The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-19
LABOR NOTES OF
VIDE INTEREST

The pernicious practice OF corrupting
voters NJ our public elections has grown
To alarming proportions in Vermont, The
I startling assertion Is made by those who
know whereof they speak that In at
/ least some of the political divisions of
our statC.the number OF purchasable
votes is sufficient TO hold the balance of
! power in any election. The evil is not
OF recent origin or spasdomic in nature.
Election debauchery has been devel-
: oped into a science by the past masters
in political slcight of hand. In every
large center of population there are
wards, blocks and divisions, SO honey
combed with election crooks that respec
table citizens who hold differences OF
opinion on public questions are in de.
spair when election day comes around,
because they know that the issue at
stake will not be decided upon its merits,
by an honest vote, but depends for deci
sion on the party, clique or faction that
has the biggest bunch OF doodle"
The political boss. from study and
analysis, knows rs we'll as anybody that
the great mass of citizens are honest and
cultivate their political convictions from
q conscientious standpoint. Upon this
hypothesis he proceeds to bccloud the sit
uation and appeals 10 party loyalty, and
IN every conceivable manner known to
art of cunning, he magnifies the imagi !
nary dangers that are supposed to over
take us in the event of success by the
opposition In this way zeal is main |
tanned. Thus the gang once in control,
financed as they are by oilee-holders. T
Office seekers and the yellow dog fund /
of special privilege corporations. they (
control elections by outright purchase of
the political "iloater"
In the light of these facts, it is high
time that organized labor make a state
wide campaign for the enactment of
proper and enforceable laws to punish
By imprisonment and perpetual disfran-
chisement of vote buyers and vote sell
ers. AS none are more yitally affected
by crooked elections than the workers,
this subject is commended to the careful
thought Of the masses
There is an independence in organiza
ton that cannot come to wage-earners
IN any other way. The non-union wage
Garner has no power to modify in any
way or change his condition or wages
If employment He is absolutely depvn-
lent upon the employer and he must
meet competition singlehanded and
lone Tie can work for what the EN-
,loyer says he can work for, or he can |
tarye. He may change employers or
eek new employment, but he will find .
he same condition staring him in the
ace wherever he goes The employing
corporation will not ask him what be {
viii work for or what hours he will (
york. Regulations are fixed, If non y
nion wholly by the management, and G
e will work according to these regula- i
ions or not at all, Under no circum r
tances under non union conditions will G
c get what will come to him through Ii
rganzaton. (
There are fifteen trade union men in t,
ne present Congress- and they have done il
splendid work 0ne thing to the credit il
Speaker Clark is that in appointing v
he gave the labor men eX- p
'llent representation, and on such com Il
ittees as their experience in labor mat. u
rs best fitted them for. This dele "
ition Of fifteen ought to be doubled in W
re next Congress We are still miles di
hind Great Britain, Germany or Aus nj
ALA in the presentation OF the work ht
z masses in the national law making I'll
,dy. NJ
% tn
Andy Carnegie boastfully says that it
has in his time made from forty to in
rty-three millionaires. He ought to 60
proud of some of them Corey for re
stance But isn't Andy bit hoggish 10
ny doesn't he give some credit for the tie
aking Of this batch OF putocrats to ca
r benefcent protective tariff and an
her share to the poor toilers whose
es are sweated out in the steel mills
lex another library there.
% -
The political situation in Belfast, Ire
Id, the worlds greatest linen center