The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-07-16
SIZE UP OF LABOR VOTE.
AN ANALYST THINKS 1T
PLAYS MINOR ROLE
BALLOT INTHE ELECTION
Placed At Three Million Instead
OF Usual Ten Estimate BY
Politicians

States is put usually by campaign
orators and political managers at
10000. 900. This estimate or what
are usually called. in country IN
which men who do not get hHed pay
work hardest, the wage earners is
like the death Of Mark Twain wneh
falsely reported, most exaggeratea.
1t is based on the notion that me
chanics and artisans, so numerous IN
the large cities. constitute the cnlei
voting element In the whole country.
it is for this reason, perhaps that
campaign speakers from the very
large cities have much more 10 say
about 1.-THE demands Of labor than
have those from the minor cities, the
small towns and the rural districts.
There were 1S,500,000 votes cast IN
the presidential election OF 1915. Tnls
year, with woman suffrage IN mum
Der of the states. and by natural IN
crease In the voting population. the
total is likely to be 100000. How
many Of these voters, men and wo-
men, are labor" voters--memoers OF
unions, connected with labor organ
cations not unions. or affiliated Wild
those who are? ...
Wife Votes With Husband.
The wife or daughter of a mechan-
&c may not De nempeF VI unioa
but her vote Is likely 10 De cast as
Is the vote OF her husband, Iatner OF
brother. If the issue OF the campaign
turns upon questions In which the
whole family Is interested.
II has been figured, heretofore. by
some that one third of the voters or
the United States are employed. when
at work. In some productive Industry
other than farming. one third cult-
rate the soil and the otner lnird are
merchants. bankers, retaiiers, pto-
. feosional men. public ornciais, tescn-
1a54. domssucs. ana nose ensAeea IN
Professional iabor men claim 2
voting membership til aH tepor men
voted together which notor!ougiy
thoy do not) OF 10000, 0oQ -. IotioEs;
Is MeH19fR.
American Federation OF -
Labor :. - s. - !. :. 49,. bsoQQ ,Q42
HsE1t9y Ercff,e<'t =
: UnaffiIiated Unions g; 100
Radical farmers OF I -.
Voters not In unions ..... 100000
Women voters ........... 2.76o,0o0
Total 100000
Analysis Lessons tho Number.
Ten million is a large estimate. It
ID SO large, in fact, that 1t will not
withstand analysis. It would repre-
sent 40 per cent of the whole voting
population of the United States, and
should be cast for single presiden-
tial candidate. his vote would be de-
cisive, and If most of it should align
with either of the great parties. 1t
would be deermining.
There are 3,4o0 locals in the Amer
fcan Federation of Labor, but they
are far from averaging one thousand
members in each union. One third
Jess than that. 2.0n0.00o actual voting
members, If all voted together and
ali voted, would be probably nearer
the correct figure.
There are fewer than 100000 mem
ters Of the railway brotherhoods.
The locomotive engineers who are the
best organized element or brother ::
hood and number only $1,000 and
5000 OF these are IN Canada. The
nremen, swltchmen ana tram crews
are more numerous out not sum
ctently SO to bring up the total 10
100000. A very large number or the
engaged IN clerical. professional or
technical work. Ihey are very hard
workers hut In no sense labor men
These Deductions suggested.
The radical farmers OF the north
west" are not labor voters, and they
advocate economic plans OF better =
ment which are IN direct opposition
to the declared aims OF the profess
sional labor men. A deduction Of
100000 from the total is JUSTIFIED
for them. The voters not In unions
is vague and seems to apply to those
electors who though not workers"
are insympathy with them. The
number given may not be excessive
but actual labor men" who are not
In sympathy, and do not participate
with labor voters in national cleo :.
ton are, at least, as large. This
would entirely Offset the 100000 mot
in unions"
There Is no allowance made by the
labor men for members Of labor or
ganizations who are not citizens or
whose naturalization Is not complet
ed. There Is no allowance for voters
who do not, for one cause, or anoth-