Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-18
SILzER URGED TO NAME
QUINN TO LABOR BERTH
Continued from Page u

1T is easy, too easy, to talk on the
platform about helping labor" con-
tinued Mr.. Silzer. II recall when l
was in the senate, where I was al
ways sympathetic with labor, there
Was presented to me a list of names
at $25 apiece to go on a list called
friends of labor and when l read
the list l saw on it the names OF
many fake friends of labor and re-
fused to put my name on it. II
depends upon how a man treats la
Dor, what his attitude has been in
the past, since he was a boy and
all through his life, whether he is
really a friend"
In opening the hearing Mr.. Hilfers
said the state department of labor
had been created for labor and 6
man of labor should be placed al
its head. All the laws placed on the
statute books relating to it were for
the benefit of labor and the head
of the department is bound to en-
force them, the chairman of the
delegation pointed out. Twenty
years ago the state federation of la
Dor convention, held in this state
louise, forced the creation of this
department and the late General
Dryant was named by Governor
Murphy. Now you are to pick his
successor and organized labor has
but one man to suggest"
Mr.. Silzer interrupted to say that
he had received letters suggesting
other men. THAT is so, but only
one man has been endorsed by or
ganized labor continued Mr.. Hill
fers. I'VE are not divided. Arthur
A. Quinn has been president of the
State Federation of Labor for ter
years. He is from your county. II
will be hard to find a better maj
than the late General Bryant
i've realized that already" broke
In the Governor.
Secretary Hilfers said he under
| stood Samuel Gompers, president Of
the American Federation of Labor
had sent a telegram endorsing
Quinn. The governor said other
candidates from labor's ranks Were
claiming that the building trades
were not so much interested in the
benefits of the department of labor
as the factory trades. This was
| disputed by Mr.. Hilfers. He ther
introduced as the first speaker, Will
liam Umstadter, of Newark, VICE
president of the State Federation o.
| Labor, and a member of the brew
cry and soft drink workers union
He pointed out that labor was solid
ly united back of Quinn. The speak
ers before the governor made a poin
of the fact that probably for the frs
time the organized labor force!
we're solidly behind one man in en-
dorsing Quinn.
Charles Jennings, Hudson labor
leader. was the next speaker. He Is
a member of the teamsters organiZa-
ton. He said there is another la
Dor candidate from Hudson county,
but he has no backing. The nane
was not mentioned. Jennings talk
ed about the selection of "neutrals"
for the Office and said hat many
times this kind prove to be anything
but neutral.
II don't propose to name thai
kind of a man. the governor said,
The same speaker said that GER
tain so-called "b~olsheviks" among
the manufacturers opposed Quinn
and they also were against the gov
ernor in the last political campaign
MANY of them told me Silze1
hadn't a chance. but 1 told them TO
wait and see what we would do,
said Jennings. who referred to a
huge mass meeting n night OF
Hudson labor people in the interest
of tho Democratic ticket which last
ed until early in the mex morning.
Governor Silzer smilingly nodded
his head to these references I'd
said he had recently talked with
Samuel Gompers about the latter's
speech on this occasion n how the
national president of the American
Federation of Labor had greeted
the audience with the words go ID
morning"
The employers want Quinn, went
on Mr.. Jennings in his argument
None of them have sent me any
letters" the governor replied. They
have not been asked to was the re-
ply of the speaker. There are 5O,-
600 organized workers in the Hudson
County Labor union the governor
| was told. But last winter he was
reminded they did not send a letter