The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-13
TAFT DOING THE
BEST He CAN
Republican Candidate points
With Pride" to His Record
as Labor'S Friend.
MAKING SPEECHES IN OHIO
NO TREMENDOUS DEMONSTRA-
TIONS SUCH AS BRYAN HAD.

Akron, O., Oct 12.-Seventeen Ohio
towns heard and saw William H. Taft
today. He talked from Cincinnati to
Akron, through a portion of the state
conceded to have been a Foraker
stronghold, with portion of the terri
tory Democratic. The candidate was
listened to by large crowds. The i'm
portant speeches of the day were at
GAINESVILLE, Cambridge and Akron,
where in each instance the candidate
left the train to meet his audien ees.
In his GAINESVILLE address Mr.. Taft went
after both Mr.. Bryan and Mr.. Com
pers.
Mr. Bryan goes around the country
saying l am the father of injunctions, -
declared Mr.. Taft. ut is not true.
did not invent injunctions, or injunc-
lions in labor disputes. But it IS quite
natural that Mr.. Bryan should make
the mistake, because in a letter he
wrote to the district attorney of Bel
mont. o., he said ne had not read my
decisions"
Defended His Decisions.
Continuing. Mr.. Taft gave great IN
phasis to what he regarded as the
effect Of the decisions he had rendered
on the bench:
II laid down the law and 1 laid
down the principles" he said, upon
which the labor organizations in this
country have since built up their pros
perity and their usefulness, and instead
of saying that l am an enemy they
recognize that l am one of the greatest
benefactors labor has had. l decided a
case against the Brotherhood of EnSi-
neers, and the brotherhood condemned
me. In four years they got into court
i
case to induce the court to withdraw
the injunction there because I had laid
down the principles upon which they
could organize, could have their off
GERS, could raise their funds, could go
on and conduct strikes under advice Of
the officers. and in that case they III
duced. on the authority of my decis-
ion, the judge to withdraw his injunc-
ton and they went ahead and won the
strike. That same thing occurred IN
court in Cincinnati and in a decision
anime the case you will find that in
stead of being an oppressOr Of labor 1
am its benefactor
Employer of Labor.
Il have been something besides a
judge. | had 10000 laborers under me
on the Panama canal. Of course We
the question of wages, and l decided
against the labOrers. What did .hey
do2 L gave them the reasons for de-
Gliding the way 1 did. Why, they elect
ed me a member of their union. Why?
Because / am fair 20 labor. Under
that annunciation the trades unions
have doubled in this country; they
never were in such a prosperous state.
The American Federation of Labor has
increased 100 per cent Mr.. Gompers'
salary has been increased so per cent,
and l am glad of it. The labor organ
iZatiOns have never reached the point
of usefulness before that they now
have, although you would think from
reading what Mr.. GOmpers has to say
that they were in condition of alb
ject slavery. They have never reached
the useful influence Of the power in
protecting their own interests before
as they have under the law as l laid
it down some ten or fifteen years ago"
Labor Unions Gone"
At Canal Dover, while making his la
Dor speech, the candidate was inter
Tupted by an exclamation from the au-
dience declaring Labor unions are
gone
They are not gone" replied Mr.
Taft. The labor organizations today