The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-17
MONDAY, OCTOBER II, 1910.
ORGANIZED LABOR AGAINST shEMp.

The Industrial Era, .of
which is published sin the interests OF
the trades unions and of the
Union OF Virginia. comes out strongly
this week against slemp, and, there
fore, for Stuart, for Congress In the
Ninth. This is an avowed declaration
of union labor in Virginia against
Slemp and Slempism, and means that
those who have the interests of the
laboring man at heart will ~repudiate
Slemp at the polls mex month. Union
labor takes the attitude that, regard
less of parties, it will vote for that
man who is a true and consistent friend
of labor.
1t will be recalled that the sherman
antitrust law has been construed so
as to cripple union labor. The adj
verse decision of the court was APP
pealed from by organized labor, the
indirect appeal being taken to Con-
Sress; for. at the last session of or
gress, there was a measure proposed
having in view the appropriation OF
$500, 900 to prosecute violators of the
sherman law. An amendment was Of
fered declaring that no part Of
it should be used to prosecute union
labor. This was defeated, Slemp vot-
ing against it.
The Era says: "How did Mr.. C. B.
Slemp vote? Under the shadow OF the
big stick he voted to bedevil and
enslave the workers. For a mess of
public patronage, he voted to chain
them to the chariot wheels OF capital
and drag them eternal captives to the
non-producers. But 1t is now our time
to vote. and we are going to vote
as becomes men who dare to be free
men. We are not hghting a battle for
any party. We are c~ontendins- for the
rights of the men who make the wealth
of the world. . Now we are
going to rebuke the men who turned
a deaf ear to our appeal
In his attitude toward organized la
Dor Henry stuart towers superbly
above slemp, the slave of the interests
and of capital. The Era says of Stu
art-and let it be said that the Era
would never nave said anything If it
had not examined every letter and
punctuation mark OF his record, just
aHTHr
as 1t did in the case of Slemp:
Though a man who has held but
two public positions in his life, his
reputation for fairness and friendf-
ness to the w~age-earners and the men
who toll has been clearly established,
both as a private citizen of large in
terests and a public servant. Mr.. Stu
art, in his campaign, is demonstrating
by his daily utterances that he is for
n square deal for the laboring man,
and that If elected to Congress he will
favor such laws as will afford the la
boring man the consideration and pro-
lection he deserves"
The Era then reviews the labor rec
ord of Mr.. Stuart, and finds that
through and through, in and out, up
and down, he IS a sincere friend of or
gained labor. The Era finds a great
deal ~tof%approye in the kindly treat
ment NShsch~ MI. Stuart has always ac-
corded to his W employees, who es-
TEEN him and are supporting him
unanimously. In his private life, his
relations with laboring people have
been all that could be desired.
In his capacity as a public servant
Mr.. Stuart has been conspicuously for
the interests of labor. In the Constr
tutional Convention Mr.. Stuart joined
in the movement TO write into the
Constitution the principle of the En-
ployers' Liability Act. and this move
ment was successful. He was active
In this same body in enlarging and i'm
proving and in every way making more
serviceable to the masses of the people
the public school system, which is "a
blessing and a benefaction to the labor
ing people everywhere" AS a mem
Der of the State Corporation Commits
sion, Mr.. Stuart was always impartial
and Just when questions arose involving
the rights of corporations on the one
the other.
The Era asserts that in his campaign
Mr.. Stuart has impressed it beyond
doubt on the minds of the people
that his fight is for the consumer,
the masses, the great body OF the men
who do the work of the country, as
against the protected classes, who are
growing rich by ~exacting enormously
extrayagant prices for the n~ecessaries
of life he (the laboring mani a TO
buy for himself and family
In speaking OF his attitude toward
the laboring man, Mr.. Stuart has said
during his campaign:
What is the hope of the wage-earn-
er, the man in overalls? He goes TO the
'staud-patter.' points out that the nee
e~ssarics of life ave advanced from
80 to 60 and so per cent, while his
wages ave not increased in like ratio,
He asks for lower duties on sugar.
clothing, boots and shoes and other
manufactured articles of daily use,
The reply he gets Is that the stand
patters ere standing pat. but have APP
pointed a committee to investigate The
high prices Of the bread and meat sup
ply from tho farm-no committee to
investigate the high prices of manufac-
tured articles.
II am opposed to a policy which, in
the name OF protection to American
labor. imposes such tariff duties on all
the ne~cessaries Of life that the laborer
has TO buy as 10 strip him of his earn