Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-21
RAPS REPUBLICAN TACTICS
Railroads Proposal to Reduce Paw
Under Democracy, His Theme.
GOING TO WEST VIRGINIA
Speeches to Be Made by Commoner
at Many Places in Taft's
Home State En- Route. ..--

NEN ARk. Ohio. October o1-"I saw
TO You that the little ward heeler who
goes around and bribes a man for 81 il
moral character beside the man who
attempts to use his power TO threaten
those who work for him and to buv
them by promise of increase or
threaten them by a promise of de-
crease"
Thoroughly aroused by what he terms
new menace" through the publica-
ton today of a dispatch stating that
the officials of the New York Central
lines had summoned their workmen
and Informed them that il the demo-
Gratis won the election there would he
ten per cent reduction in wages. but
that If they lost there would be an i'm.
crease. William J. Bryan. In a before.
breakfast speech TO vast throna
poured a volley of criticism into the
republican party for its campaign tao.
tics
He threw into his uttertances all thu
Vlgor he could muster up. HIS words
We're greeted with loud cheers.
The second invasion of the native
state OF his republican opponent was
begun by Bryan at this place he hay-
ing come direct from Louisville Ky
during the night. The program for the
DAY includes stops at Mount Vernon,
Mansfield. Ashland. Creston. Akron, RAJ
VIENNA. Warren, Niles Youngstown East
Liverpool. Bellaire, Wellsville, Steuben.
vile and Marietta, concluding at 9:45 to.
night with a stop at Williamstown, w.
Va.
Bryan Scores Opponents.
In his remarks here Bryan said In
part:
Il am glad to come again into Ohio.
am glad to come at a time when demo-
l.rf.r .rl,e
the republican national committee is
compelled to confess that the republican
candidate must come back to fight for
his own state
west But he now finds he has difficulty
enough at home and cannot spare any
time for the west
Il am glad they are beginning to real
lie the FORCES -that they have to con.
tend against And the greatest obstacle
| that they have is the record of the party
| they must defend.
Twelve years of complete power, with
! a President eulogized In the platform
and a Senate that they cannot apologies
for and House presided over bv A
despot-and yet they cannot defend their
record.
Twelve years of power complete.
| Ihey have been able to pass every law
thev wanted TO pass. to repeal every law
they wanted to repeal. and they have
had republicans on nearly all the federal
benches.
And yet. what is their condition.
rhey 1eei that in every state of this
mon the tide is running against Them
and they face deserved defeat for their
betrayal OF the American people by their
officials.
They have disappointed the labornc
man. They have refused to listen TO his
plea. They have denied him the RENEE
dies that he deserves. And now when
embittered by disappointment and indig-
nant al mistreatment. the laboring man
attempts 10 show his citizenship, declare
his Independence and register his protest
at the polls. they proceed with their at.
tempts at coercion.
Coercion of Employees.
This mornings paper gives an Illus
tration of attempted coercion"
Bryan then read from a dispatch in n
Columbus paper which stated that five
hundred workmen Of the big Four" rail-
road al Bellefontaine. part of the New
York Central system. had been called to-
gether in the shops and notified that if
Bryan was elected there would be 10
per cent reduction in wages. and that Il
he was defeated there would be an in
crease in both pay and work
The dispatch stated that these officials
were making tour OF the entire system
for the purpose OF making the same am
nouncement TO all the employees
There, my friends" said Bryan, rs
the statement in a republican paper ot
the threat made by the officials of a great
railroad system. They threaten TO punish
men for voting the democratic ticket by
10 per cent reduction in their wages,
and a promise of increase in pay and
work if they Will vote the republican
ticket.
Il say to you that the little ward
heller who goes around and bribes q
man for 81 is A moral character beside
the man who attempts TO use his power
TO threaten those who work for him and
to buy them by a promise Of increase or
threaten them by a promise of decrease.
Il want the American people 10 UNDER
stand that we have something like a mill
lion and a half of railway employees
And If the managers Of these roads can
enter politics and coerce that many men
then independent elections are past IN
this country. And if these men can put
into office men hostile TO the laboring
man. then by these coercions they can
force upon the laboring man any antago.
nistic legislation that they desire
The republican party has refused to
give the laborirg man a place in the
Presidents cabinet. our party promises
him that if we succeed there will be n
spokesman for the wage Garner in the
Presidents council chamber
Pro and Con of It.
When l say to the laborlng man that
II i am eItcleQ L want one or tnelr rep
resentatives in my cabinet to advise with
me about lapor-when / say that these
men, representing the railroads. so out
and tell You that unless you willing
to relinquish your claim TO representa-
lion in the cabinet they will reduce Your
wages and make your compensation
smaller than il is.
we tell the laboring men that if We
win we will amend antitrust laws so
as TO take the labor organization from
under the operation of those laws Now
come these heads of railroads TO tell their
emnloyes that II they dare TO ask for
relief from this antitrust law they VIII
ba furnished by reduction In wages.
I've say in our platform that If we
win we will limit the writ of injunction
90 that a labor dispute will not in itself
he a sufficient ground for the issuance
of that writ: that there must be some
thing done; there must be conditions that
would Justify that writ. even if there were
no labor dispute. before IL shall be used
in such dispute. And now come the
heads of these great corporations and
notify these men that if they dare to ask
for relief from this writ of injunction
under these circumstances they will -
hod NV of