Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-28

To the Members of Organized Labor:
.T<HERE appeared in the public
press of last week an article sup
Il posing to come from the pen of
Samuel Gompers, president of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, and concur
red in by James OConnell, vice-presi
dent, and Frank Morrison, secretary
treasurer of the same organization, in
which they advise the members of or
ganized labor to support Mr.. Wilson for
President of the United States, upon
the grounds that Mr.. Wilson is a real
friend of labor.
Being an organized labor man all my
life, and having served as an official of
one of the strongest labor organizations
in the world. both numerically and
financially. (the United Mine Workers
of America) I can not but protest
against the stand taken by Mr. Gompers,
ct al, and I can not for the life of me
understand what Mr.. Gompers means in
using the high office which has been in
trusted him for thirty or more years,
in the interest of any one political
party, something that he has been do
ing ever since I first knew him some
fifteen years ago, and always for the
one and the same party, notwithstand-
ing what any other party or parties
might have done for the wage workers
Of whom he is so solicitous at the
present time.
The great labor movement of this
country Is composed of members of all
political beliefs. Republican Democratic.
Socialist. Independent, Prohibition and
God knows what not-eVerybo to his
liking. You will find all creeds and
nationalities Joined together in the
labor movement for one purpose-the
betterment and advancement of work
ing onditions-without thought of
al ,al; ~
liefs, and for the head of the affiliated
national, international and central
unions to inject into that movement
something which the constitution Of
all well-conducted labor unions forbid,
is beyond my comprehension.
Mr.. Gompers. ct al, in their Offset.
claim that in this campaign there has
been developed clear cut issue be-
tween the workers-the producers-and
those who manipulate the products of
the labor of others-the eXploiters.
That may be true and I believe the
American workman is intelligent
enough to see for himself as to who
has been his friend, and after analyzing
the whole issue / am sure he will not
count Woodrow Wilson, with his man
ager-in chief Vance Mccormick, with
his million per year income, as his
friend.
Let us see where this friend (?) of
labor was prior to his entering the
White House and where he carefully
laid his plans for reelection to the
presidency. Let us take a statement of
Mr.. Wilson before he thought of evok-
ing the labor vote and what do we find
his attitude to be toward organized
labor.
Wilson'S Attitude
The following extract, taken from his
address before the graduating class of
Princeton University n'1909, speaks for
itself, which l herewith embody:
You know what the usual standard
of the employe is in our day 1t is to
give as little as he may for his wages.
Labor is standardized by the trades
unions, and this is the standard to
which 1t is made to conform. No one
is suffered to do more than the aver
age workman can do; In some trades
and handicrafts no one is suffered to
do more than the least skillful of his
fellows can do within the hours allot-