The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-20
THE LABORER'S VOTE
IT WILL NOT BE CAST FOR sECRE-
 FAIRY TAFT.
Union Men Profess To Be Bitter Against Ohioan, But Roose- welt fs Said to Have Under
 F standfaE Wtth GOmpers,


 stsndinE Wtth Csompers. Washington. Feb. 1s-tSpecial.)-- Politicians of both of the leading par ties are trying to form correct idea as to how the labor vote in the North and West will be cast next November.
 The Socialisttc labor party is expect- ed to put a national ticket in the field as usual. These people do not affiliate to any extent with the regular organ nations but only in their individual capacitv.
 In the past several national contests the bulk of the labor vote outside of the Southern States has gone to the Republican candidates. The large ma- iority of the labor people supported Mr. Cleveland in 1892 and 1t resulted in his election over Mir. Harrison. In the pre- vious compaign when Mir. Harrison ae- feated Mir. Cleveland. this vote was controlled by the Republicans. The question now agitating the Republi- cans no little bit is will we be able to hold the labor vote this year in the big manufacturing States?"
 There is quite difference of opin- ion here as to how the labor lead CTS stand should Secretary Taft se- cure the Presidential nomination at the Chicago convention. Men identified with the labor organizations who are looking after legislation at the Capitol talk as If the working people will re- sent effectively the nomination of Seo- retary Taft. On that subject one of them stated substantially the follow- ing to your correspondent:
 "The Republican Party cannot hope to control the labor vote In this cam paign If Taft heads their national tick ct. know what am talking about when make this statement. We have 1 the record on him, and it will be pulp Iished throughout the United States if he captures the nomination at Chicago. When he was on the bench and sentenced Phelan to prison, Judge Taft went out of his way to show his en- 1 mity to organized labor. He declared l that he only wished he had Eugene | Debs before him so that he might also I be given a prison term"
 Some of the labor representatives | complain that the Taft literary bureau 1 is sending out to the unions a state- ment to the effect that shortly before l his death Phelan met, Secretary Taft Hand informed him that he thought he did exactly right when he sentenced | him. and that he had forgiven him for I what he supposed at the time was a wrong. The; union men about the Cap l itol pronounce this story asS having | | in charge of the Taft boom. They in
 sist that members of the railway order know 1t to be untrue, and they resent | the attempt to make 1t appear thai l Phelan was of such forgiving nature One of. the most active of the work | CTS for the unions, speaking or the attitude of the laboring people In a
 national political contest, made these
 observations:
 "Voters who come under the head of l organized labor, never do much talk
 ing, if they generally favor this or
 that man for a high office. They just keep quiet and go right up to the polls and put in their ballots for him. But | if you wish to get the laboring fellows Nstirred up and organize movement ! that will count just let either party
 nominate a candidate they are opposed 1 to. They dot not want to support Sec
 retary Taft. and my prediction is that
 # he is nominated for President at the Chicago Convention, there will be wide
 spread opposition to him In the labor
 ranks"
 1 But there is another side to this | story Common talk around Washing 1 ton is that President Roosevelt and
 Secretary Taft feel quite certain that ! organized labor is not against Taft | If they thought it was the chances of
 his election would be decidedly uncer- | tain.
 Some people here who, have been
 keeping accoAnt of his numerous visits
 to the White House are confident that
 President Roosevelt and Samuel Com
 pers, head of the American Federation
 of Labor. have an understanding that ! does not give the occupant of the
 White House uneasy feelings.
 Pushers of legislation for the labor
 organizations are greatly angered be-
 cause Congress will not advance their
 measures. They. of course, hold
 Cannon and the Republicans generally | responsible for this condition of af-
 fairs. They are much pleased with the l recent speech of Representative Champ
 Clark of Missouri who, in insisting | that many bills should be passed in
 the interest of the people. declared that
 if only twenty eight Republicans would
 show a spirit of independence, and cut | loose from the domination of Uncle
 Joe" and the Rules Committed. the
 Democrats, would furnish the requisite
 number of votes to put through the
 measures demanded by the people. | Among these bills are several the labor | organizations have been pressing viz
 orbusly all session.
 | The telegraphers were so much 1 pleased with Mir. Clark's speech that
 they have had printed 60.0O0 copies,
 which they will distribute among their members.
 It is understood that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will probably circulate million copies of
 the speeches of John Sharp Williams
 and Champ Clark, when the campaign | gets well under way. They are re-
 garded as the best political speeches
 that have been made this session by
 members of their own party for gen l eral circulation. The speech of the l Msssissippian is considered as the most
 ornate of the two. but that of the Mis-
 sourian contains more pointed thrusts
 at the Republicans for their shortcom-
 ings and will make highly interesting reading for the voters.
 ! AIRroa T StaFa-