The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-07-31
G0MPERS and The
LABOR Vote.
Can Two Million Federated wage
Farmers b Delivered Over 70
Tire Democratic Party?

American Federation of Labor, has
promised the labor vo.c 10 Mr.. Bry-
an, can he deliver il? We don't mean
that proportion of workingmen wh.Sh
usually supports the Democratic tick
et no matter who is or +. We mean
The skill labor which is Che backbone
of Mr.. Gomperss, organization by reaso
of tine high wages which it receives
for its expert services when the bust
ness of The country is in good condi-
lion and by reason also OF its intelli-
gent appreciation of the circumstances
which makes for abundant work, in
creased pay and The American standard
of living.
Undoubtedly here is an element
in me so-called working classes whicn
is habitually for The Democratic par
~. Numerically It is very large. An
PROFESSIONALLY organized labor is very
much in earnest over the injunction
question. But he skilled labor, which
probably is the only part of general
labor which shifts from one parry 20
the other can think jus, as clearly
and just as quickly as Mr. Bryan. l.
is nos likely 10 fool Itself as TO wneih-
er there would be less work and poorer
wages under Bryan and the Democratic
party or more works and better wages
under TAT, and The X pub lean parry.
Il may have as strong convictions on
,As Injunction question as Mr.. Com
pers or anybody else but /, can hard
ly fail to recognize thGt ;he RICH, 10
boycott an employer could be Of no pos
IDLY use 10 wage earners organized
or unorgan,zed ii here were no work
for wage earners, boy ,otc or no boy
colt.
Tie reasoning power of these men
coupled with heir recollection of the
industrial history of jhe United States
in he las. Tweny years cannot fail
to draw the Striking conclusion that
they have prospered when employers
have had confidence in a party to i'm
prove OF uphold business condi
lions and thai they have lost
,h,ir employment or had their
wages reduced when employers
aa,e lacked that confidence. Their
memory will teach them that
me first defeat Of MIR Bryan in 1896
opened mills and factories and swelled
The payrolls; ,ha, his second defeat
IN 1900 enlarged existing mills and fac
tories while establishing new ones and
elevated wages 10 the highest level
ever known by this or any other coun-
Try. Their observation and experience
OF ;he present developments will show
hem thao the mere eXectation Of the
bushes world tina Mr.. Bryan will SUI
fer a third defeat is again opening
mills and factories which were closed
last iall, putting in,o commission rail-
road rolling sock which went TO
cle storeya.6s several months ago for
lack of traffic, ard once more hand
ing out weekly pay envelopes 10 hun
drdes of thousands of men who have
been earning little or no wages during
the period of los; confidence by the
employing forces of the nation.
JUS as surely as these men have
intelligence IL tells them that if the
business interests anticipated the
election of Mr. Bryan mills and fac
tories would not be reopening; those
in operation would be closing; wage
payments would not be growing 20
their former proportions; they would
be diminished from the meager volum
of a few weeks back TO a still smaller
flow.
The skilled labor which reasons out
where its best interest lies cannot be
counted upon by Mr.. Bryan 10 ignore
the fact which is all important 20 IT.
shat, first of all IL wants ;he chance
10 got o work; then the chance 70 re-
gulate the conditions under which tina,
work is performed; THAI he question
of employment and wages for Ameri-
can labor is paramount 20 the c0asiG-
GRAFTON of inunctionsj. If there is no
work for the wage earners, because
the mills and factories are closed any
way, they know that Mr.. Bryan's or
Mr.. Gompers anti-injunelion process
could not provide it. They know that
there must be employment and wages
Observation-Disclosures principle can
be applied TO them. And they can
not look for the restoration of the pay
rolls by the election of Mr.. Bryan
whether his injunction views are sin
cere or in insincere, whether they are
the one convictions of a true friend
of labor of the politics of an oppor-
tunist.