Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-10
.E|CHT-HOUR LAW HELP
TO WILSON'S CAMPAIGN
Fact Is Pointed Out That Labor
Commands About 3.OOO,OOO
Votes.
ANOTHER SIDE TO QUESTION
Many Wealthy Men. II Is Believed,
who Might Have Contributed
iunls to Democratic Party Now
VIII Refuse To DO So.
ANOTHER SIDE TO QUESTION
by A. u. uLM.

NEW otk. september 9.-What cf-
feet will the action Of Congress in
dccrceing an ciGht-hour day for train
men have on the result of the national
election? If the election were to oc-
cur right away. IL would make Presi-
dent Wilson'S rc-ciection certain But
in Novcmbcr?-wcll.m many things can
happen in two months. One Of these
things will be enhanced contributions
To tho Republican campaign chest
For. aside from tho merits Of the strike
question and it's settlement. the prac-
teal effect OF tho stand taken by the
President has been to make votes for
the Democrats and funds for the Re-
publicuns.
Whatever the effect on labor as a
whole the act hurriedly passed BY Con
Cress may have, there is no question
about labor, in this section at least,
hailinE II as an cpochal victory. And
those whose hours arc longest and
pay tho lowest seem to be most over
joycd by the success OF tho trainmcn.
They appear to think it n forcruuncr
of an ctIht-hour day. il need be by
congressional enactment. for all forms
Of labor.
Therefore. there has been general
acclaim from organized labor and one
rs enthusiastic If not so well voiced.
from tho unorsanizcd Most Of the
labor leaders. following the lead Of
Samuel Gompcrs. are coming out OPEN
~ for Wilson and the Democrats and
tho Republicans are having some
trouble chcckmaking dcfcrtions from
that element of their ranks.
TRAINMEN WILL HI
UNANIMOUS ron WILSON
The trainmcn. il is said. VIII he we'll
nigh unanimous for Wilson They
number 100000. and arc mostly voters
But mon who opcrat" trains arc not
good voters: their work keeps u great
many OF them from the polls. The
democrats can count upon getting bal
lots from 50 per cent Of them: the
others will be scattered or fail TO go
t. the polls.
Thus. the direct bench, tina, may
como from the votcs Of the ralroadcrs
viii be small for the 100000 who may
he depended on to annually east ballots
viii b." scattered through all the States
in tho Union. Some will be in. States,
Ike those of tho South. which would
he Democratic regardless of the result
of the threatened strike. and many in
$tatos like Pennsylvania. almost as
safely Republican. no matter what
happened or may happen. Their votes
VIII hc an item we'll worth considering
in tho big close States like New York
and Indiana.
TN, all the trouble incident TO
strengthening out the strike situation
as measure OF practical politics
would have been wasted effort were
the ancr-cncct on the fortunes of
parties reelected solely by those di-
rectly involved. la no event would the
November election he so close as TO
make II possible for the trainmcn 10
decide the issue. The strategical i'm
portancc of tho problem comes from. the
fact that labor as a whole commands
about 5000. 600 votes. by going solidly
one way or the other it could decide
tho result, in any of the half-dozen
states whose choice Will be the next
President OF the United States.
LABOR VOTE OFTEN
DEFEATS CANDIDATES
jus, how much of the potential
labor vote" is actual is one OF those
uncertainties of politics. Politicians
court IT assiduously. 1t often defeats
candidates for Office. but rarely elects
any. Gompers and the Federation OF
Labor supported Bryan in 1908, as the
Republicans are pointing out, but did
not help him apprec!ably. No doubt a
by la Dor questions but just how many
are controlled by those questions alone
is a doubtful problem. In this case
those who go to Wilson on the strike
issue alone will do so out of apprecia-
ton. for Hughcs's record on labor ques-
lions is not a bad one. Some of his
decisions while on the bench. like the
one in the Danbury hatters' case. are
being used against him. He has come
out for arbitration, but has not come
out against the eight-hour day.
However, in the final analysis. the
course OF President Wilson will get
him many votes from the labor world
which lie would not have received had
there been no threatened strike and no
forced settlement in favor of the
workers If that were all there is to
ii, il might be safely predicted that