Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-09

Following the celebration Of Labor day
by organized workingmen throughout the
United States the leaders. from President
Gompers down to district organizers and
officers Of subordinate unions. have in
large numbers entered into the political
campaign. The foregoing information
was given out at the headquarters of the
American Federation of Labor in this
city.
With President Gompers urging adj
herence to Bryan and the democratic par
ty at Dahville H.. the home of Uncle
Joe" Cannon; Frank Morrison, secretary
of the federation, preaching the doctrine
q Support your friends and defeat your
enemies to big crowds in New York
state and other officers of the A. F. J..
actively participating in the game of poll
tics. it is becoming wildly apparent that
;hor. is something doing in the world of
labor besides the commonplace talk of
building houses, laying bricks, mendng
machinery ana the like.
The political fervor of Gompers seems
to be permeating the entire mass of toll
ers," is the way Samuel Archer of the
carpenters expressed it.
In recent, call 20 labor President
BUMPERS, uI1CeT the I1cduiIS DOH " dD-
BILE: Hit the Mark says:
Various independent and third-party
schemes being fostered by certain
interests In order to deceive the men of
labor, to divide their vote and to nullify
their determination to achieve real indie
pendence in this campaign by uniting in
casting their votes for the great party
which has declared for labor.
mo one with the slightest knowledge
Of practical politics anticipates that any
independent third party can be success
full in this campaign. Not even the can
didates of independent parties pretend
to expect to be elected.
what, then, Is the function Of all in
dependent third parties in this campaign?
What is their effect on the battle of the
two great parties for supremacy?
1T is we'll established custom in poll
tics for the dominant party to divide the
opposition to it into as many independ-
emit camps as possible. thus dispensing
the united vote which, cast sOidly against
it, might encompass it's defeat This is
what Is being done this year by the pro-
motion of independent third party
schemes.
ITO the men of labor engaged in their
present contest 1t matters not how good
the platform of third party may be or
even how plausible is the argument of its
leaders
What the working people need now is
not promises which cannot be carried
out, out legislation winch can be secured
In the near future.
The republican party and it's candi-
date for the presidency. Mr.. Taft. have
spoken. Where labor is not ignored 1t is
either insulted or the aim is evident to
rivet the chains of injustice still more
firmly upon the masses of the toiers.
THE democratic party and its candi-
date for the presidency, Mr.. Bryan, have
also spoken. The latter give absolute as
surance in their declarations for all that
lnI~
their friends and the pubic-spirited pub
lie can elect the candidate Of the party
which has made labor's contentious for
justice it's own-real independence in this
campaign consists in the workers voting
for this candidate
I'VE have said before that the recon-
mendation to the toilers as to their action
in this campaign is on account of the
fact that the republican party worse than
ignored labor's demands for justice and
insulted the toilers in its attitude and dec
laratiOn; that the democratic party cor
daily and sympathetically made labors
contentious its own.
What we say here is not necessarily
in derogation of the principle underlying
an honest independent movement. which
may be- a necessity at certain times and
under certain conditions, but not this
year.
I'VE desire at this time. however. to
point out that those who vote for any
third party independent ticket are help
ing the party hostile to labor's rights and
interests to success just as much as If
they voted that ticket straight.
I'VE wish all the workers and their
friends to understand that in this cam
paign these third party independent
movements are often merely republican
sideshows.
1.-The real battle Is between the two
great partes-the republican and demo-
cratic. Choose between them Do not
be led into wasting your vote by casting
it for some alleged independent move
ment, where it really will be an assist
ance TO the party which has not hesitatsd
in it's Congress and its platform TO dis
painfully ignore every demand of the
workers for right and Justice
September 1908, will be known in the
annals of labor as "the month of work
ingmen's conventions" Following Is the
schedule of annual meetings that have
been and are to be held this month:
September .. Milwaukee, Wis, Amer
lean Brotherhood of Cement Workers.
September 1, Table Knife Grinders Ma
tional Union.
September 7. Denver, Col, International