Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-17
BELL SHOWS LEAD
IN STRAW BALLOT
Voters Engaged in Construction
Work Indicate Their Choice
for Next Governor
PRAISE SUPPORT OF LABOR
Speech at Shell Mound Contains
Significant Sentences Show
ing Candidates Attitude

Straw votes were taken at two
places in Los Angeles yesterday, at
both Of which bricklayers, masons
carpenters and plumbers were en-
| ployed in the construction of office
| buildings. The result was as follows:
At Tenth and Figueroa streets: Bell,
I'll Johnson, 10; Wilson, IL.
At Eigth and Main streets: Bell, %;
| Johnson, 8; Wilson, 8.
Chairman Norton of the county cen-
| trail committee announced the results
| Of the straw ballot yesterday, and
said:
"rhese straw elections merely indi-
| cate the increasing popularity of Mr.
Bell among the laboring men. Mr.
| Bells clear and fearless advocacy of
| the rights of organized labor, and his
courage in coming out openly before
| a large audience in his speech at Shell
| Mound park last Labor day, as the
champion Of organized labor, have
! forever silenced the men who have
repeatedly lnslnuated that Mr.. Bell
was not the friend of organized labor
| ing men.
''Some of those men have even gone
about brazenly asserting that Mr.. Bell
was the enemy of the unions. They
have done everything they could to
make the voters think that the Demo-
| cratic standard bearers of California
are opposed to labor organization,
This is an old trick, which unscrupuA
| lous politicians think is a vote-getter,
but in view of Mr. Bells open declara-
tion that he is the friend Of organized
labor, do not believe these lies will
have any influence on the labor vote.
FRIEND OF LABORING MAN
"Mr. Bell is a working man him
| self. He was raised in the field at
| the plow and forge He has done
hard work during the greater portion
OF his life. In his speech at Shell
Mound lest the laboring men of Los
Angeles county forget I would re-
mind them that he gave utterance
to these words:
AZ appreciate this opportunity for
a candidate for state office to come
before the laboring people Of the state
and ask for fair play and chance TO
| be fully heard. l appreciate the rec
ognltion of the fact that no matter
how candidates and parties may diff
fer, I am entitled to consideration and
| to make an appeal to the best 1udg-
ment of those who hear me
al decline to be placed in the cate
| CORY of those who talk labor unionism
simply for the purpose of getting labor
union votes. Long before 1 ever as
| pired to office / imbibed at the knee
| of my father one of the best union
| damental principles of this great move
ment. Because 1 do not belong to
union is no indication that 1 have not
worked as hard as any union man.
For thirty years my father worked as
a carpenter in the navy yard at Mare
Island. I can thank God he never put
an obstacle in my way when l told
him I wished to embrace the law.
"'TIe told me that his wages could
barely support eight children and my
mother. And then I went to work In
the field. worked from o'clock in
the morning until 10 o'clock in the
evening for the few dollars 1 earned.
with these dollars / bought my text
books, I never had a chance TO enter
high school; never crossed college
door: I never saw inside of law Of
flee until 1 passed the bar examina-
ton.
SYMPATHY WITH TOILERs
"'I claim now that 1 am entitled 10
the same consideration that is granted
any man earning daily wages. l want
YOU to believe am sincere and nom
est in this 1 tell you If my ambition
is realizedsr and I believe it will be,
and / say this with all que respect ~
the other candidates-that organized
labor will have a man in the executive
chair who sympathizes with the man
who works l honestly believe / am
your best friend and the best friend
organized labor ever had in the state
"'As l look back through tho ages
T see two great movements which nave
raised the common people and the
community. l refer to the movements
which have elevated woman and ele-
waited labor What I find in the I'M
proved condition of the workingman
today / say is due to organized Ia
bor
SIN the knowledge that my words
are being taken down by reporters, and
will be read all over the state, in Los
Angeles as we'll as in San Francisco,
7 repeat that I am the friend of or
panized labor. and if l am elected VIII
stand on the question just Wnere l
do now. 1t is sixteen years since
first stood for public office. During
all that time / have never uttered one
sentiment I did not honestly believe
at simply ask of you men enrolled
under the banner of organized lapor
to do me the simple justice of consid-
erine nv claims. / will fight for you
men at Sacramento If 1 am sent
there
"Who, hearing Mr.. Bell give utter
ance to these principles, could believe
that organized labor will ever get
other than a square deal at the hands
of the Democratic candidate for gov
ernor? What other candidate has
come out so fearlessly, and so plainly
in the interest of organized labor, as
has Theodore Bell?"