New-York tribune., 1908-02-05
THE SEASON FOR RESOLUTIONS.

The campaign for the Republican Presden-
| tial nomination may be regarded as really under
! WAY now that the members of various railway
! employees unions going to meet in this city
! and express their sentiments on Governor
Hughes "treachery" to Labor in not appoint
/ ing a union man 10 each of his Public Service
! commissions This failure of his took place
more than six months ago. but the labor inter
ests somehow managed until recently to re
| strain the expression of their grief and lndlg-
nation They are surely slow 10 anger but
when they hear talk of New York's intention to
present the Governors name at Chicago they
feel their emotions accelerated and they hasten
10 let the whole world know that the Governor
has done something 10 offend Labor. Inc hrst
indications of the arrival of the fitting season
for resolutions manifested when the
brotherhood of Firemen and knglnemen re-
Gently requested the Governor 10 explain why
he had failed TO show Labor that Difference with
which it is accustomed TO be treated by poll
ticians The Governor replied in effect that in
his appointInents he had tried to serve the in
terests of the people of the whole state with
out partiaIity to any individual or class In
the interchange neither side would seem to nave
had the advantage of the other IN frankheSs'
The Governor said in effect that he was act
uated by so resolute q determination TO serve
the whole state that he could not be seduced
from it by the opportunity TO curry favor Win
any particular group. The men replied with the
candor characteristic of 4 first impression that
this attitude of mind the part Of a public
man was very unsatisfactory TO Labor
On careful reconsidera ton, however. the rail-
way men seem to have concluded that TINS
impromptu answer did not leave the Governor
so badly damag ged in the general eye as they
could wish The country might litter little at
the implication that Labor was dissatisfied with
anything short of readiness to consider first
the political influence of the unions and after
that the general interest of the state. SO one
of the rejected employees candidates, the ore
who as he reminds the Governor of the 43I
candidates for Public Service Commission had
more Endorsements than all of the other 43o
writes an open letter 10 give revised version
of Labor's emotions ION behalf of organized
labor he ''subscribes'' TO the Governors ex-
pressed desire 10 serve the interests OF the
whole people with impartiality. But 1t VIII be
observed In how deep a hole this handsome sub
scription leaves Mr.. Hughes. If he was really
seeking the best men for his commissions,
isn't his failure to appoint some engineer con
ductor or switchman ian insult to the inteln-
gence of organized labor since it implies that
these practical workers" are not so we'll quail
flied for the position as the impractical persons
whom the Governor did appoint? 1t is with
this happy afterthought in nina. probably tH't
the formal resolutions VIII nnaiiy DE uIdlteu'
following out the keen logic of the most in
dorsed man of the whole 437 candidates rather
than the first impressions of the Brotherhood
When there is q national campaign on union
labor can detect an insult with extraordinary
subtlety.
But we wonder how many union workmen
Will be really panied by the failure OF some
abroad employe 10 obtain one of these high
salaried commissionerships? Governor hughes
said to the brotherhood: Il should be very Siad
indeed 10 approve anything which is of genu-
line benefit TO our workingmen. What pos
sbe genuine benefit TO workingmen would IL
he to have a railroad employe in one of these
places: Can the interests Of the laborng ele-
ment be thus separated from those of the rest
of the body polite? And isn't it TO the best
interests of the working classes, as OF every
body else TO have the most competent men
available at work solving the transportation
problems whether one of them is union man