The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-10-29
Public
Beggars''
HEARST PRODUCES AFFIpAvITs
SUSTAINING "PURLIc BEG
CARS" CHARGE AGAINST WILL
LIAM J. BRYAN.

Mr.. Bryan objects to the use OF Edi-
tor w. r. Hearst's charge that he
called certain working men public
beggars" while he was member OF
the Committee on Ways and Means OF
the national Congress. At the same
time he has SO far refused to deny the
charge, although asked to do SO by
citizen while making a recent address
in New York.
This charge Of Mr.. Hearst has at
tracted wide attention and was made
in public address at Davenport, Iowa,
on September It'll of this year.
The following extract, as published
in Senator Patterson's newspaper, The
Denver Times. of September Sth, ex-
plains the entire charge and contains
the affidavits Of two labor union lead
ers who claim to have heard MIR. Bry-
an denounce manufacturers as rob-
bers and their employees as public
beggars." Mr.. Hearst said:
ION September IS. 1898, the manu-
facturers of window glass and the
window glass workers appeared before
the Committee of Ways and Means OF
the Democratic Congress of that year.
They came to protest against heavy
cut in the tariff on window glass. MI.
Bryan was member Of the Ways and
Means committee. John P. Eberhardt,
president of the Window Glass Work
ers' Association of the United States,
presented the case Of the Window
Glass workers before the committee.
Mr.. Eberhardt said: We want better
wages than they get abroad. We are
not satisfied to have our wives and
sisters wheel coal and sand in fac
tories. We desire to have our children
attend school instead Of working, be-
fore they even get the elements OF an
education, az is the case of our COM
petitors in the American market who
work abroad. We are not satisfied to
live in houses with only bare cobble-
stones or tagged floors as many OF
them have to do To talk of Ameri-
can workmen working and living as
they do in foreign countries is I'M
American.
Can we hope to maintain free gov
eminent for the people and by the
people II we destroy the spirit of in
dividual freedom and independence in
that people!
"In the committee Of ways and
means. Mr.. Bryan asked Mr.. Eber-
hardt the following questions: I want
to ask you whether the fact that work
ing men live better and have shorter
hours makes their labor any more eff
Client during the time they work.
Yes SIR answered the glassmaker, I
believe it is possible In Belgium con-
tinued Mr.. Bryan, they work on
Sundays as we'll as other days and
have no vacations in the summer.
Does that tell upon their constitutions
or render their work less valuable to
their employer? Mr.. Eberhardt ex-
planned about the surplus OF working
men In Belgium and said that the en-
ployer did not care SO much about the
health as there were plenty more to
fill any gaps. I was more surprised
when l saw in the papers next morn
ing that the officers of the Federation
of Labor had decided that labor unions
ought to go into politics and I was
most surprised of all when Mr.. Com
pers came out in the Federationist
and said: OF course labor unions
ought to go into politics. Why not
Now Mr.. Gompers agrees with me that
labor unions ought to go into politics.
but don't agree with him on the way
labor unions ought to go into politics
and inasmuch as he was wrong and
was right before maybe he Is wrong
now and am right now.
"Mr. Gompers thinks that the right
way Is for all labor unions to lay
their votes In his basket, like lot of
good, dutiful political hens, and for
him to take his basket to market and
peddle the contents to the Republican
party or the Democratic party.
1.-THE objections to this plan are
many and they are convincing and con-
elusive.
"First-You cannot afford to repose
80 much power with any man or any
set Of men. There is a distinct danger
that the contents of the basket would
be peddled more for the benefit of the
owner of the basket than for the ad-
vantage of honest, trustful layers OF
the votes.
There would be competition for the
contents Of the basket of kind that