Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-20
TAFT TALKS ALL DAY
Fifteen Speeches on His Trip
Through West Virginia.
HITS AGAIN AT G0MPERS
Declares Democrats Are Always
Ahead on Words and Wind.
DEFENDS HIS COURT RULINGS
Charge That He Has Been Unfair
- Labor Does Him Gross
= Injustice.
HITS AGAIN AT GOMPERS
DEFENDS HIS COURT RULINGS

CUMBERLAND. Md. October 2O-Fif-
teen speeches are on the itinerary of Can
didate Taft today. All but two of them
are to be delivered in West Virginia on
the line of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road. The people of Martinshurg. w. Va.
were al the station an hour before the
train arrived there at o'clock. This fact.
Judge Taft told them, made their interest
apparent. and he took it good augury
of republican success in that state.
Senator Smith of Michigan. who has
been Mr. Tafts speaking assistant sew
eral days. was called by the national COM
; mittee for other work and left The Taft
special al Baltimore. Senator Scott and
State Chairman George Wise Of WeSj Viz
ginia joined the train there and Represent
tative Pearre of Maryland came aboard
. at Martinsburg The itinerary of the
candidate today includes keyser. Pied
mont. Terra Alta. Rowlesburg. Grafton
Clarksburg. Salem, West Union, Penns
boro. Cairo. with night meeting at
Parkersburg. To an audience which filled
the local theater here Judge Taft deliv-
cred his speech on labor.
When Words and Wind Count.
When it takes nothing but words and
wind he declared. in asking the ques-
ton as to which party ought to receive
the support of the labor vote, the demo-
cratic party has greatly the advantage.
but when il comes TO things accomplished
and progress made. then the advantage
is always with the republican party
Mr.. Taft explained that ;nc Washing
ton adrninisi ration and Congress were
limited i'll their jurisdiction over labor and
labor legislation 10 government work
men. those engaged in interstate COM
merce and to workmen of the territories
nd nf % ct n r
theless. he said. there had been a number
of important laws passed in the last seven
years affecting labor within this jurisdic-
ton. and for the purpose of furnishing
model laws for the states to follow. After
enumerating these laws and dwelling on
their impor. ance. Mr.. Taft paid his re-
spects to Mr. Gompers. saying that it was
his Judgment that the American labOring
man had intelligence and independence
enough to use his own judgment and not
be delivered" by Mr.. Gompers to any
one. After reviewing at length the cases
he decided while on the bench which have
been made the subject of attack upon
him. Mr.. Taft concluded:
Charges Unfair to Him.
Il only cite them to show that when
] am charged with being hostile to la
Dor organizations. when 1 am charged
with being unfair to labor, it does me
gross injustice. yield to no man in my
livelihood by the sweat of their brow,
and l would join In any legal method to
encourage them in their hard struggle
upward In this life of ours But these
combinations of labor tnat ought to be
encouraged, that are necessary to enable
labor to assert its rights in its neces-
sary controversy with capital. have an
enormous power both for good and for
evil, just exactly the same as the COM
binations of capital have an enormous
mower both for gODd and for evil and
no sympathy that you may have with
the prosperity of the country and the
necessity for combination Of capital
ought to make you sympathize with the
ital on the one hand. and no sympathy
that you have with struggling labor on
the other ought to make you sympathize
with the unlawful methods when it re-
sorts to unlawful methods on the other
SIDE
Courts Must Be Respected.
In other words, you have got to main
tain the power of the courts in order that
there may be justice administered with
an even hand as to both these great in
fuenCes in the country, so that they
may be kept within the law; and you
can be sure II you weaken the power OF
your courts that both influences will at
tempt to enjoy illegality which they ought
not to hove. That is human nature.
Therefore man who sits on the bench
and who administers law without fear or
favor because his blows happen to hit
labor on the one side or capital on the
other cannot be charged. if he admins
tiers the law as 1t exists, on the facts as
they are presented. with doing other than
his duty. and if he does not exert the
authority of his court with all his power
to bring to Justice and fails to do so be-
cause of fear of political influence, or
Tear of any class. he does not deserve to