The Washington times., 1908-11-01
LABOR'S VOTE MAY
DECIDE NEW YORK

Brvan The upstate situation, unless
every disinterested observer who has
canvassed that section is at fault, is
showing an unusual interest in Mr..
Brvan To-day I talked with man who
had canvGssed much OF the State in an
auto. He vas surprised to find the great
number CT Bryan Autographs in farm
house win4ows, and interest shown by
the farmers in Bryans candidacy The
chances ne. Of course, that these farm
ers are, and have been De SOCTats, but
the figures showing the regularity with
whicl. the full Democratic vote is poll
ed upstate, degpite Republican land
slides elsewhere, indicate that Bryan
will not lose any of the upstate votes
cast for him in 1900. To supplement this.
he will have a percentage Of the labor
vote which heretofore has gone for the
Republican candidates. Il would seem
welI-nigh impossible FOX the Republi-
cans TO poll the vote cast for McnIn-
ley upstate IN 1900. even though there
were no labor detection. Bryan Is much
better known than Taft. He has done
nothing 20 weaken himself WITH up
State voters.
Gives Labor Statement.
Herman Robinson, campaign manager
for the American Federation OF Labor
in the East. made today the first state
nent yet given out for publication, Of
: the strength OF the labor vote IN the
United States. the percentage of unions
which have Endorsed Gompers. with par
/ ticulaT reference to what could be ex-
/ pected Of organ lied labor vote In New
York state, He prefaced his statement
or conditions in organized labor with
I this observation:
/ If the Democratic party supports Nj
: Bryan with anything like the activity
and unanimity Of the workingmen OF
/ the country he will be elected"
/ Mr.. Robinson, debating his interview,
I said:
/ There were 100000 paid-uD members
/ in the American Federation in the
! United States. Affiliated with the or
/ ganizatiOn were a sufficient number 10
/ bring the total to 10000. We have
/ 30, 900 National, State, and local organs.
/ OF these 1900 have Endorsed the at
/ dtude Of Mr.. Gompers. These who have
/ repudiated Gompers have not done 81
! because he was opposing MIR. Taft. but
! because they were socialistiC Orgauiza-
/ tions which did not believe he had gone
far enough and thought that labor
should take a stand for socialism. or
/ thosa which repudiated Gompers. the
( toyaI is not over fifty at The outside.
! That leaves 1850 which have kept
/ silent"
! In New York State
! Discussing organized labor in New
! York state, Mr.. Robinson said.
/ There are between 325.OOO ana 3J0,0OC
{ organized wOrkmen in this state. OF
/ this vote. Bryan viii get % per cent,
( Debs ~ per cent. Taft 10 FER cent, and
/ . per cent viii be divided between the
! Ph0hibitionists and Hisgen. OF the vote
| in New York city, We estimate that 81
/ per cent has always been Democratic.
/ or the 20 per cent remaining, there will
/ be 70 per cent of the Republican vote.
which win change and support Bryan.
/ The upstate Workingmen vote has
/ heretofore been largely Republican. Be
, tween 90 and 20 per cent Of it has sup
| ported Republican Presidential candi-
dates in former campaigns. AIr. Bryan
1 win receive all the vote which has
formerly gone TO Democrats, ana Ia ad-
/ ditiOn, 70 per cent Of the workingmen's
vote which has gone to the Repub-
/ licans. This Is true OF unorgapized as
/ well as organized labor"