The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-10-28
HARD KNOCK At
TAF1'S RECORD
PRESIDENT OF 3. r. T. WRITES
ROOSEVELT REGARDING LET
TER TO p. n. GRACE,
THE IMPORTANT PART
OF the Candidates Labor Record
Conspicuous in This Letter BY
Its Absence, Says n. r.
Fuller.

| Pittsburg, Oct. 27.--H r. Fuller CT
! Beaver Falls, Pa, national legislative
| repre- sentative Of the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers, Firemen and
/ Railroad Trainmen, tonight gave the
| Associated Press a copy of the letter
which he yesterday mailed to Presi
dent Roosevelt, commenting upon the
presidents letter to p. H. Grace, flnan-
cier Of Lodge No. 36. Brotherhood Of
Railroad Trainmen, who, is behalf of
himself and associate railroad employ
es, wrote the president asking how
they could best serve their own inter-
ests N the present campaign.
The presidents reply urged the
support of Judge Taft for the presi-
dencF and discussed at length the
candidates attitude on questions af.
fectiIg g labor.
In his letter Fuller says that If
Grace had consulted the files of la
Dor publications he could have found
Taft's labor record fully discussed
and the facts stated.
Fuller then considers the ten per
cent reduction of wages of the EN-.
ployes of the Cincinnati, New Orleans,
and Texas Pacific Railroad, suggested
by the receiver o fthat road and
approved by Taft, who was then juge
of the United States circuit court.
Fuller follows this by citing the
decisions of a number of judges refus-
ing to approve the reduction of wages
of employees of railways in the hands
of receivers.
He then calls attention to the
recommendation or Taft and other
members of the Panama Canal Com
mission that the operation of the
eight hour law be suspended on canal
work. As result of this recommen.
dation and the testimony of the com
mission, congress suspended the oper.
alton of the eight nour law in con
struction of the canal While it is
true, says Fuller, that the provisions
applied to alien labor only. yet 50
far IS Taft and his staff were con-
cerncd, they desired It to apply to all
classes of labor, Americans included" 4"
Nj. Fuller wrote to the president in
part as follows:
81 have read with interest the re-
mari able correspondence between p.
II. Grace, financier of lodge No. 36,
Brotherhood Oh Railroad Trainmen,
and yourself, which appeared in the
public press Monday, the same being
a letter from Mr.. Grace to you in
which, in behalf of himself and his
associate employees, lie seeks your ad-
vice as to how they can best serve
their interests in this campaign, and
because of the novel method and
source by and from which MIR. Grace
seeks Information and advice regard
ing he attitude of Mr.. aft toward
the railroad employees of the country.
| am at loss to understand why Mr..
Grace should seek information AMI
advice regarding Judge Taft's atti-
tude towards the railroad employees
OF the country from the very one
whose influence and administration
were used to bring about his nomina-
tion. and is now being used to Sc
cure his election, when Mr.. Taft's Ia
Dor decisions have been discussed IN
the lodge room and printed and com
mented upon in the magazines of the
various organizations of labor. in
cluding those of the Brotherhood of
Railio Trainmen of which Mr..
Grace and myself are members.
These publications we're all ac-
cessible and would have been fur
nished Mr.. Grace by the proper off
GERS Of the Brotherhood had he ap-
piled for them as DO other members
of the organization. Had he done
so, he would have been given the
complete labor record Of Mr.. TIA.
rather than a partial one and both he
and his fellow employees throughout
the country who read your reply
woul be in possession Of the facts
rather than being in the position Of
having been misled by the president
Of tie United States The most i'm
portsnt part Of Mr. Taft's record is
cons Iicuous by its absence from your
reply. and il is 10 supply this de-
fciency that I write this letter
NJ. Fuller then goes into Mr.
Tafts record as a federal Judge.
show ing that he cut the wages Of
railv Az employees 10 one dollar a day
in ss6. This vas in the case Of
ThOI1ss ". the Cincinnati. New Or
leans and Texas Pacific railway. Al
ter quoting Judge Tarts words from
the federal reporter in which he said
Of the helpless railway men. If thew
are aot content with the wages. they