The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-10-01
United States Senator Beyer-
idge Tells Of the Party
Record on Labor.
CONGRESS PASSES BILLS
In Considerable Number as
Asked for,by Union Lab
or's Representatlves.

x
TERRE HATTIE, Ind, Sept So
Explaining the policy OF the Repub-
lican party In reference to capital
and labor and recounting the legisia-
ton in the interests OF the working
classes Senator Bsvertdge, of Indiana,
last night delivered the second Of his
replies to Mr.. Bryan. Senator
Beyeridge was greeted by an enthus-
tastic audience. He said in part:
This is Nation of workingmen,
Its founders were laborers. The
Pilgrime were toilers. 1T was the
"embatled farmers" who at Lexing-
ton fired the shot heard round the
world" The bleeding feet that stain
ed the SHOWS of Valley Forge had fol-
lowed the furrow. CORVALLIS sur
rendered at Yorktown to men who
ate their bread in the sweat OF their
faces. Lincoln's call was answered
from the farm and mill and shop.
And SO this Nation founded and saved
by workingmen, belongs to working
men. The Stars and Stripes Is the
flag OF industry; every idler beneath
Its folds disgraces the banner which
protects him. The life OF ease In not
the American life.
All Are Workmen.
Labor means every useful effort by
brain or hand, orsboth. Edison's
wizard mind tolls as hard as all the
thousands of hands his genius has
furnished with employment. The
railroad builder, whose eye sees bar
rem plains made golden fields. (
swamps drained. great mountains
pierced and oceans Joined, and makes
that vision good, is;a harder worker
than the thousands who blast tun.
nels. build grades, lay rails and drive
the engines of the Nations trade.
This is the age OF cooperation.
That is what civilization means. We
are SO closely woven together; the
needs of our millions are SO vast and
SO many, that industry must be or
ganized to serve them. The, Penn
sylvania railroad is necessary, but
one mans money could not build IL.
So the money OF hundreds of thou
sands of men is organized to build
that common highway. The same
method builds telegraph lines, oper-
ates factories, opens mines. This
principle explains every combination
OF capital that serves humanity; and
the same principle applies to labor.
"A scale OF wages is necessary to the
best results from labor and to Justice
for the laborer himself; but one man
cannot get this equal scale Of wages.
SO thousands of laborers unite to get
1t. High wages could not be secured
by each man, separately, where thou
sands were employed; SO these thou-
sands combine to demand 1t. Steady
employment was not certain when
each workingman looked ont for him
self; so thousands of workingmen
form unions to secure 1t.
Rights and Wrongs of Labor.
Thus the unions of labor and cap
ital are justified by the same great
principle. Both work for the COM
mon good; both advance that COM
mon brotherhood of useful effort in
whichnebides the happiness and safety
of the Nation. But while organized
labor and organized capital are equal
ly indispensable to human life; while
each is an equal wheel OF progress.
yet each has Its special problems. AS
l have spoken elsewhere at other
times of the rights and wrongs Of
capital. so tonight l speak Of the
rights and wrongs OF labor.
Organized labor asked that Com
gress pass a law making interstate
railroads liable for injuries to their
employees. 1T asked justice; and It
got 1t. The old rule that the laborer
must take all the risks OF his employ
ment, suffer for the fault OF his fell
low laborer for (which he was not to
blame, has been made obsolete by adj
vancing humanity. So we passed the
Employers Liability Act, which gave
to all labor, organized and unorgan-
ized, all for which 1t Justly prayed.
Tho Record.
Organized labor demanded that
Congress pass law forbidding rail-
roads from making their employees
work beyond their strength. Never
was a demand more righteous. I'm
to year ago railroads compelled
their men to work without rest or
sleep for a length of time that meant
exhaustion and death. Sometimes
firemen and brakemen
we're forced to work as long as forty
eight hours without rest or sleeep.
Five years Of such slavery meant the