The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-13
MIR. TAFT ANDLABOR
REPUB CANDIDATE EXPLAINS. HTS
 POSITION.
Seventeen Ohio Towns Heard NIT. Taft Speak Yesterday, But the En- thusiasm Lacked Vim
 and snap.

Akron, O.. Oct. 12.-Seventeen Ohio towns heard and saw. Vim. H. Taft today. He talked from Cincinnati to Akron through a portion of the State conceded to have been Foraker stronghold. with portion of the ter- ritory Democratic.
 While there was not the same vim and snap to the enthusiasm which the candidate got in some portions of the West. he was listened to by large crowds, numbering thousands in many places and what he said was we'll ap. plauded and many cheers were pro- posed and executed with a will. There was no shout for Bryan heard. The important speeches of the day were at Zanesville, Cambridge and Akron, where in each instance the candidate left the train to meet his audience. In his Zanesville speech Mir. Taft went after both MT. Bryan and MT. Comp CTS. 4f
 MT. Bryan goes around the coun- try saying I am the father of injune- tions." declared MT. Taft.'T did not invent injunctions or injunctfons in labor disputes. But 1t Is quite natural that Mir. Bryan should make the mis- wrote to the District Attorney of Bel, mont. O., he said he had not read my decisions" Continuing Mfr. Taft gave great jemphasis to what he regarded as the effect of the decisions he had rendered on the bench.
 T laid down the laws. and I laid down the principles" he said upon which the labor organizations in this country have since built up their pros- perity and their usefulness. I decided demned me. In four years they got a case against the Brotherhood of En. gineers and the Brotherhood con- into court in St. Louis and they had to cite my case to induce the court to withdraw the injunction there because I had laid down the principle upon which they could organize. could raise their funds, could go on and conduct strikes under advice of their officers. and in that case they induced on the authority of my decisions the judge to withdraw His injunction and they went on and won the strike. That same thing occurred in Cincinnati. and de-, cision rendered in Chicago. If you will examine the cases you will find that instead of being an opptessor of labor, am its benefactor. I have been something more than a judge. had 30.000 laborers under me on the Panama Canal Of course we had dif- faculties. We had the question of wages and decided against the 1a+ borers.
 What did they. do? gave them the reasons for deciding the way I did. Why. they elected me a member of their union. Why? Because I am fair to labor. Under that enunciatioh, the trades unions have doubled in this country-thsy never were in such pros porous condition. The Federation of Labor has increased 100 per cent. Mfr, Gompers' salary has been increased 50 per cent. and am glad of 1t. The labor organizations have never reached the point of usefulness before that they now have, although you would think from reading what Mir. G0mpePS has to say that they were in condition of abject slavery. They have never power in protecting their own Inter- est before as they have under the law as I laid 1t down some ten or fifteen years ago" .4
 At the Akron meeting tonight. Mir. Taft reiterated the points he had pre- viousiy made on the labor question and brought te his support the recent spub7 Der of the Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor and head of the International Longshore- men and Teamsters' organizations. The, candidate said the testimony of Mir. Keefe was the more wsfghty because Mir. Keefe had ascertained his (Taft's) position ongiapor through constant re- lations with the canal and his dealing with him as Secretary of War. Mr. Keefe closed his endorsement of MT. Taft with the letter read, as follows:
 T shall support and vote for MT. Taft who was admitted to membership in the International Brotherhood of Steam ShoYeI- and predgernen on ac- count of his strong advocacy of the enforcement of the eight hour law on all Government work coming under the jurisdiction of the War Department: I might say that Mir. Taft hasszdons 1 more to enforce laws in favor of or- ganized labor than all his predeces- soFs."
 Music Hall was crowded to its ca pacity to hear Judge Taft tonight. and the reception he received in the streets was most enthusiastic He did not refer to his speech in this city three years ago when he denounced the leadership of George B. Cox. He said before making his speech that there was no reason why he should