The Connecticut labor press., 1920-06-12
LABOR UNDECIDED AS TO CANDIDATE
 FOR PRESIDENCY
Huge Slush Fund and Like Practices Hold Off
 Direct Action.

Washington, June 4-Who is to be labor's candidate for the Presidency? This is question that has been asked many times of late. And no one has yet furnished the answer. Under his non-partisan political plan of campaign the American Federation of Labor has thus far been able to avoid responsibility for endorsing any machine slate. Its advice to the rank and file has been tWo-fo1d: to go into the primaries and force both big par ties to put friends of labor on the ticket for local or national office, and to cast their votes in the general cleo tions for the defeat of the worst can didate regardless of his political 1ean- ings
 But this plan of campaign, wise as 1t seems concerning local candidates, fails to affect the presidency, because the president is not elected directly by the people, And labor thus far has been uninstructed as to its votes for presidential electors EE
 Gompers Makes Statement
 Two of labor's spokesmen, however, have had something to say regarding the presidency. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, in recen, speech in Cleve- land alluded to the situation in these words:
 Let me say this to you, my friends, that in my judgment there have not been very many men in the spotlight these past few weeks who measure tip at all to the requirements of a presi- dential candidate"
 Matthew Woll, a vice-president of the Federation, and president of the Photo Engravers Union, said editor tally in the official journal of his union:
 Tt has been freely stated that the late Mark Hanna secured and spent fund of $160OO,OOO to elect William Mckinley to the Presidency of the United States. It is freely predicted by political seers of today that an equal, if not much larger sum of money will be spent by the Republican managers in the campaign to elect the next President. If the great sums spent for the past two months in pre-con- yentlon campaigns serve as a criterion, we will then witness Niagara of money used for corrupt political pur- poses that will stagger the human mind and cause every true American to blush with shame. = :"
 Wolrs plain language, coupled with the implied meaning of President Com pers' Cleveland speech, makes it pretty plain that the presidential timber has yet to be found that will get any solid support from Labor
 Johnson Liked on Coast
 Hiram Johnson is perhaps the candi- date with the most labor friends. He is liked on the Pacific coast-so well liked that many unions, as for instance the building trades, teamsters and longshoremen of California, have al- ready endorsed him unqualifedly. Johnson Is known as progressive; in his home state he has been friendly to labor, and in the United State Senate he has not supported any of the vicious anti-strike legislation proposed by men like Cummins and Esch. He is said to be weak on international relations, but 1t Is said to his credit that he opposes intervention in Mexico.
 The Socialists and their friends in the outlawed radical unions will of course vote for Eugene " Debs, who IS also likely to be the man most fa- vored by the various Labor Parties in existence in many sections of the coun- try, and by liberals of the type of men enrolled in the Committee of AS and Non-Partisan Political Leagues of North Dakota and Minnesota. These factions are taking the lead in estab- fishing third political party, directly in conflict with the aims of the organ ized labor movement, which is opposed to forming third party.