The Connecticut labor press., 1920-10-16
TIONARIES
LETTING WITH
POLITICAL BUMPS
Candidates Who We're Strong in
Opposition to Labor Legis-
lation Reaping the Result.
WORKERS ARE WORKING
Claimed that Senator Cummins
Will Run 10000 Behind
Head of His Ticket.

The reactionaries are not having
things entirely their own way. Here
and there throughout the nation fbe
workers and other liberals are on guard
ana they are seeing to it that some
faithful servants of Big Business are
6elng put where they cannot possibly
do any harm to the public.
Senator Irvine L. Lenroot who s,,n-
ported the Esch-Cummins TRANSPORTS
ton bill, came through by small ma
lorlty at the recent primary election in
Wisconsin, because the opposition was
divided. But Mr.. Lenroot is in for an
other hard fight, with his chance of
winning, greatly diminished.
James Thompson, who was runner
up IN the general primary has an
nounced himself as an independent can
dFdate III opposition to Lenroot, and he
mas the backing of Senator LaFollette
and his supporters. The democrats
have named DIR. Paul s. ReinscI, form
er minister to China, and the socialists
have named Frank ]. Weber, an or
gamer Tor the Wisconsin State Fed
Grafton of Labor. All of these men are
after Lenroot, and it is predicted that
one of them will get him.
Senator Cummins has sent an S. o. s.
to republican national headquarters and
Senator Harding has been sent into
that state to help him out of his diff
culties.
1t is admitted by republicans that
Senator >Cummins will rln $4,000 behind
the head of the ticket, and this makes
dangerous situation for this advocate
of privilege.
Surveys made of Iowa recently have
satisfied observers that railroad work
ers are unitedly opposed to Cumn1ins
and that they are getting generous sup
port from farmers. The latter are now
compelled to pay higher freight rates
Just at time when they are getting
lower prices for their crops. The
transportation bill that was sponsored
by Cummins and Esch is taking money
out of both pockets of producers. They
are paying more for what they consume
and getting less for what they produce.
Cummins got through by small mar
gin at the primary and he is facing a
better organized and more determined
opposition. His defeat is one of the
probabilities of the November house
cleaning
Labor forces are getting In shape to
make a whirlwind finish. Spurred on
to renewed efforts by many brilliant
victories in all sections of the country,
they realize, more clearly than before,
er IT they are properly directed. The
primaries eliminated several scores of
privilege and those who escaped
the first assault are trembling in appre-
hension of what may befa1l them In
November
1t may be true that the country is not
completely organized, but organizations
have been perfected in majority of
the states that can and will deliver the
proper result.
In the middle and far west it is adj
mitted that the electorate is tremend-
ously aroused and that those who are
not known to be favorably disposed
toward the masses will have some hard
shedding during the next three or four
weeks. The experiences of Senator
Curnmins and Senator Lenroot are
typical of hundreds of senator's and con-
gressmen who are making the same
kind of defensive fight against similar
odds.
1t is admitted by politicians that party
lines never were SO loose. The nom
partisan program that seeks to reward
friends and punish enemies has been
justified in not less than 20 states, and
initial successes are the finest incentive
for continued effort along that line.
The closing weeks of the campaign
will witness gathering up OF divergent
elements and an an1algamation of
strength that will be thrown against
enemies of the people. Those who voted
for the transportation bill are marked
for slaughter, because it is not gener-
ally recognized that this act is so de-
structive that it must undermine the
prosperity of the nation and bring great
loss and suffering to the people. 1t was
the most wanton betrayal of the people
in years, and the unorganized public is
now realizing what organized producers
long knew, that the railroad bill was
privileges first great assault upon the
public and will be followed, if reaction
wins, by still greater excesses at the
expense of producers.
Advocates of the old order and those
who are apprehensive of everything that
savors of chance do not relish the OUT
look, and their misgivings are not with
out reason Unless labor weakens, and
there is no prospect of it now, reaction
is about to get rebuke that it will
long remember And then we will be
fairly well along the highway that leads
to better political, social and economic
conditions. The new wine of human
aspiration is working and cannot be
confined TO the old barrels that privil-
ege has prepared for it.