Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-07-22

and to say that under no circumstances
would he do anything to be regarded
as hostile to the Nebraskan The state
Of New York, supposed to be hostile.
voted its entire seyenty-eight votes for
the nominee and voted for the plat
form. In talking with a number of
labor men l have found that the ap-
prevail of the anti-injunction plank is
universal. One whose name / may not
mention, but who Is known to MEM
bers of organized labor all over the
land. said to me: 1.-THE question of the
anti-injunction plank was necessarily
left TO Samuel Gompers. president of
the American Federation of Labor. He
has approved the action of the conven-
ton, and we will all approve it." On
the other hand, prominent representa-
tives of the employing classes here In
Denver say that the plank IS so fair
and that the presidential nominee Is
so thoroughly TO be trusted not to de-
stroy business interests that they ac-
cept the labor declaration of the Dem
ocratic party. For an issue which
prior to the convention seemed to be
likely to create serious hostility this
one has in the end been so thoroughly
smoothed out that no political dissen-
sion seems likely to result from it.
As to Campaign Publicity.
Here is rather an interesting thing
The president of the United States,
Mr. Roosevelt. and the nominee of the
Republican party at Chicago. Mr.. Taft,
some months ago declared themselves
In favor of a federal law compelling
the publication of all contributions
made to campaign funds. Not having
any influence with the recent Repub-
lican convention in Chicago, Mr.
Roosevelt and Mr.. Taft We're unable
to get plank in the Republican, plat
form giving effect to what they had
asserted TO be their desires Mr. La
Toilette sent in such plank, but every
Taft man and every Roosevelt man
voted it down. The Democratic party
in its convention here declared abso-
lutely for compulsory publication of
campaign contributions. What hap
pened then? Within twenty-four
hours the Republican papers were
saying that the Republican national
committee would report to the people
Of the United States all contributions
made to its campaign fund. "as pro-
vided by the law of the state of New
York" What has the law of the state
OF New York to do with q national
committee? If the contributions come
from the most notorious trust con-
trolled state of the Union, New Jersey,
what assurance will the people have
that there will be any publicity given
to them? When the Republican or
ganiZation gave out to the newspapers
! this statement that it would report
all contributions, it acted without
any sense of truth or of fair play
| There was one way for the Republican
| party TO avert the criticism that it
is going into this campaign with the
/ intent and purpose of carrying it by
| the brute force of money. That one
way was plank in its platform
that it would stand for and enforce
| official publicity of all campaign con.
| tributions. In house and senate and
| in the national convention this princi-
| pie was voted down by the Repub-
| licans, and they cannot longer claim
| that they stand for the moral principle
which it represents.
The Interest of the Teleeraphers.
In the United States today there are
more than $4,000 telegraph operators.
Within the last four years they have
twice struck for more reasonable treat
ment by the colossal monopoly which
controls their terms of employment
and which has its grasp on the most
speedy way of the interchange of In
formation and news throughout the
states of this Union. Both times the
telegrapherS We're beaten in their eff
fort to secure fairer treatment. Both
times the telegraph companies, the
Postal and Western Union alike, raised
their rates of service while refusing
to raise the pay of the operators. One
of the planks sent to the Chicago con
vention by Senator La Toilette, but
one which was not accorded, like the
famous three, the opportunity of roll
call, was this:
l we pieuS6 IHS DelnOCrallC party Cne
| enactment of q law to regulate the rates
and services of telegraph and telephone
companies engaged in the transmission
of messages between the states under the
| Jurisdiction of the interstate commerce
! commission.
| The one difference between this
plank, which was adopted by the Dem
ocratic party, and the plank which was
rejected by the Republican party is the
use of the word Democratic in the
first line. Eighty thousand telegraph
operators throughout the United States
| who have more than once failed tc
| secure for themselves that proper rec
| ognition which is due them may now
consider whether the Democratic par
/ ty, which accepted and promulgated
the plank offered by their representa-
,tives, or the Republican party, which
rejected the same plank, though Il
had back Of it the great influence OF
Senator La Toilette, is the better tt
I-support in the coming election. Bu
one line of the telegraph plank de
serves especial attention. 1t put,
telegraph and telephone companies do
ing an interstate business under the
jurisdiction of the interstate commerce,