United labor bulletin., 1914-08-22
President McLennan's Report

their united political action, are able
to control the machinery of government
and use it against us whenever they see
fit. This in itself ought to convince us
that if we expect to make progress we
must vote-as We struggle-and strike
together; that if economic unity is nee
essary then so is political unity.
Tho only reason we fail to get honest
officials in office, men who will not for
get their oath and proceed to serve the
interests soon as they are elected,
is because we are divided politically into
as many hostile camps as there are po-
litical parties.
It is patent to all that the workers,
standing together at the ballot box,
could sweep the political boards and
close their hands on all the offices. The
regular political parties would dwindle
into insignificance should labor support
their candidates 'as earnestly and as
faithfully as they do those other things
which have brought the unions to their
present high place as the mightiest
power in the economic and industrial
field.
The coming political campaign is one
that is fraught with much significance
to the trades unionists of Colorado. be-
cause it is well known that certain
predatory corporate interests of this
state are going to bend every effort and
use all the power they possess to elect
to office men, who, if elected, will use
the power invested in them to prevent
the progress of organized labor.
The'next election will be non partisan,
so far as the ballots are concerned.
Names of candidates will be placed on
the ballot, irrespective of party affilia-
tion. Because OF this competition there
will be keener interest and more can
didates will aspire for office, but you
can rest assured that, no matter how
many candidates there may be for any
office. the big interests that are max
/ ing an effort TO control the machinery
of government are going to be solidly
| lined up for one particular candidate.
\ special effort will no doubt be made
to control the Legislature and a number
of people will be encouraged to file who
are more or less acceptable to the people
and who personally are honest and stand
for the rights Of the people.
But the result desired is division Of
the votes so that the single candidate,
agreed on by the interests, can be
elected.
There is no reason why labor should
~
commoD=sense be used. We have Just
a. much and more brains in our ranks
a. the politicians. We should pit wit
against wit, take advantage OF every
move, study the conditions. estimate our
T exact strength and then profit by our
calculations.
II is our duty as trade unionists to do
everything in our power for the pro-
E lection of human rights and in the in
tcrests of good government. Those two
things viii always be the result of our
I political efforts because the foundation
stones OF organized labor are laid in the
cement of good government.
Congressional Committee
when the coal strike was first called
in the southern Colorado field. effort.
We're Immediately aimed toward obtain
ing congressional inquiry that would
go thoroughly into every phase of the
evil conditions existent. This was be-
cause organized labor knew what those
conditions were and 1t wanted all the
Y world to know through probe by
I Congress.
The thing dragged for time. and
often deep discouragcment was felt. but
T the work was kept up. and, as with
most things organized labor starts GU,
/ to accomplish, success came at last
The congressional committee came
+ The members had been carefully Sc
lected. They We're able, intelligent men
I They entered the field with unbiased
unpreiudieed. open minds They Were
willing to hear. They departed with
minds made up. labor had written its
mightiest triumph. From things that the
committeeman said. from questions they
"A .kad of uitn.ss.. and from, .ba,.
let drop. il was easy to see they under.
stood the real cause of the struggle. And
labor's cause was ably presented at the
hearings. Ii is still cause for fclicita.
ton with us that never was n case put
forward in better wcightier or more
convincing style than was the coal
miners side laid before the inves.
tigators.
Those investigators were convinced
that peonace existed.
They were certain the company stort
was most pernicious and burglarious.
They found that ambitious men Were
eoerced, abused. intimidated.
They discovered that even the postal
laws had been violated by the com.
panies. some of whom ran money order
departments in the stores in direct on
position to the government.
They found the commoncst laws oi
the state. providing safety for the men
were not enforced
They were shown that in value the
mine man was placed lower than the
mine mule by the operators.
They returned to Washington filled
with new knowledge. and it is safe to
say that because of this genuine and
healthy departure from the ordinary
strike methods, organized labor has to.
4
Congress ard Washington than she ever
had before. The record is something OF