The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-11-03
SOCIALIST VIEW OF
Mr.. WILSON'S CLAIM
GALL SAYS HE WAS FOR ADAM
son LAW FOR FEAR OF
ri STRIKE.

the falsity of the Democratic claim
. TO be the friend OF labor. This state
ment shows that President Wilson
who applied the term economically
disasterous" to the regulation by
trades unions OF the amount that
should constitute days work, and
who said that the labor organiza-
tons and leaders Of this country were
as formidable an enemy to equality
and freedom of opportunity as the
capitalist class--is not friend of
labor, but only has simply happened
TO be president at the time when the
demand for social and industrial JUS
tice reached its height.
The editorial follows:
Woodrow Wilson is playing him
self up in this campaign as the friend
of labor. Woodrow Wilson is laying
claim to having a progressive mind.
~ is trying to make the voters be-
1ieve that he IL headed for somewhere
and knows how to get there.
There is something about the leg
kative record of the Democratic adj
ministration that makes Woodrow
Wilson appear to have a progressive
mind. And that is where the decep-
ton of the people comes in.
There are thousands who will not
analyze deeply enough to determine
whether Woodrow Wilson really has
a progressive mind. or whether he
merely appears to have one. Yet
that is just what every voter ought
To undertake to find out.
Let us do a little Analysing now.
Let us take the principal points in
the Wilson record and see what they
look like
During the Wilson administration
we got Eight-Hour law for railroad
men. We got the Federal Child
Labor law. We got the Seamen's
law. Those are the high lights in
the Wilson record that look good"
to those who do not go deeply into
things.
Now, let us see in very dispas-
sionate way how much credit Wood
row Wilson deserves for these laws.
THE Eighi-IIour law for railroad
men was not something devised by
Woodrow Wilson and advocated by
him or his party as great humani-
tartan measure. II was not some
thing for which Woodrow Wilson
fought and suffered. 1t was not a
part of his program
Nobody knew that Woodrow Will
son favored an eight-hour law for
railroad men until 100000 railroad
men declared that, unless they got
an eight-hour day. there would be a
strike that would paralyze the ma
tons commerce.
I'm the startling presence of over
whelming might Woodrow Wilson
was converted to the eight-hOur-day
idea, and in the awe-inspiring pres
Vince of this same lnaghty mass of
men Congress passed the Adamson
bill.
There cannot be much credit Civ
en- to Mr.. Wilson for the Eisht-IIour
law.
The Federal Child Labor law
came after years of patient agitation.
Men and women had clamored for
such law year in and year out. dis
playing heroism and determination
that were inspiring and beautiful in
the face of cold and calcul1tirg
capitalist legislative system.
Through years of persistent as-
itation the demand grew to proper
tions that could not be ignored. So.
now we have a child labor law that
lis said to mean freedom for $4,000
child slaves. though il leaves still
some millions enchanted under bru-
tai and savage state laws, against
which Woodrow Wilson has directed
no attack and no attention.
Woodrow Wilson cannot claim
much credit for law brought into
being after years of struggle by an
awakening people-ane get away
with Il.
The Scaman's law, a really mag
nificent piece of legislation, came TO
us after a struggle keener than that
which brought the Child Labor law.
The man who can claim credit for
that law, in the face of the twenty
years struggle OF Andrew Furuseth
for that law, is bold and brazen, IN
deed. II any one man wrote the Sea
mems law into the American statute
book, then that man was Andrew
Furuseth. If any one class put thar
law on the books, then that class
was the working class. Ii is not 20
the credit Of Woodrow Wilson that
he happened TO be President when
that law Yves enacted. II rs, rather
to the eternal disgrace of those who