The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-13

increased so per cent and l am glad
of it. The labor organizations have
never reached the point OF use1ulness
before that they now have Although
you would think from readlng what MT
Gonpers has to say that they We're in
a condition of AFFECT slavery. They
have never exercised the useful infiu-
ence of the power in protecting their
own interests before as they have under
the law as 1 laid down some 10 or Il
years ago..
Al Canal Dover while making his
labor speech the candidate was inter-
rupted by an exclamation from the au-
dience declaring: Labor unions are
gone
Taft. 1.-The labor organizations today
are more prosperous. have more money
have more influence, have more lawful
control than they ever had in their
lives before. The American Federation
of Labor has increased its number 100
ner cent. The International Typo
graphical union in its annual report
showed an increase from $4,000 to 45,OO0-
They paid in five millions of dollars.
They had $2500O0 in their treasury, and
they never had such prosperity or inf1u-
ence in their lives and the basis upon
which those organizations have been
constructed are the legal lines which
1 laid down in my legal opinions.
L
in public life that has done more to
legalize and give force and standing
to labor unions than l have"
At the Akron meeting last night MI.
Taft reiterated the points he had pre-
yiously made on the labor question and
brought to his support the recent pub
lished letters of Daniel ]. Keefe men,
Der of the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor, and
head of the International LOngshore-
men and Transfers organizations. The
candidate said the testimony of Mr..
Keefe was the more weighty because
Mr.. Keefe had ascertained his (Taft's)
position on labor through constant ne
gotiations with reference to the Pan
anna canal and in the candidates ca
pacity also. Mr. Keefe closes his in
dorsement of Mr.. Taft, which the latter
read, as follows:
'T shall support and vote for Mr..
Taft, who was admitted to membership
IN the International Brotherhood of
ing to his strong advocacy of the en-
forcement of the eight-hour law on all
work coming under the
jurisdiction of the war department. I
might say that Mr.. Taft has done more
to enforce laws in favor of organized
labor than all his predecessors.
Music hall was crowded to its ca
pacity to hear Judge Taft last night.
The candidate did not refer to his
speech in this city three years ago
when he denounced the leadership of
George B. Cox. He said before making
his speech that there was no reason
why he should take up that matter, as
the state had by its own action di-
vorced the discussion of national and
municipal political questions and the
Cox issue of that time was in no way
connected with the national issues of to-
day. United States Senator Charles
Dick, whose home is in Akron, presided
at the meeting tonight. In his intro
duction of Taft he mentioned Senator
Foraker's name in a list of others who
had appointed the judge to political po-
sition. and in doing so he said Judge
Taft had made good in every place he
held, whether under the appointment
of Arthur Harrison, Foraker. McKin-
ley or Roosevelt. The audience showed
great friendliness for Judge Taft. After
the Music hall speech Mr.. Taft was
received enthusiastically by several
hundred Italians. who had gathered in
Celebration of Columbus day with an
entertainment and ball. The candidate
was relieved in his speechmaking today
by Senator w. Alden Smith of Michi-
gan. The days work made itself felt
on the vocal chords of Taft.