The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-09-03
Laboring Men Hear
} Wilson on Third Party


Continued from First Page)
of the new party are as alarming as
the predictions Of the veriest stand
patter. There Is the stimulating breath
of hope in every part of the platform
of the new party except that which
touches the tariff and the trusts.
TWO SIDES AND TWO TONES.
In fact there is this very singular
feature about the platform of the new
party: 1t has two sides and two tones.
1t speaks warm sympathy with prac-
tically every project of social better
ment to which men and women of
broad sympathies are now turning
with generous purpose and on that
side it is refreshing 10 read. But that
is not the part OF the platform that
reads like a program. 1t Is a proc
lamation of sympathy rather, an indi-
cation of the direction in which the
leaders of the party would fain some
times move. The program lies else
where, where the tariff is spoken of
and the trusts. In that portion of the
document there is an air OF business
and a very definite indication of what
is intended to be done, and by what
means.
'It may be interpreted in the light
Of some interesting things Mr.. Roose-
welt has recently said.
JUST ONE SUGGESTION.
mfr. Roosevelt declares his devoted
adherence to the principle of protec-
ton. He declares that he is not
. troubled by the fact that very large
amount of money is taken out of the
pocket OF the general tax payer and
put into the pocket of particular
classes OF protected manufacturers. but
that his concern is that so little of
this money gets into the pockets of
the employees. have searched his
program very thoroughly for an indi-
cation of what he expects to do in or
der to see to it that larger proper
ton of this prize money gets into the
pay envelope and I have found only
ons suggestion.
There is a plank in the program
which speaks OF establishing minimum
or living wages for women workers,
and / suppose that we may assume
that the principle is not in the long
run meant to be confined to women
only. Perhaps we are justified in as
Stunning that the third party looks
forwarded to the several establishment
by law of a minimum wage 1t is very
likely take 1t for granted that If q
minimum wage were established by
law the great majority of employers
would take occasion to bring their
wage scale as nearly as might be down
to the level of that minimum and 1t
would be very awkward for the work
ing man to resist that process success
fully because it would be dangerous to
strike against the authorit yof the fed
erai government.
Moreover, most of his employers, at
any rate. practically all of the most
powerful OF his employees would be
award and proteges of that very gov
eminent which is the master of us all.
The government is to set up a COM
mission whose duty 1t will be, not to
check or defeat 1t, but merely to ne
gotiate it under rules which it is itself
to frame and develop. So that the
chief employers will have this tremen-
dous authority behind them: what they
co they will have the license of the
federal government to do including the
right to pay the wages approved by
the government
J. II
And 1t is worth the while of the
workingmen of the country to recall
what the attitude toward organized
labor has been of the masters of con
solidated interests whom the fedora
government is to take under its
patronage as we'll as under it's control
They have always been the stout op.
ponents Of organized labor and they
many ways. Some of the ways they
have adopted have worn the guise O.
philanthropy and good will, and hav.
no doubt been used, for all know, IL
perfect good faith. Some of then
have set up systems Of profit sharing
Of compensation for injuries and o
bonuses and even pensions, but ever,