The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-10-22
URGES UNITED
LABOR ACTION
STATE FEDERATION OFFICIAL
POINTS MEASURES TO BE
GAINED BY COMBINING ON
BALLOT THIS FALL.


assembly hall of the Central Labor
union last night listened to a
forceful appeal in behalf of united
political action. The speaker was
Charles Perry Taylor, secretary
treasurer of the state federation OF
labor. Owing to the fact that
Taylor was billed for Monday
night and failed to arrive on &C
count of q delayed train the at
tendance was not as large as
anticipated.
After the close of the meeting
Mr.. Taylor hurried to Hillyard,
where he spoke at meeting in
Moore's hall. While in Spokane
Mr.. Taylor was the guest of E. A,
Cooney, vice president of the state
federation of labor.
Mr.. Taylor made his plea from a
nonpartisan standpoint and never
mentioned the name of a political
party or candidate during the
course of his remarks. J. c. Cor
don, president of the Central Labor
union, presided over the meeting
and introduced the speaker.
Mr.. Taylor spoke Of the organiza-
ton of the state federation of la
Dor seven years ago and said that
il now had affiliated with it 1877 of
the possible 800 unions in the
state. He presented the demands
OF the state federation in the pres
eat state campaign as being the
enactment of an employers liabil-
fty law along the line of the ma
E2onal Law which applies only to
Common carriers; the adoption of
the initiative and referendum in
order that the power of legislation,
which the people have lost through
misrepresentation, may be re-
stored; an eight hour day for
miners, the time to be reckoned
from the entrance into the mine
until the miner again reaches day
light, and finally an eight hour day
for women workers in stores, res
taprants, shops, etc.
The efforts of the federation
to pledge candidates for the legis-
lature to these needed reforms, I"
said Mr.. Taylor, have been largely
successful. A list of these legisla-
tive candidates has been made and
forwarded to the local unions for
their consideration.
1.-The efforts of the association
of county commissioners to repeal
the law calling for eight hours
work in bridge and road repairs
and to substitute therefor the old
10 hours day has been combatted
and one half the candidates for
county commissioner have pledged
themselves in favor of the reten.
ton of the eight hour law.
In the efforts of the federation
for these and other reforms the
good of the wage Garner, whether
union or nonunion, and humanity
in general, have been kept in
view"
Mr.. Taylor referred to the eff
forts of Mr.. Gompers and other la.
Dor leaders to get remedial legis.
lation through congress and the
cold reception given them by Joe
Cannon, who hooted at them like
a horned owl, nothing doing The
efforts of these men to receive any
consideration at the Chicago con-
vention in June was equally futile,
and they were met by jeers instead
of the glad hand of fellowship. La
Dor was most cordially welcomed
at the Denver convention and was
granted nearly everything that ii
asked.
These facts have been placed
before the people by Mr.. Gompers
and his associates with the recon.
mendation that labor by united &C
ton reward their friends and re-
prove those hostile to them. The
remedy, as Mr.. Gompers points out,
lays with the working man when
he takes up the pencil in the bal
lot box in November. If the work.
ingmen of the nation are not sui.
flciently alive to their interests to
invoke this remedy the blame will
rest with them"
Mr.. Taylor called it a foolish
policy on the part of labor to di-
vide their strength In this cam.
paign., The only course open to
workingmen, regardless of their
shade of political belief, or whether
or not they are affiliated with la
Dor organizations, is to support the
plan of political action outlined by
Mr.. Gompers and the other leaders
and endorse the measures incor.
porated at their suggestion into
the platform adopted at Denver,
the speaker argued.