Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-29
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| political and Industrial activity now and
| in the future to the end that we may aid
| in the election OF such candidates FOL
| President of the United States and rep
| resentatives in Congress and such other
| executive, legislative or judicial candi-
dates for office as will safeguard and pro-
| tect the common interest of the workers.
| Samuel Gompers in his call to organized
| labor of the United States.
| Word comes from New York that the
| leaders of the movement which four
years ago polled over 100000 votes for
| Eugene V. Debs for President on the
| ticket of the socialist party met last
Monday to consider candidates and plat.
| form.
William D. Haywood's chances of be-
dent are waning When he was acquitted
| of completely in the murder o. ex-Gov.
| Steunenberg of Idaho, he was the only
| candidate mentioned. and Debs declared
that Haywood must be the partyS cham
pion at the polls.
But since then a great majority of the
socialists believe that Debs. still their
idol. should be the candidate. and the
chances are that he will be nominated
at the national convention which meets in
Chicago in June, while Haywood will have
to be satisfied with the nomination for
Vice President.
In order that harmony may prevail 1t
was decided at the meeting Monday to
send an uninstructed delegation to the
convention.
The subject OF immigration was dis
cussed A member of the executive COM
mittee presented a resolution In favor Of
Chinese exclusion, but it was voted down.
Resolutions adopted said that the
party ought to seek to extend the propa-
ganda OF socialism and trades unionism
among the various Asiatic workers al
ready present in this country and to help
In averting future danger from this
course"
1t was further declared that the party
would not favor the exclusion of any
specific race or nationality. 1t was de-
cided to favor American wages and union
conditions for Asiatic laborers.
A dispatch from Wabash. Ind. states
that because the forelady in a hat fac
tory there trimmed a hat for the proprie-
tor. Nathan Meyer, she was fined 81 by
the union. She refused to pay and was
expelled. Then because Meyer would not
discharge her all the employees struck
The question was submitted to President
Gompers Of the American Federation of
Labor. He ordered the union. to
ter to the union officers that "A forelady
has an unQuestioned right to assist in the
performance of any work and in any es-
Enlistment foremen. and foreladies are
required not only to superintend work but
to do work themselves
The Finnish legislature has passed the
bakers bill which makes eight hours a
legal days work in all bakeries through
out Finland. The same bill provides that
night work In bakeries shall be prohibited
The Electrical Worker in it's current is
sue under the caption, Prestige of La
bor." says: ITO labor alone belongs the
prestige of labor. and to no individual or
number Of individuals is 1t given to deter
mine whether this prestige will be one
OF exchange for personal or political pre-
ferment.
In the Ia Dor movement today as in
the past, there are men who endeayor to
use its prestige for their own individual
enhancement: they try to use the in
fiuence Of labor for partisan ends
NO man Is big enough or has done
enough for the labor movement to make
the movement his personal or political as
set. and labor owes it to no man to exert
Its prestige In the carrying out of his
ambitions.
THE movement has in the past. and
Will continue In the future. to progress
obstacles. Among the obstacles to be
overcome there is none greater, perhaps,
than that of the selnshly inclined. who
are willing and ready to subvert fhe in
terests of the cause they represent for
personal interest. Unfortunately, there
are some men in the labor movement of
this type and their influence cannot be q
factor for its permanent progress.
Labor has a mission, and for the full
fillment Of that mission its principles are
clear and well defined Any deviation from
established principles for political prefer
ment will retard and not help labOr'