The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-10-05
BULL MOOSE HYPOCRISY
BY Richard Jones.

1
love the working men!
| In oil his blatant buster he has in
sisted that he alone is their friend.
| Yet it must be conceded that
Theodore Roosevelt has a. strangle-
hold on the affections of thousands of
people. We are forced to admit this
even though we know that real revo-
lutionary Socialists will have mono Of
his stripe. Many surface thinkers
among the working class may be de-
luded into following his leadership.
| In the heat Of a political. campaign
many things are likely to happen
over night. Roosevelt is a popular
idol. Union men, especially, should
pause and ponder a while before CIV
Ing ear to his pleadings; they should
hesitate to be carried away on tenn
porary wave Of political paranoia.
by their works We shall know
them, Is as true now as it was in the
| days Of the Hebrew prophet and
| brief examination Of some of the
deeds Of Theodore Roosevelt during
his occupancy of the presidential
chair must convince the veriest OBJ
| server Of times and men that the
| Chief Bull Moose Is not and cannot
be regarded as a friend of labor.
Article One of the Constitution of
| the United States recognizes the
| right of the people peacably to as
semble, and to petition the govern
| ment for a redress Of their griev-
| ances." Yet Theodore Roosevelt
| when he was president, on January
rs, 1906, issued the famous gag"
| order forbidding government en-
ployes to voice their grievances in
any way except through the heads Of
their departments
With one wide swath of his mighty
pen he seeks to render meaningless
| that portion Of Article One of the
constitution quoted above.
Can there be a clearer case Of des-
pot;sm than this? No true union man
! who bears the scar Of battle, who is
| jealous Of the rights acquired after
years of sacrifice and agitation, can
we'll afford to ignore this tyrannical
ed1ct Of one who has shown himself
| to be the arch enemy Of organized
| labor, Of freedom of assembly.
TO those who are at all acquainted
| with the experience Of petitionins
the heads of departments for redress,
this concession" on the part Of the
| ex-president will seem like q huge
joke.
Again what does the intelligent
| yells tor social JUSTICE and the
square deaP' when that same man,
while holding the highest office in
the land. labeled as undesirable citi-
zens' three men on trial for their
lives, and while a jury was being Sc
lected? Come now what do you
think of that?
While he rips and rants and roafD
| against the abuses of child labor, .ell
| us, what did he ever do while he was
president towards blotting out the
evils of that system? Quick now,
what did he do?
What do you think of Theodore
| Roosevelt as a candidate for a third
| term, pleading Justify for your sup
port, who is unalterably opposed to
the closed shop?
| These are only few Of the peril
| nent questions that might be urged.
Pause and reflect. Do you believe
| the system Of wage-slavery should
be continued? OF course you don't,
You hope to see the dawn of the day
| when it shall be no more.
Then consider this from the pre-
! amble Of the Progressive party plat
form:
| I'VE believe that only this form Of
wise industrial evolution will prevent
industrial revolution" which, being
interpreted, means that the Chief Bull
Moose. and his allies stand for the
same old system Of labor exploita-
ton.
| But what's the use Of argument.
he will not be elected anyway. Still
many of the workers will be cajoled
| into following this blind leader of the
blind.
How long, o Lord, how long, will
the intelligent worker chase the will
o the wisp in politics? One would
think that by this time he would
know with whom he should cast his
| lot.
! Whenever and wherever the Social
lists have been in power they have
stood by the class they represent.
In Germany across the sea, in Mil
Waukee, Schenectady, Butte and
Berkeley in this country, the story ia
eloquently told, not to mention
l
many Of the smaller cities where thew
have been tried and not found want
Ing.
The Socialist party has become one
of power and of tremendous fighting
qualities. Workers are no longer
making personal sacrifice when they
Join our ranks. With a. voting
strength Of nearly million we can
not longer be ignored politically.
The reign Of capitalism Is drawing
to a close and the cooperative state.
in which the machinery of industry
will be owned and operated for the
benefit Of the men and women who
do the worlds work, when exploita-
ton will cease, when, as Lincoln put
1t, this country with its institutions
shall be long to the people who in
habit it'-that day is beginning to
dawn.
HE that is not with us is against
U.S."
! Worker, where are you going to
stand?