The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-10-09
kEEFE DENIES LABOR
HAS IND0RSED BRYAN
Vice President of American
Federation of Labor To
Vote For Taft.
UNIONS ARE NON-PARTISAN
High Union Official Declares That
Executive Council Has Not
Declared for Bryan.
UNIONS ARE NON-PARTIsAN

Union labor In the Calumet region
will be interested i'm learning that
"Bryan has not been Endorsed for pres
ident by the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor. Neither
has any one the right to criticise a
union man for voting for amy other
candidate for president. In fact will
vote for Taft
Daniel j. Keefe, q member of the
executive council of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor threw this bomshell
| into the Bryan camp last night in a
| statement issued in Detroit. He not
| only stated the position of the execu-
tive council but ended by saying en-
phatically that he would vote for Taft.
| Vice President Keefe's statement, fol-
lowing that of Vice President James
Duncan, also a member of the exec
utive council, is said to mean that the
council is just as divided on who are
the friends and enemies of labor as is
| the rank and file. Tt also does away
with the fear of many that IL they
espouse the cause of any other cam
| didate than Bryan they will be ostrac-
| lied by the Bryanites and placed in the
traitor class.
Under Vice President Keefe's state
ment, which was made after the ex-
ecutive council had thrashed out the
whole political situation, it is an
nounced that there will be no more
"steamzroller'' methods used by unions
central bodies or state declarations tc
compel or coerce members to vote and
work for Bryan or any other candi-
date The statement of Vice President
Keefe is in reply to a query as tc
whether he approved of the politica.
policy of the American Federation oil
Labor and if the rank and file should
vote for Bryan. It is as follows:
reply I desire to state that the
American Federation of Labor is
not committed to any political par
ty nor has any candidate for pres
ident been Endorsed by the exec
utive council
I am of the belief that the gen.
eral public does not fully, under
stand the position OF the executive
council of the American Federation
: of Labor in the present campaign.
The policy of the labor movement
is nonpartisan, and is as follows:
We desire to refute here the
aspersions that have been cast
upon the executive council and par
ticu1arly one of it's members, Pres
ident Gompers, that it is our pur-
pose, or his to dictate to the work
ing people of our country hay they
should cast their votes in the com
ing elections. Nor has any one
promised the vote of the working
people to any particular party.
We have strongly, clearly and
emphatically, as 1t was our duty,
presented the situation in which
the working people of the country
find themselves.
To Keep Labor NOn-Partisan.
The Misrepresentation of news
papers and others, to the contrary
notwiths landing. we repeat and
insist, and we have so conducted
and propose to so conduct our
cours that the labor movement
shall remain as free and independ-
ent from political partisan DOM
: nation as it has ever been in its
history.
d The foregoing does not commit
! the American Federation of Labor
t to any political party and is non
partisan, which permits union men
: to vote for whom they may please
Il for president and other officers
t.; without fear of criticism. All of
n which 1 most heartily indorse.
: I might further add that Mr. Taft
: as Secretary of War. did more to
enforce laws in favor of organized
J: labor than all his predecessors.