Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-17
Wilson and Labor
Extract from Speech Delivered at Wilkesbarre,
Pa, on Saturday, October IA.

Labor leaders who are shortsghted may at
the moment get from man in public ofhce who
is not actuated by justice more than from man
who is actuated by justice. But the laboring peo-
pie as whole cannot afford to accept such gains.
II unjust legislation is given them for improper
reasons. then unjust legislation against them may
be enacted for improper reasons More than any
other people in the country the wageWorkers
should insist on just and fair action There is
grave reason to believe that in the course Presi-
dent Wilson has followed he did violence to his
own real convictions. Until he became candi-
date for Office he was bitter, ungenerous and
often unjust critic of labor unions. have be.
fore me speeches and letters OF his made and
written in 1905, 1907 and 1909, in which Mr.. Will
son says among other things that labor unions
drag the highest man down to the level of the
lowest" and in speaking of the captastic class.
he says that there is another equally formidable
enemy and it is that class formed by the labor
leaders Of this country" and again Il am fierce
standard OF the employee in our day Is to give as
little as he can for his wages. Labor is standard
lied by trade unions and this is the standard to
which it is made to conform need not point
out how economically disastrous such regulation
Of labor is Our economic supremacy may be lost
because the country grows more and more full OF
Improbable servants" These were the utter
ances Of Mr.. Wilson when he was president OF a
university and had neither fear OF nor desire to
profit by the labor vote. In Mr.. Wilson's His
tory or the American People ne expHcltiy stated
that the Chinese ought not to be excluded from
this country because it is better to have them
here than it is to have the immigrants we now
get from Europe His words were THE Chinese
are more to be desired as workmen than most of
the coarse crew that come crowding in every
where at the eastern ports" Now he turns round
and says sour gates must be kept open to those
whom he thus denomnatedNa coarse crew." Since
he went into politics he has again and again, in
cessantly and continuously, reversed himself on
what he had professed to be his deepest convic-
tions prior to entering politics and in each case
the announced change of conviction agreed with
what at the moment seemed to be his political
interest
i If it is alleged that President Wilson has been
actuated only by principle in connection with the
Adamson law then / ask why he has failed to
apply the same principle to the railway postal
clerks, where he has full power Estimating six
days to the week, these postal clerks, operating
between New York and Pittsburgh, are required
to run EOS miles per day 0or the present ad-
ministration has reduced the number of crews
from six to fve), whereas the present trainmen's
agreement requires only lS5 miles per day, which
is to be reduced still further by the Adamson Jaw.
The only possible explanation Of Mr.. Wilson's
action in one case and inaction in the other is
hat only 400 men are affected in that case where
the government has full control Of the hours Of
labor, whereas 100000 men are supposed to be
affected by the Adamson bill