New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-10-22
SOME EXPLANATION NEEDED.

Senator Knox's speech in Philadelphia on
Tuesday and President Roosevelts letter 10 Tue
PENNSYLVANIA Senator published to-day EXPOSE
an attempt at double dealing on the part OF MI
BRYAN and Mr. Gompers which those Two jug
gers with phrases will find 1t difficult TO explain
away. Mr.. Bryan and Mr. Gompers are at
present working In harmony, but that narInoI9
is based on selfdeception or chicanery' IL may
be that Mr. Bryan has successfully hoodwinked
Mr. Gompers or that Mr.. Gompers mas success
fully hoodwinked Mr.. Bryan. If they reallS
understand each other, they are both engaged IN
trying to hoodwink the public
Mr.. Gompers has been appealing 10 melhoers
of the American Federation OF LABOR ana 10
labor unfonists generally to support Mr.. Bryan
for the Presidency on the ground that the Den
yer platform promises everything IN the way oi
legislation which he and other labor Ieaders
have been demanding from Congress. AS the
president of the American Federation OF LABOR
puts it
That party 1.-THE Democratic party1 has mace
labor's contentious its own. 1t pledged its can
didates for every office to those remedies which
labor had already submitted TO Congress
Yet nothing is clearer than that the Denver
platform does not pledge the Democratic can
didates 10 Iabors contentious for 1t contains only
an empty form Of words which can be inter
preted to suit anybody's fancy. The Denver
platform said:
We deem that the parties to all judicial pro-
ceedings should be treated with rigid impartial
ftv and that injunctions should not be issued IN
any cases in which injunctons would not issue
II no Industrial dispute were involved
This is as much as saying that injunctions
should not be issued unless there are specific
and valid reasons for issuing them. Mr.. Bryan,
who approved the Democratic platform in adj
vance was evidently not willing to go pub
licly any further than that. He has never toid
the voters what he thinks this DECLARATION
means But he has allowed Mr. Gompers 10
claim that it means an Endorsement OF the
sweeping ard definite propositions submitted to
Congress last spring by Mr.. Gompers and his
associates. These propositions involved rad
ical change in our system of equity. They
sought 10 abolish as a property right the right
ito carry on business of any particular kind or
"at anv particular place." and would annul
the crime of conspiracy in connection with labor
disputes even though II may have involved as
it often does involve, violence and rioting. They
plainly aimed at legalizing the blacklist and
the secondary boycott, both of them odi0us and
indefensible means Of cOercing innocent third
parties into participation in quarrels not Of their
concern.
Mr.. Gompers holds that the Democratic party
is pledged 10 legalze the blacklist and the sec
ondary boycott Has he some secret assurance
from Mr. Bryan that that is what the Denver
platform means? Or is he the selfdeluded vic
tim of a clever piece of platform phraseology?
Is be being made a tool of TO victimiZe the union
labor voters with false assurances, or are he
and Mr. Bryan cooperating TO deceive both the
labor element and the outside public by holding
that the platform one thing to labor
unionsts and another thing TO business men, who
have been taught to regard their right to carry
on business as a property rightf 1t is time
that a few of these questions were answered.
Mr. Bryan should interpret for the benefit of
the country the Denver platforms labor injunc-
ton plank