The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-05-31
TIE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION..

From the political world we learn many lessons of considerable inn portance to the labor movement.
 Although with the great capital ist parties like the Democrats ana the Republicans the workers have little in common, none the less the historic trend of those parties, even in such an isolated section as AL aska, may be considered with con- siderable instructive profit to one self.
 The republicans nominated no candidate so far and will without doubt refrain from doing so. They have good reason for this. Their interests are wrapped up in the in- terests of Big Business and as yet Alaskan voters have not reached that psychological development when they will be prepared to swing directly to the big interests or take the opposite side, the in- terests of those whom the persons in control of Big Business exploit.
 The people of Alaska most ot them hope at one time or another to be independent; and they be, lieve that the enemy of their inde- pendence is Big Business, monopoly. We see how popular politicians find it to war upon greGt corpora tions; how effectively this one or that denounces' the Guggenheim in fiuence; how they love to display their outraged sense over the mono polizing influence of the Fisheries trust and how they appeal to an abiding sense of justice in the com. mon people.
 Penetrating the vast and obscur- ing mass of buncombc that issues forth about election time to conceal the real facts, we observe then the people of Alaska committing them selves to the belief in the theory that competition is the life of trade and consolidation its death. For that reason they oppose any person who wears a corporation garb ana make a popular hero out of him who breaks a lance against mono poly in any form.
 Not all do this. But inasmuch as most of the people of Alaska firmly believe in their future as eco nomically independent as independ- ent miners or independent business men, they are for tho most part also ready to oppose all manner Of corporations.
 The nomination of Charles Sul- ger by the democrats impresses it. self upon the people as proof that the democrats arc not lining up with the corporations. Sulzer is that particular kind of politician who emphasizes his friendship for the plain people and the wealth pro- ducers of the territory. It is even urged in his favor that he has aa- ways been good to organized labor and that he established the first eight hour camp in Alaska; that he supported all the liberal measures for an extension of popular control in the legislature and that he Is imbued with the highest principles of democracy. It is further asserted by his supporters that he wears no corporation collar and will be inde- pendent of any machinations Big Business, the Trusts or the Guggen- helms may practice. t
 All of these things may be true and because they are true, the svot- CTS are asked to support one who will be immune from corporation influence.
 The republican party, economI- cally the franker, makes no nomi- nation because they know that be- ing q so closely linked to what is commonly called the interests, they would stand no chance of election in Alaska. .ese- fetesa
 Knowing the great forces which have used the republican party ill the. past all the rivals of republican candidates have to doeis to indulge in considerable denunciation of. cor poration influence and to intimate or insinuate that the republican candidate wears the corporation collar.