Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-25
FEDERATION LEADER ATTEMPTS
TO THROW UNIONS INTO PAR
TlsAN POLITICAL RANKS.
EFFORT GIVES PROMISE OF
REACHING AGAINST WILSON
Gompers Denied Similar Attempt For
Bryan When Custer Proceedings
Were ,Threatened-ProhabIe He Will
Face Similar Revolt-Can't Line Up
/, All Organizations.

Washington, Oct. 25.--The action o!
Samuel Gompers. president Of th'
| American Federation of Labor, in at
| tempting to deliver tc the democratic
| party the entire labor vote of the
| country as announced today, is one o.
| the three big coups which President
Wilson intended to pull off before the
| election.
The other two were the settlement OF
| the Lusitania case with Germany anc
| an agreement with the Mexican dc
| facto government by which the troops
| would be Withdrawn from Mexico. The
settlement of the Lusitania case as one
Of the presidents big coups has gone
glimm ering because of the fact tha'
Secretary of State Robert Lansing Is
firmly opposed to mixing foreign al
fairs in internal politics.
Hope For Mexican Solution.
It remains to be seen whether the
president can pull off Mexican agree
ment so that he can get before the
people and assert that he has adjusted
the Mexican situation to the entire
ton as this is expected hourly unless
Mr.. Lansing should again voice the OPP
position that he did in the Lusitania
case
Democrats and republicans alike to-
day were amazed at the audaclty OF
the scheme by which Gompers hopes
to throw the whole labor vote of the
United States TO the president, Never
before in the history of the United
States has there been an effort made
openly to deliver the vote of organized
labor to any one party. Leading labor
union!sts for years have fought
against the mixing of labor affairs in
partisan politics declaring that if the
downfall of the labor cause is ever ac-
complished, that il would be such tao
tics that would do It,
Gompers Changes Front.
President Gompers has been assert
ing right along, ever since he was
charged by Senator L. Y, Sherman
with attempting to deliver the trade
unionists to President Wilson, that he
was not making such an effort. The
manifesto published by the newspa-
pers and officially announced as COM
ing from the federation headquarters.
however, was sufficient indication to
all observers here today that Gompers
is trying to deliver the labor votes to
his political master,
In 1905, President Gompers and 9TH
ers were accused Of attempting similar
tactics against President Taft and in
favor of Bryan and Kern, but the
charge was denied at that time. even
tho it was pretty well understood that
some SORT OF agreement existed be-
tween Bryan and Gompers.
The publication of the story at that
time, however, led to almost an open
revolt in the ranks of organized labor.
For time II was feared that Gompers
might be ousted as n result of the
charges made against him, but with
the defeat of the candidate supported
by Gompers the matter blew over.
Now. however. il is declared In high
labor circles, Gompers will face sim
liar revolt which he cannot escape by
she plea that ne is not attempting to
deliver the labor votes to certain
candidate. The news of Gompers' ac-
ton had hardly been twelve hours old
before prominent labor men, some OF
them connected with the federation Of
Tabor and others who are officers of
organizations affiliated with the fed
GRAFTON, began TO denounce his action
as infamous.
Against Gompers.
There is at least one constituent
member of the federation, the National
Association Of Postoffice Clerks, which
has been consistently fighting the adj
ministration because of the long hours
and poor working conditions which
have been forced on the members of
the union by the administration.
It was also freely predicted today
that Gompers' action will react on the
democratic party. Thousands of labor
men, 1t was said, resent the attempt to
bind them hand and foot in the exer-
else Of their privilege of the ballot
guaranteed them by the constitution,
and will vote against the candidate
favored by Gonners as mans Of
nlanifesting their displeasure at his
assumed dictatorship.
There are thousands Of workingmen
in the United States who do not I'M
dsrstand the attitude OF the federation
leaders in supporting Wilson in the
face nf such statements as he made
before he became governor Of New
Jersey. On the other hand. pointing
to the record OF friendship for the la
Dor cause that has been made by
Charles E. Hughes, they cannot under
stand why. il the advancement of the
cause Of labor is sought, that the fed
Grafton leaders had not rather choose
a proved friend Of labor than a man
fpy1d ch IN nr lob fy ~,
political exigencies.