The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-03-01
The Peoples Candidate for Governor
Man Who is Not Afraid OF His
Record.

any way with the management Of
this concern since January 1, 1906,
more than six years ago. | own only
a small part of the stock of this con-
Germ, and am not in a position to con-
troll its policy in any manner what
soever. When the differences that
now exist between certain employees
of this concern and the management
thereof arose, | was in Washington at
tending to my official duties | did
not know that there was any differ
ence Of opinion between the manage
ment and the employees OF any kind
whatsoever, and least of all did /
know that there was a strike or that
a strike had even been threatened I'M
til l picked up an Evansville paper IN
my Washington office and there
learned that a strike had been de-
clared In one Of the departments. |
at once made an appeal to the man
agement of the concern TO settle the
differences but the management
would not recognize my appeal When
| returned to Evansville from Wash
ington l again took the matter up in
person with the management of the
plant, and exhausted every available
resource to bring about satisfac-
tory settlement Of the differences. At
ter | had found that | could not in
duce the management of the plant to
make such a settlement, and knowing
that l had exhausted my resources to
bring about such a settlement, | was
compelled to forego further efforts.
| This was the situation at the time
| of the convention of the State FEEDER
! alton of Labor at Evansville last fall.
| During that convention the matter CT
| the strike existing in the mounters
| department Of the various stove fsun-
| dries in Evansville was referred to q
committee of the convention. A spe-
| cial committee was then appointed to
| wait upon me and ask me for state
| ment regarding my views of the mat
| ter, and to further request me to use
my influence to bring about settle
| ment of the strike. That committee
was composed of Mr. w. T. CHM, of
Hammond, Indiana, the fourth vice
president Of the Indiana State FEEDER
alton of Labor; Mr.. Philip Wuerster,
chairman of the grievance committee
of the Central Labor Union OF Evans
vile, and Mr.. William Kamm, who
Labor Union of Evansville. These
three gentlemen waited upon me at
| nv Office in the Furniture Exchange
building in Evansville at about the
time of the adjournment of the state
convention. | went over the whole
matter with them in detail, informed
them of the several unsuccessful eff
forts that I had made TO secure {
1 +o1I a | "
willing to do anything that l could
TO assist them if they could point out
any way in which | could assist them
After going over the matter from
every angle and discussing every de
tail connected Herewith, the commit
tee stated unanimously that | hat
voluntarily done everything that tn
] laboring people could possibly have
4 | asked me to do, and that my connec
ton with the matter and my attitude
r with reference to it was worthy or tn
| commentator, rather than the crit
= | cism, of all laboring men. Their
were several present in my Office be
sides the committee at the time o
their visit Everyone who was pres
l ent knows that every statement tina
s I have made here is absolutely COZ
q rect.
s Fair and Just Toward Labor.
r 1.-THE committee further knows tn
t exact status of my relations with tn
management OF this company. int
4 which enters personal matters thu
n grew out of my official acts Will
mayor of the city of Evansville, an
which made il Impossible for me
:. influence the policy of the company
the slightest degree
I'm closing l might say that | hay
II always endeavored TO be absONtel
er lust and fair to labor, and my recoI
81 as an employer OF labor from 1881
1906. and my attitude by vote and a.
al ton towards labor since then, as
O. public official. will bear me out
n this statement | have too muC
a | faith in the fairness and honesty
- the vast majority of labOring men az
their organization TO believe tn
II when they learn the real tr1rh th'
Al will give approval to this unfair al
Ie- unjust criticism. Having had to ma
n nv own way in the world and havil
he been compelled 10 labor for ever
id thing | have, without assistance,
81 know from actual experience the u
ed equal advantages of labor In the fig
(. for existence. My natural sympat
has always been. and | hope alWa
will be. with the weak as against I
strong.
no 81 have confined my reply 10 Il
lor unjust criticism TO simple stateme
lor OF absolute fact and in conclusi
would say that | am not demagog
lel who will bend his knees 10 the po
he erful. nor stoop TO dishonorable me-
DDS cf securing either endorsemt
for myself or condemnation for g
other"