The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-11-19
POSITION Of ORGANIZED LABOR
Of GREAT INTEREST IN CAMPAIGN

Mitchell and Morrison were cited to
| appear before the court on a charge of
contempt of court. They were tried
and found guilty. and sentence was
pronounced. Appeals were taken, but
were overruled, and the three men will
have to serve their sentences. It has
/ been found that under The law even the
president is powerless to pardon per-
| sons sent up for contempt Of court so
that there seems to be no escape for
the three labor leaders.
No action in recent years has so
aroused organized labor in this country,
and labor blames the trouble on the
government. 1t is declared that the
government could have ended the prose-
cutions if it had seen fit to do so This
| is why some of the labor leaders are
saying that labor will refuse to sup
port the republican ticket next year I'M
der any and all circumstances. APP
parently they think they can punish
somebody for sending Gompers, Nit
| chell and Morrison to Jail
/ It will be remembered that Gompers
4 came to Indiana last year during the
/ campaign and made a special train trip
over the state lasting nearly week.
making speeches in opposition to Taft
/ for president and Watson for governor
! He declared that labor was opposed to
1 Taft on account of a decision he made
/ in labor injunction case while he was
a federal judge several years ago. and
! they were opposed to Watson because e
! they said he did not vote right on GER
/ tain matters in congress in which la
Dor was interested. So that if Comp
ers and the rest Of the labor leaders
decide to support the democratic ticket
next year, it will not be new thing,
| for they have already done the same
thing. In spite of Gompers' special
train campaign of Indiana last year
Taft carried the state. although Wat
son was defeated.
But there is another side to the labor
situation in this state, and it is being
pointed out by the more conservative of
/ the labor men. They say that organ
/ lied labor has nothing to expect from
i the democratic party. They say they
had bitter experience with the demo-
Gratis in the Legislature last winter and
that the democrats did not do what they
| should have done for labor in return
for what labor did for the democrats at
the election 1t is conceded that if la
Dor had done its part at the election
Thomas r. Marshall would never have
been elected governor of Indiana over
James E. Watson, but labor says that
after this was done it received nothing
in return.
! There were several matters OF impor-
| lance before the legislature in which
labor was vitality interested, and in
nearly all of them labor lost out
through democratic votes. The feeling
Of the labor leaders was such that aft
er the close Of the session there was
! talk about starting a new labor party
in Indiana which would be independent
of both old parties. Their wrath knew
no bounds The state house resounded
with their denunciation Of the demo-
| Gratis and their ingratitude. Represen-
tative Kleckner of Bogansport, himself
a member of a labor union, made a
speech on the floor of the house in
1 which he denounced in bitter terms
those Of his brother democrats who
voted against labor on some of its bills.
Representative Bassett of this city and
| Representative Hay of Terre Haute,
both democrats and both members or Ia
! Dor unions, did not spare words IN tell
ing what they thought of the demo-
| cratic members VINO turned uoWH ldp"i-
In view of all this it is pointed out,
| it will be a rather difficult matter for
labor TO support the democratic ticket
next year without appearing inconsist-
emit Here in Indiana labor was turned
down cold by the democrats when they
had an opportunity to do something
for it. There is no way for the demo-
Gratis to avoid that blame. On the 9TH
er hand. it is pointed out, the sentene-
ing of Gompers. Mitchell and Morrison
| at Washington was done by a court
over which the government has no con-
| troll and which is above and beyond
| political influence. That is a difference
that many of the labor people are TAX
ing into consideration, and it IS be-
lieved that this fact will grow in i'm
| portance when the matter is fully I'M