The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-09-02
Governor Wilson in Labor
Day Speech at Buffalo At
tacks the Tariff Policy of
Roosevelt.
MINIMUM WAGE is
ALSO HIS TARGET
He Declares This Feature
Will Be a Weapon in the
Hands of the Employer
Against Labor.
tNational News Association,


BUFFALO. Sept. Gov. Wilson
turned his biggest guns on Col Roose-
welt today in a speech which he deliv-
cred to an enthusiastic labor day
throng of many thousands at Braun's
rark. The democratic candidate for
the presidency was frequently cheered
and hearty greetings he received.
Analyzing the Progressive platform
the governor said:
There is a very singular feature
about the platform of the new Pro.
gressive party. II has two sides and
two tones. II seeks warm sympathy
with practically every project or social
betterment to which men and women
OF broad sympathies are now turning
With generous purpose. and on that
side it is refreshing to read. 1t may be
interpreted in the light of some inter
esting thing Col. Roosevelt has re
Gently said. Mr.. Roosevelt declares his
devoted adherence to the principle oi
protection. Only those duties which
are manifestly too high even to serve
the interests of those who are directly
protected aught, in his view. be low
cred
He declares he is not troubled by
the fact that a very large amount OF
money is taken out of the pocket oi
the general taxpayers and put into
the pocket of particular classes of pro
tected manufacturers. but that his con
Germ is that SO little of this none,
gets into the pockets of the employe
/ have searched his program thor
oughly for an indication of what he ex
| poets to do in order to see to it that 1
larger proportion of this prize money
gets into the pay envelope and hav.
found only one suggestion.
There is a plank In the platform
which seeks to establish a minimum
or living wage. for women workers ant
l suppose that We may assume tha
the principle is not in the long run
meant to be confined in his applica
ton to women only. Perhaps We are
justified in assuming that the Pro
gressive party looks forward to tn.
general establishment by law of min
imum wage.
1T is very likely, take for granted
| Iudl IL d IIiululuIi wage were SSldb
lished by law the majority of employ
ers would take occasion to bring theil
wage scale as nearly as might be Il
the level of that minimum, and il
would be very awkward for the work
ing man to resist that process success
fully because 1t would be dangerou.
to strike against the authority of the
federal government.
| Moreover, most of his employers
at any rate practically all of the mos
powerful of his employers. would bt
wards and proteges of that very gov
ernment which is the master of III
all, for no part of this program car
be discussed intelligently without re
membering that monopoly, as handled
! by it, is not to be prevented but &C
cepted. 1t is to be accepted and reg
ulated. All attempts to resist il i.
to be given up. 1t is to be accepted
as inevitable. The government is Il
set up a commission whose duty viii
be not to check or defeat it, but mere
ly to regulate it under rules which 4
is itself to train and develope tha
the chief employers will have thii
tremendous authority behind them"