New-York tribune., 1908-10-19
JUDGE TAFT AND LABOR
DREDGEMAN URGES AID.
International Brotherhood OHcer
Praises Candidate.

The following letter from T. j. .Dolan' general
secretary-treasurer of the InternatlonaI brothe.
hood of Steam Shovel and Dredge Men, to FreSl-
dent Roosevelt, and the Presidents reply SPEAK
for themselves:
Dear Mr.. President: Attached find copy oI ar aruCis @
that l have prepared for The steam Sn0Vel h ahe th
Country October Is Mr. Tafts picture viii ap-
ON the front page of our Journal Ina IniS tbou
sand extra copies of this number Where 'ieS W."
We are vers proud of Mr.. Taft as member OF
our organization and as you have always peeHi - a.
ever had in the White House, we nave no Ia neni
that going to support a man oTsani2en a.
labor SoTSoP' or any other % class Of workinglen
Ne feel sure that Mr. Taft VIII ~ oe vo9Tseif re-
main I'm vAmrs AllrseSt yerg tTniX r J. DOLAN.
General Secretary Treasurer.
The White House,
Washington, October 10. Isoe;;
My Dear Mr.. Dolan: have your letter OF OF me ne
the article for Your journal which You nciose
Indeed, you may rest assufed ma s, ha nosition
toward organized labor that / have tried TO ocs
cupy, and which you ana beneEe; Irleii, Vnn
know l have never for one moment hesitated TO
oppose oTganized LABOR on on ANY Myong Po but just as
when I think ii is right. The administration can
We'll afford to stand on its record of positive
achievement for organized labor; ana as ISgate 500
TO 90 with organized labor, that record is Tafts
You yourself know well what the Unted STATES states
rovernn1ent has done as regards the worklnSlllen
on the isthnus; thanks largely 10 Mr. IaiL tl.e
record of the government st Panama Is tnat o5
model employer. both regards wages anu
hours and as regards the housing and care OF Inc me
employees do not believe that the aooiIs tsncber %
friend thar Mr.. Taft The attack upon nm py
ized labor if successful would in the long run
gravely damage the cause OF organized laboI 10!
this country that organized labor has interests
apart from. and hostile to the lnteesCS ,d u snrb
attitude If persisted in would os shor or
itself / believe they will fail in this effort to
nlisguide their followers and to 90 wrong 10 tlIe
Afsn fe PeSPe Of snd ct Is that T they
fail. If Mr.. Taft were not elected the chleI i
Would Would follow would be the workingaen All .t,oo of
our citizens would benefit by MI IaftS eieo1Ion' e
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Mr. Dolan is under instructions from the general
executive board of his union to do all he can for
the election of Mr. Taft, and he will visit ONO
and New York this week and next IN pursuance
of his instructions
The article in the official journal OF the Inter
national Brotherhood of Steam Shovel and Dreoge
Men, TO which Mr. Dolan referred in his letter 10
the President says. in part:
As the members Of our organization are all well
aware. Mr.. Taft made an honorary mellueI
10 our members in all his dealings since he mas
been Secretary of War. ,o...,-
In all MS OUlClal aClS anu
with members and officers of our brotherhood on
that work he has always shown himself 1alr anu
just. -, .to,,-a5
When contractors on government work showed
2 disposition to disregard violate the eighI-
hour law Mr.. Taft started prosecutions against
these contractors through the United states Al
torney Generals office. -. -.eo.
When an effort was made this year TO cut wages
al Panama Mr.. Taft used his influence to pf prfexemS
it. for his knowledge of conditions on the isthmus
convinced him that the prevailing wages |eLe
least fair and just and that there sn3ulq r. pe
no reduction in pay on that work Since Mr. Taft Taft
has been Secretary of War lie has had great
many dealings with organized labor in its diff
ferent branches. and he has always shown q
spirit of absolute fairness. We have the utmost
confidence IN case of his election 10 the Presl-
dency of the continuance of the fair ana Jus
policies toward organized labor that preNdlleu
While he was Secretary of War. .
Some politicians trying to make 1t appear
throuebcut the country that Mr.. Taft is opposed
to organized labor and its principles. but close
study Of his record will convince the most skep-
tcal that he is a fair and just man to all IN
terests. whether labor organizations or any other
organizations.