Bridgeton pioneer., 1908-07-09
Tne Workingmsn's Vote.

There may be danger that the idea
90 ,vorkinqman having peculiar po-
iitical status will be overdone IN TINS
country. 1t halls from countries where
the workingman is always working
man always expects to be and brings
ND sons to follow his footsteps in the
same class. Except in few localities
in tbis country the workingman is first
n citizen impressed with the political
views of his neighborhood, and he sell
dom becomes a narrow minded thinker
in notifies II he has small hope of
getting out of the tolls of wage labor
himself, he wants his children to make
progress. and the general questions Of
social progress and opportunity will
anneal TO him more strongly than the
so called class issues involved with
labor While the wage question is of
first Importance the worklngman can
not always be so sure that his vote
will increase his wages as he can that
1t will improve the social and educa-
tional advantages Of his children and
promote the local prosperity of his
town. county or state.
The average American workingman
either owns home or hopes to. His
associates in church and other social
societies are not all of the same wage
earning grade as himself. Some are
better off. and he emulates but does
not envy them. What interests his
community interests him, and he rea-
sons from the bottom up when he is
celebrating how his vote In a given
election will do him the most good
He may be impressed with economic
theories, and he would vote them were
he as sure that they would work out
well as he is that a certain school
measure or road measure or town i'm
provement measure will benefit his
children or his little home investment
His interest in these matters often de-
termines his immediate political asso-
Citations, and it is not easy to get away
from voting year after year with pref
ty much the same crowd and paying
chief attention to those issues in which
the crowd Is interested. And the
American workingman is proud of his
American citizenship and next to his
immediate local political interests
ohoh in1- n hot hon
about any abstruse question of eco
nomics. Probably the average 50 a
day man is more concerned with the
national dignity on election day than
the $500 a month man. The less he
has of the worlds goods the more he
enlarges upon the sentimental benefits
that fall to his lot He first Of all
wants to be a citizen of a great and
free and progressive nation. After that
Is settled he will look after the minor
question of how much he is to get out
Of it day by day.
This dual view of public affairs
makes 1t exceedingly difficult to put
through an actual rally and deliver
ance of large labor vote. The labor
ers are there and the votes are there,
but the issues and problems presented
all along the line, from the very door
OF the workingman up to the last hall OF
legislation where his vote is to be rep
resented, are divers and complex. He
Is not secret society man under con-
straint nor a political club member
who must vote as he is told or lose his
Job. All the. deliverable vote in this
country can be delivered anyway, no
matter who is running or what the
platform. And wherever the working
mems votes are deliverable they are to
be found in the vote of the party with
which they have long been affiliated
through interest and sentiment since
their voting days began. No great
slump of the labor vote has ever been
effected, and 1t Is doubtful If 1t can
be as conditions are in this country at
present.