater
than the increase in population. On