Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-10-29
IS POURING IN
TO DEFEAT BRYAN
i've than usual. This is subject to-
unpleasant to be discussed.
Continued from Page one.,

I've thdu usual. i HIS is SuDJcCl too
unpleasant to be discussed.
1.-The sudden and unexpected rousing
of many of the republican business
men of the east and their belated but
perhaps effectual activity in the CAM
paign is accompanied by some curious
features. One of these is that they
have become alarmed over the warfare
labor is making upon the republican
candidate They say that if labor is
permitted to go on in it's self-appointed
task of defeating Taft, and it succeeds,
peace with organized labor, that the
labor leaders, arrogant with success
and the signal triumph of having put
man in the White house, will in the
future WELD their great political power
and make tyranny of it over the coun.
try and over capital and corporations.
This fear is genuine among the men
of affairs who control the corporations
and large manufacturing and employ
ing establishments. They pretend it is
fear of Bryan. In part that is true
But there would not be so much fear
of Bryan if Bryan did not have Com
pers and the American Federation of
Labor behind him. There is distrust
of Bryan, as there always has been in
the east, but a great part of ii has been
suddenly accentuated and sharpeneh
| into an acute form by this fear of a
labor triumph and of what that may
POSSIBLY mean to the industrialism of
the country in the future. The capital
istic class is not now frightened about
socialism; that is probably the next
great battle it will have to take up
and fight out. Its present fear is that
1.-THE American Federation of Labor will
lbecome a political power, able to hold
up political parties, congress, policies
legislatures, legislation, employers.
|
Labor is fighting for its life We
need not discuss the question whether
Tor not labor should have been put il
1.-THE position it now occupies. 1t i.
There. 1t is confronted with this stu
Iation: If it wins out and beats Taft
il can do almost anything it likes, with
in reason, in the future. Its politica
lpower will be like that which the Eng
llish workingmen have welded unde
the leadership of John Burns. what tn
Irish have done with their balance o
power in the house or commons
can demand and secure legislation.
makes itself a power in the politica
affairs of the nation. But if it suffer
defeat? Then the political activity c
labor in the broadcast sense comes t
] an end.
| In the eyes of the politicians {
; both parties, labor is now on trial. TIL
men who know how the game of pol
tics is played are saying that if Con
pers and his men cannot convert a no
NAL republican plurality of 10000 i
lOhio of 10000 in Indiana, of 10000
New York. of 10000 in New Jersey,
nothing at all in Maryland, of 10000
West Virginia, into pluralities for til
democrats, under the conditions whic
exist today, then labor is down and o,
as a political agency and need 4
longer be considered These are son
of the new and most interesting ell
ments in this surprising campaign.
Mot all of the business men of IL
least are engaged in this crusade, it
Unnecessary to add. In fact, the blu:
ness antagonism to Bryan is not
acute as it was eight years ago, al
tears no comparison with IL years az
wnen free silver was the issue, al
when seven millions of money W;
placed in Mark Hanna's hands to be
Bryan"