The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-09-08
The Real Labor Question.

The workingman, who acts best
for himself, will not yield himself to
prejudice and fake statements made
for the mere purpose of deceiying
him into supporting political policies,
which are detrimental to his welfare
and so dangerously experimental
that the risk is one to be Stunned
rather than rushed into headlong,
because of some mans oratory of
denurciation. The workingman has
the right TO look after his welfare, it
is his duty both to himself and his
family. The sensible workingman,
the man who thinks, the man who de-
sires the best for himself and family,
will study facts and history and not
be led away by flights of oratory,
such as are INDUCED in by men on
the stump and in the press against
policies and principles. which. al
though they themselves must know
are of the greatest advantage to the
laborlng man, are not Incorporated
in their platform OF opposition.
Political prophets of the day may
come forth with glowing and decep-
tive accounts OF what their theories
will bring about in the shape OF bless
ings for the workingman, but after
all labor like all other elements in
political and social life is safer on a
foundation made OF facts, and the
facts In the present instance favor
] the REPUBLICAN party and its policies,
as well as its history, and can but
appeal most strongly to the men, who
labor for their living.
| Under this head, Senator Bever-
idge in his Youngstown speech. ut
tered some facts and features on this
question that are simply sufficient to
show the workingman in this cam
paign who is his friend, namely. the
Republican party, as shown by its
history in this respect. The compar-
ison made by Senator Beveridge with
other countries, where protection to
labor and its products do not obtain
is sufficient to satisfy the working
man that he does his duty to him
self, his family and his fellows,
when he votes the Republican ticket
and upholds the policy OF protection.
In other words he does right when he
votes for the principle of the broad
shield Of American law protecting
the American laborer.
Senator Beverage said at Youngs.
town:
Every labor law we have passed
and will pass is part OF that web OF
industrial questions which we cali
the labor problem. But after all,
the fundamental labor problem is The
problem of employment and pay.
Work and wages are the foundations
of labor's well-being, without which
all labor legislation is the giving of a
stone instead of bread. More Ameri-
can workmen own their own homes
(and those homes have more COM
forts) than the worklngmen- Eng
land, Germany, France and Japan, COM
bined. Had any political economist
been told twenty-five years ago that
carpenters, miners and steel workers
ever would be paid American wages
of the present day. he would have
scoffed.
"All this has come during Repub-
lican administrations. We plan 20
continue and increase 1t. The maxi
mum ,and minimum tariff which we
Will enact will enlarge the markets
for American products, as Germany
in the same way has enlarged the
markets for her products. Markets
mean industries to supply them; in
dustries mean demand for labor; de-
mand for labor means high wages"