Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-24
10000 POWDER wORKMEN
FOR HUGHES, SAYS LEADER
Du Pont Men Against Wilson for Tax,
Declares New Jersey Man


NEW YORK, Oct. 24-The Times today
prints the following special dispatch from
its correspondent at Haskell, N. j.:
There are 10000 voters engaged in pow
der making In New Jersey who will vote
almost soldly for Hughes, according to
James Lynch. manager Of the du Pont
factory here, who is directing the Hughes
campaign among the $500 employees under
him.
To indicate how solidly the powder
makers are behind the Republican candi-
date Mr.. Lynch said that OF the 5000 voters
in the Haskell factory, only seventy-five
had voted in the Democratic primary That
proportion, Mr.. Lynch believed, had been
cut down considerably BY the Hughes cam
palgn now being conducted vigorously by
the du Pont officials among their employees.
THE employees of this factory are per-
fectly free to be for President Wilson. II
they want to-" said Mr.. Lynch. None of
them will be punished for being Democrats,
II they want to be. As a matter of fact, a
few OF them are Democrats now and have
not been disturbed. When the meeting was
called at the clubhouse last Tuesday an
nounced that the purpose wac to launch the
Hughes campaign, and about fifteen en-
ployes expressed their disapproval by leav-
ing the room. We have nothing against
them on that account.
I'VE have got into the campaign this
tlmep principally because tne urm has been
hard hit and many of us have been hit per-
sonally by the retroactive tax which the
Wilson Administration has placed on the
munition business. For the last eleven
years the du Pont Company has made
practice Of giving bonus stock to its em-
ployes for exceptional service and for val
liable suggestions At present about twen-
ty-nine per cent of the stock is held by em-
ployes Of the company. In 1915 there were
ll22 employees, large proportion Of them
laborers, holding bonus stock, and that num-
ber has been considerably increased since
Before the great expansion of the du Pont
factories following the war about one en-
ploye in six held bonus stock. and every
man had then and still has a chance to
earn H.
These men are hit in the pocketbook
by anything that Injuries the company
Consequently there is no necessity for using
pressure to get a strong Hughes movement
started in this factory, and have reason
TO believe that the same is true of all the
other du Pont factories in this State in
Delaware and in New York, which employ
a total Of 10000 men. The total OF en-
ployes has jumped since the war from 5000
to 10000 and the $4,000 new employees
who are well paid and have good Jobs, know
that their interests are the same as those
OF the company,
"Furthermore, this Hughes movement IN
a movement of the du Pont employees. and
has not been fostered or encouraged by the
directors Of the company. some of whom are
Wilson men. Statements that we have
threatened to take away the jobs Of Wilson
supporters or refused TO permit employees 70
wear Wilson buttons are totally false -
There are two other economic arguments
which are circulated among du Pont EN-.
ployes reasons why they should vote for
Hughes, although officials OF the plant deny
personally using such appeais The first Is
| N ha At4
ployes win lose the twenty per cent war
bonus which was added TO all salaries
shortly after the war. The second is that
II Hughes is elected all OF the 81 900 new
employees will be retained after the war
TO work on Infant industries which will
be substituted for powder-makng, wherea :
they viii all be out Of Jobs II Wilson Is elect
ed for the reason that these Industries
could not. II is said, be reared under Dem.
ocratc tariff.