The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-11-05
PENSACOLA FLORIDA. MORNING NOVEMBER 1908


owe their enormous strength, and
that the source of the republican cam
paign fund has been carefully conceal
ed. it is practically sure that they
contributed without stint TO bring
about tie result Tuesday and saw to
employed to influence the result.
Nobody doubts this, but there were
other causes as we'll Prominent
among them was the failure of the Ia
Dor vote TO follow the recognized Ia
Dor leaders of the country, and go to
the help of the democratic party.
Mr. Gompers felt sure that it would
and worked faithfully to that end, and
John Mitchell also contributed his in
fiuence in the same direction, but ap-
parently with very little effect.
The democratic party had the right
to expect the solid support of this
large element of voters because of its
attitude on what is known as the.
injunction issue. From every part
of the country labor unionism had
raised its voice in indignant protest
against the tyrannical Use of the in
junction by republican judges in be-
half of capital against labor where
strikes were called. The interpreta-
ton of the law by these judges was
such that the labor people claimed
that it deprived strikes of a large
part of tneir legitimate effectiveness.
and by despotic use of the inju1c-
ton put labor practically at the
mercy of capital in every issue joined
between them. Mr.. Gonpers pleaded
in vain with the republican leaders to
insert plank in their platform that
would give relief in an amended law
on the subject. All that he asked for
was refused and he turned to the
democratic party as his only resource.
The Denver convention gave him
what he asked in the Injunction plank
in its platform, and on this one issue
of the campaign in which the labor ell
ement was vitally Interested it was
reasonable to suppose that that ele-
ment would vote almost TO man
with the party that had responded to
| its call and given 1t the relief it asked
flor.
\ The result has proved the contrary
The returns indicate clearly enough
that there was little if any change in
the labor vote and that it made no
new alignment in favor of the party
SO fully entitled to its support and
gratitude. This would seem to make
an end OF it's pretensions that it was
compact body in American politics
that could prove a deciding factor in
any election, for evidently there was
no unity in its movement last Tues
day, its leaders were fiouted by their
own followers, and labor unionism
lost the best opportunity it ever had
in this country to prove itself real
power at the polls,
What effect that vote had is not
behalf of the party it was so heavily
indebted to IT might have changed the
result.
But after all, perhaps it was the
protective tariff that won the victory,
for the whole vast superstructure of
our present industrial system is bas-
ed upon that tariff and belief in it
is a cardinal article of faith all
through the north. The attitude of the
democratic party toward it is pro-
foundly distrusted up there, and be-
lieving that it is almost the corner
stone OF their prosperity they will
take no chances on even its revision
by any but the republican party. The
farmers up there are prosperous, get
good prices for their products and it
is what they get for those products,
not the increased price they must pay
for what they buy under their below
ed tariff, that determines their vote.
Under such conditions they are
eontented, and being contSnted they
continue TO vote FER straight" I'm
pervious 10 every argument and APP
peal to warn them against the en-
croaen2aents of the trusts and the in
creasing dominion of banded capital
over them. They have cast the decid-
ing vote against US. and until the ar
guments of democracy shall take
more concrete form they Will probably
continue to do So
What of the future of the democrat
&c party? That party Is indesruct--