Evening star., 1924-08-22
c. 0. ?. EN[|STSA|D
OF LABOR LEADERS
0'Connor Raps La Toilette as
Drive for Union Vote
Is Started.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN,

Carrying out their general plan of
campaign. the Republicans have begun
to talk common sense" to labor They
have made arrangements to continue
this practice right up to November 4,
when the ballots are cast
T. v. O'Connor. chairman of the
Shipping Board, former president of the
International Longshoremen's Associa-
tion. was the first of Republicans big
labor guns to sound off.
He addressed a gathering of labor
leaders in Chicago this week about the
same time that all plans were COM
peted for the labor department Of The
Republican national committee.
Rail Men Are Enlisted.
In Chicago the labor department
will be in charge of Dan G. Smith,
former general chairman, Rock Island
lines, switchmen's union. and in New
York James p. MacArdle of Wor-
cester, Mass. of the Trainmen's
Brotherhood, will be the director of
operations.
The New York headquarters will
work to the East. also covering New
England. where Senator La Toilette
and Senator Wheeler are planning a
strong appeal to the workmen for
support of the independent Progress
sive ticket. In fact. Senator Wheeler
is TO open the campaign on Boston
Common Labor day.
O'Connor is Veteran.
T. V. O'Connor is veteran of or
ganized labor. He halls from Buffalo,
y. \. He is as strong in defense of
President Coolidge's labor record as
is former Secretary of Labor Wilson
in support of the labor record of John
W. Davis. Moreover. Mr.. O'Connor
does not hesitate to say that labor
generally may find itself sadly left
should some of the policies advocated
by the La Follette-Wheeler ticket
become effective. He is engaged in
the pastime of pumping common
sense into the workers. For example
The labor men who vote should
vote" he said: "and we should vote
for the candidate who, in our judg-
ment. will give US the best results for
labor consistent with the Nations
welfare.
Fighting Brings Progress.
Capital and labor have fought
many battles. Sometimes it was a
victory for labor. sometimes it was
victory for capital, and sometimes
OF these conflicts has been the steady,
upward progress of labor. This prog
ress will not continue if the mines
are closed. the factories shut down,
the machinery not in operation, and
the employers unable to. meet their
obligations. You cannot negotiate
with an employer who is unable to
meet his pay roll, and he will not
have pay roll for you, unless there
is a reasonable certainty of profit for
him. He will take his chances with
you. and with your industrial leaders,
as he has done in the past, but he
will not take chances with a political
group who will diminish the en-
ployers' prospects of getting a profit
or take away the profits of the en-
ployers by excessive unjust taxation.
Wages Is a form of profit-sharing.
and there cannot be a sharing for you
unless there is a profit for the en-
ployer.
Protection by Unions.
There was a time when a union
card meant nothing but hope for the
future and q pledge of determination
Today that same card means protec-
tion for your job and the right to
support yourself and family. Be sure
your vote does not decrease the value
of this union card. BY your vote do
not scare capital out of this country,
or by your vote attempt to discharge
the man who employs you. The en-
ployer can be scared out of business,
and he can be taxed out of existence
by the legislation which Mr.. La Fol-
lette proposes in his political plat
form.
"If your employer Is discharged
for whom are you going to work?
Labor has found from painful ex-
perience that 1t cannot force a man
by law or any other means to open
his place of business and maintain
pay roll. Labor must always do its
own thinking, and when you selected
your labor leaders you gave them
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