River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-10-29
ATS ELECTION
MEANS GOOD WAGES
protective Policy OF the Republican
Party Means General Pros
perity and Steady Work.
Republicans Are Opposed to Reduc-
ing tho American Laborer to the
Level OF Pauper Labor OF Europe
Scale Of Wages.

LII dS3lIeSSIHS UlUlSplI W OISdnlACh
tabor at GAINESVILLE, Ohio, the other day,
the Hon. William Howard Taft said:
Il laid down the law and l laid down
the principles upon which the labor or
CARNATIONS in this country have since
built up their prosperity and their use
fulness, and instead of saying that l
am an enemy, recognize that l am one
Of the greatest benefactors labor has
had. / decided the case against the
Brotherhood of Engineers and the
Brotherhood condemned me. In four
years they got into court in st. Louis
and they had to cite my case to induce
the court to withdraw the injunction
re because | had laid down the prin-
1iples upon which they could organize,
could have their officers, could raise
their funds, could go on and conduct
strikes under advice of the officers,
and that case they induced, on the
authority of my decision, the judge to
withdraw his injunction and they went
ahead and won the strike. That same
thing occurred in q court in Cincinnati,
and in a decision rendered in Chicago.
If you will examine the cases you will
find that instead Of being an Oppressor
of labor, | am its benefactOr."
Taft's Labor Policy.
If Mr.. Taft is elected President he
will carry out the Republican policies
and give every man a square deal
The protective tariff Of the Republican
party restored general prosperity to the
country, taking the place of the de-
preston and ruin that was brought
on by Democratic Free Trade. The
tariff has protected our people against
the competition of the underpaid and
underfed wOrkmen of foreign countries.
The condition of these people is such
that no friend of humanity can wish to
see it duplicated on this continent.
The laborer earns about twice as
much in America as he does in England
or continental Europe, and the purchas-
ing power of dollar is very nearly
equal. This has been made possible
through the Republican protective tar
iff.
Democracy VS.. Organized Labor.
The principles of organized labor
championed by Judge Taft are irrecon-
cilable to the free trade policy of the
Democratic party. The country can
have one, or the other, but not both.
Organized labor of this country is pro-
tected from the sweating and under
paid labOrers of Europe only by pro-
tective tariff. Labor unions exist, as
Judge Taft says, to enable working
men, by union and combination among
themselves to meet employers on equal
terms. and to bargain with them.
If there were no labor unions and no
combination, capital would be too
strong and labor would be at the mercy
of capital Another object is to secure
the highest wages which are consistent
with the conditions of each trade, to
raise the standard of living and pre-
vent unfair competition. Every one of
these measures is opposed to Demo
cratic free trade, which would mean
the degradation of American labor to
the level of the pauper labor of the Old
World.
What GOmpers Said.
In 1897 at the time general prosperity
was returning, after three millions of
men had gone out of employment on
account Of the Democratic free trade
policy. President Gompers Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor in his report
used these words: cit is agreed by all
that the wage earners Dire the principal
consumers of American products. 1t
necessarily follows that a reduction in
wages involves diminution in the power
of consumption, and consequently pro
portionate decrease in production and
naturally also in the force of labor re-
quired for the production. reduction
of wages. therefore, results in an in
crease in the army of the unemployed .
Great Labor Record.
The Democratic padty has never
done anything fer labor. All the la
Dor laws on the federal statute books
have been placed there by Republicans
Some of these laws are:
The eight-hour law. the first of its
kind in this country, since intended tc
include employees on public works; pro
hibition of importation of contract la
borers: restriction of immigration; ex
clusion of Chinese; abolition of peon
age; prohibition of involuntary servt
tude of kidnapped foreigners. added re
strictfons upon importation of cheaI
foreign labor; creation of Department
of Labor. all votes against it beins
Democratic; compulsory use of auto
matte couplerS and car brakes for IN
terState traffic; protection of seamen
inspection of steam vessels; inspection
of coal mines; compulsory monthly re
ports of accidents by common carriers
provision for boards of arbitration
provision for Incorporation of national
trade unions: child labor law for Dis
trict of Columbia appropriation to in
vestigate working conditions of tele
phone and telegraph employees whose
companies do interstate business; pro
vision to compensate laborers injured
in government work. This is the rec
ord of the Republican party in federal
labor legislation and against the long