The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-07-25
MR.. GoMPERs' POSITION.

The attempt of the administration
organs to make it appear that Mr..
Gompers is trying to deliver" the la
Dor vote would be amusing were it
not so pitiable an evidence of poll
teal fear. Samuel Gompers has DEM
onstrated his fitness as a leader and
his ability as constructionist. He
has also demonstrated that he is pos
sessed of diplomatic ability of high
order and a fund of common sense
that has kept him out of lot of pos
sible trouble.
The fact of the matter is that Mr..
Gompers has at no time promised to
deliver the labor vote" to Bryan and
Kern. Mr.. Gompers knows full well
that he has but one vote he can de-
liver, and that vote is his own. But
after viewing the situation thoroughly,
and having posted himself on current
political and industrial history. Mr..
Gompers has decided in his own mind
that the interests of organized labor
demand that organized labor support
Mr.. Bryan, and having so decided in
his own mind he is frank to speak his
thoughts. His only promise of de
livery" is that he will SUPPORT Bryan
and Kern upon a platform that
breathes interest in the wage earners
and offers evidence of friendship, good
will and exact justice. Mr. Gompers
is too smart to pledge the labor vote
to any candidate. But being an
acknowledged leader in the labor
movement it is only natural that he
should exert wide influence-and it
is this fact that drives the supporters
of injunction Bill and Jim the Ice
man" to misrepresent Mr.. Gompers
lists against him.
These partisan organs quote some
so-called labor leaders as denying Mr.
Gompers' right to tell them how to
vote-something that Mr.. Gompers
never claimed. But he is well within
his rights as a free American citizen
when he tells them how he thinks
they ought to vote if they would bene-
fit themselves.
The so-called labor leader is quoted
as saying that democratic unionists
will vote the democratic ticket. and
republican unionists will vote the re-
true organized labor ought to feel
! thoroughly ashamed. The thorough
unionist is never a partisan in the
sense that he will stick to party when
partisanship runs counter to unionism
and to patriotism. The curse of or
ganized labor has been its subser-
viency to partisanship. its willingness
to be used as tool by INSCRIPTIONS
politicians.
Mr.. Gompers has led movement to
put the American Federation of Labor
into the political game-not as parti-
sans but as unionists. He has urged.
with some measure of success. that
union men lay aside partisan bias and
vote for the men who come nearest
to representing the hopes and aspira-
tons of union men and women. He
went to the republican national con-
vention and asked that men who work
for wage be put upon the same level
of justice as the men who toll not, nor
spin: upon the same level as the men
who pay wages. His answer was a
/ sheer and the result was a calm ignor
/ inc cf tho inst demands of orUop;1od
labor. Then Mr.. Gompers-who is him
self republican-went to the demo
cratic national convention and asked
for the same thing. The democratic
convention gave heed to the petition
and gave organized labor the planks
it wanted, and which it was well with