Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-09-23
bYARS
INTERVIEW
DEFENDS
| LABOR
CANDIDATE ANSWERS NEwspA.
FER ATTACK UPON HIS ANTI.
INJUNCTION vIEws-pRAIsEs
GOMPERs AS A LEADER.

Sioyu DydrS, DenOcratlc canul
date to succeed the Hon. Basccmb
Slemp in the next national congress.
In an Interview yesterday with a
Bristol Herald Courier reporter.
said:
In my address to che voters OF
the Ninth district I referred to the
anti-inJunctlon plank OF the Demo
cratic platform and quoted at some
length from an editorial by Sam
uel Gomp~rs, president OF the Amer.
can Federation of Labor.
The Tazewell Republican which
is supporting Mr.. Slemp, criticises
me for opposing government By in.
junction and alleges that term was
employed to prejudice the laboring
men against Mr.. Slemp. In the same
connection, the editor of the Repub
lean uses the following language:
To accomplish this purpose. he in
PRODUCES and assails what the radi
cal and anarchistic elements have
called government by Injunction
Then again, as IL to clinch its
argument, the Republican says: L
this was not the intention OF Mr.
Byars, why does he use Samuel
Gompers. the labor leader and ag-
itator, to reinforce his appeal to
the labor lement of the Ninth?'
AN ATTACK UPON LABOR
1T seems to me that Labor Lead
err and agitator' and radical and
anarchistic elements are rather
harsh terms Tor Mr.. Slemp's mouth
piece to apply to Mr.. Gompers and
ms sympatnizers. unless it was done
to prejudice the public against the
men who toll and those who plead
Their caus2. But ii is not my pro.
vince - suggest 10 Mr.. Slemp or his
partizan press what terms they
should employ in referring to the
wage-earnerS of this country, nor
do ] propose to permit them to die
tate to me what my policy shall be
in this campaign. Ny views with
reference co the injunction plank
In the Democratic platform differ en-
tirely from those quoted and en-
dorsed By the Tazewen Republlca
| deny that we shall commence re-
trograding to barbarism Gas the Re
publican expresses IT'D when We
shall abolish the undemocratic and
un- American doctrine of govern
ment by Injunction. / enter this de-
NAL in behalf of Democracy and In
behalf of the patriotic millions OF
working men who want 1t abolished.
In order that the voters OF this
district may determine for them
selves whether or not ] have placed
myself, as the Republican says. IL
an unenviable position before the
people, both as a candidate for
fee and as a law-aDIdrng citizen.
! here quote verbatim the article
which has aroused the wrath or MT
SlemD's postmaster editor. Ny ar
tlcle follows:
GOVERNMENT BY INJUNCTION.
Recent years has witnessed
the growth in this country of a dan
gerous doctrine known as govern
ment by injunction, a doctrine not
Gully obnoxious to labor organiza-
tons. against whom 1t has been
chiefly directed, and who regard
Judge Taft as the father of gov
ernment by injunction" but doc.
trine that Is undemocratic and I'M
American.
Samuel Gompers, president Of
the American Federation OF Labor,
in an editorial recently published in
the "FederationIst." among other
things says:
The national convention OF the
Republican party at Chicago refus-
ed to incorporate the demands OF
laburTip ita'platform, and instead
inserted a plank on Injunction as
applied to labor disputes.
The Democratic convention at
Chicago, on the other hand. made
labor's demands a part of It's plat.
form
Mr.. Gompers quotes the anti
Injunction plank adopted by the Re
publican convention. and comments
as follows: AT a Glance the plank
adopted will be seen to be a fimsy
tricky evasion Of the issue. It is
an endorsement of the very abuse
against which labor Justly protests,
and would, IL enacted by congress,
give statutory authority which does
not now exist ~ is a pro-iRjunc-
ton. IL IS worse than 'meaningless
and evaslve.' as the capitaJist-corpo-
ration press has designated It. u
would make more acute the wrongs
by which, the toilers are forced to
bear the unjust judicial burdens OF
iniunctio& discrimination
"'wn he laboring men OF this
country te for candidate whose