Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-02
VOTE IS
FIRM FOR BRYAN.
SIXTY LOS. ANGELES UNIONS
ASSERT CONFIDENCE
GoMPERs REVIEWS TREAcHERY
OF REPUBLICANS
History of Federation's Appeal to Par
ties Vindlcates Wage Workers
Belief In Party of the
People

The fact that Republican politicians
probably will endeavor to discredit
Samuel Gompers and the American
Federation of Labor on the eve of cleo
tlon in a way designed to mislead wage
workers has been ascertained by union
men. In Los Angeles the unions are
on the guard and have taken the pre-
caution of warning their members to be
on the alert. They have also for
warded through the Central Labor
Council to President Gompers the fol-
lowing letter, expressing their conf
dence in his work and that of the A.
f. of L. executive board.
my Dear Sir-At the last regular
meeting of the Central Labor Council
of Los Angeles, Cal, by unanimous
vote sixty affiliated organizations as
serted their confidence in you, your
executive board and labor representa-
tion committee of the American FEEDER
alton of Labor and will do their utmost
to combat any canard that might be
published too late to be replied to by
your committee.
Wishing the greatest movement that
the American Federation of Labor has
ever undertaken and yourself success,
1 remain very truly yours,
Secretary Central Labor Council"
DemocracyS sincerity
President Gompers has issued a stir
ring appeal to wage workers to recog-
nize at the ballot box the sincerity of
the Democratic party. Mr.. Gompers
says in his letter:
ut is with serious thoughts in mind
that labor's representatives submitted
to the party in poWer-the Republican
party-in 1906 labor's bill Of grievances,
and respectfully urged that necessary
legislation be enacted. Nothing was
done
Injunction after injunction was is
sued forbidding men to assist each
other, and to do in unison those things
which it was the undisputed right of
the individual to do for himself.
I'm the meantime the dispute be-
tween the Hatters' union and Mr..
Loewe of Danbury was in progress
from one court to another until it
reached the United States supreme
court, where it was decided that or
ganizations of working men and work
ing women, for mutual aid and assist
ance, are combinations in illegal re-
straint of trade under the so-called
Sherman antitrust law.
A Republican Deaf Ear
Again we appealed to congress and
again our answer was a distinct and
emphatic NO. We drafted and
caused to be introduced in congress
specific bills to stay and remedy the
evil, but to no purpose.
Labor was not only given an en-
phatic NO, but this was coupled with
a statement by the candidate for evice
president, Mr.. Sherman, accepted and
approved by the majority of congress,
that his party fully understood what
it was doing and accepted all RESPONSE
bility both for what it did and what it
did not do.
''Despotic power under the ermine is
as dangerous as despotic power under
the crown. To stay it's progress some
remedy must be had, and we therefore
appealed to the Republican convention
at Chicago and were given the same an
sWer in still more insulting language,
If that were possible We asked for
bread and they showed us whip, and
in order to be certain that the whip
will be effectually used the Republican
party nominated as its standard bearer
Mr.. William H. Taft, the originator
and specific champion of discretionary
government; that is, government by
Injunction. In passing I may say that
his nomination, under the circum-
stances, was logical. 1t would have
been impossible for the party to f1nd
more effective representative or It's pol
icy.
LdOOT > IGpICSCiboNAFSo NAASAA
to the Democratic party. That party
made labor's contention its own. 1t
pledged it's candidates for every office
to those remedies which labor had al
ready submitted to congress. The
standard bearer of the Democratic
party, Mr.. William ]. Bryan, entered
fully into the essence of this struggle
and declared that the real issue in this
campaign is: Shall the people ruler
1.-THE Republican party and its can
didate stand for upholding and fur
ther extending into our country des-
potic government vested in the judi
ciary.
'The Democratic party and its can
didate stand for government by law
vested in the people.
Labor has been and will be accused
of partisanship, but in performing al
solemn duty at this time in support of
a politician party labor does not be-
come PARTISAN to a political party, but
partisan to a principle"