The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-10-15

shut down and the cltlZcnS had to
take up Il collection for the miners
of Harrison's own state to keep
starvation from the door.
AS another example Of the
systematic campaign of intimid-
alton for workingmen that is going
on, we quote from the following
! letter which appeared in the daily
press.
AUSTIN ENGINE Co.,
Second Ave, and Sth st.
Brooklyn, N. ~, July 25, 1908
NEW YORK LEATHER Betting Co.
81 Bcckman ST., New York.
July ID, Offering us copies of cards
posted in your factories, which
you say read as follows:
believing that the election of
Taft and Sherman means a safe
progressive business administration
the day following their election we
shall start this plant on Iull time
and keep going.''
Permit us to say we do not un-
dcrstand. Why have you stopped
your factories' Why is the 'full
time and keep going' plan not
now i'll operation? Why has there
been and shutting down by you
and the other members Of the
National Association Of Manu-
tacturers. the American Hardware
Manufacturers Association, and
the numerous other similar associ-
ations to which you say you
belong! Did you not assure us
r. 1n,-
'.fnll dinner pailn t9all who de.
sire to work? Was, not this
assurance renewed when your
several bodies endorsed Roosevelt
and Fairbanks? Then what has
empticd the dinner pail Of millions
OF men who are willing to workr
What more reliance can be placed
on this assurance than on others4
IT you were false prophets before,
how do we know you will not be
againy
But why the closed factories?
Why the idle mills? Why the
unused freight cars! Why the
maintenance Of high prices in the
face Of falling demand! Where tho
''abounding,' ''marvelous, Gun.
parallclcd," "wonderfup' pros
pcrity? Haven't we had them
uninterruptcdly for % yearsq
Haven't the Republicans made the
laws, state as well as national,
and haven't they been charged
with their ADMINISTRATION? Then
what is the mattere If the laws
are defective why haven't they
been altered? If defective now,
were they not equally defective
eight years and four years ago
when you assured us ''alLis well,'
and .'leave well enough alone!''
Where is the ''abounding''
prosperity? Wealth has certainly
increased enormously, OF at least
prices have been boosted to a point
that ought to satisfy the most
avariciouS. The fortunes of the
few have become gigantic, bounded
out of sight.
w ny the depression, why the
blight This tmarvelous'' pros
perity seems to have been wonder
fully ctlicacious in keeping the
toilcrs poor. This ''unparalleled''
prosperity seems to have been
monpolized by a few: they have
S'N vi pi'ihS up I1lll1iO1lS, DuC CnG
leaders of the workers it now seems
had accumulated nothing, so that
they lace starvation as the reward
ior their part in producing
Habounding'' prosDeritv. The
bottom has dropped out of their
full dinner pail
Finally, firmly believing in the
fundamental democracy of
American institutions. we have no
more right to dictate how they
should vote than they have to
cOercc us.
Yours trnly
AUSTIx ENGINE Co.
BY ROET. BAKER. Pres.
1t IS hopeful indication that
some employers refuse to dictate to
their workmen as to how thev
should cast their ballots. but all
too many allow themselves to be
drawn into the campaign of in.
tim ldation.
OF what use is the ballot to the
worker If he has not freedom to
use IT. The right to vote held
subject to employers dictation is
not a right at all. If workmen
can not vote according to the Lic-