The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-10
PRESS ON LABOR POLITICS

af4 x MESS ON LAbOh FOLA1lCS
 Although the leaders of the American Federation of Labor in convention at Atlantic City last week endorsed the can didacy of Messrs. LaFollette and Wheeler, there appears to be sharp divi- sion of political opinion even among labor leaders. President Lee of the Or der of Railway Trainmen scoffs at the idea of the leaders being able to deliver the labor vote as they please. The im- pression is gaining ground that there is political purpose back of this apparent concern for labor's welfare. That pur- pose is held by some to be socialistic, using the LaFollette campaign as a bridge to eventual political preferment for the leaders of labor themselves, if the policy of standardization of industry makes headway. Certainly the endorse nient of Mir. LaFollette cannot be regard ed as the product of the highest and most disinterested intelligence.
 After expressing disbelief in the abil. ity of the leaders to dictate to the voters, the Memphis Commercial-Ap declares: Above and beyond their indi- vidual beliefs is the fact that large percentage of the membership of union organizations will not waste their votes by casting them for candidates that have no chance in the world to win. Any num- Der of Democratic workingmen will fig ure that their vote for LaFollette would amount in effect to a vote for Coolidge and Republican workers will look at a vote for LaFollette as a vote for Davis. Realizing that the next president will be either Coolidge or Davis, they will want to see the one of that two elected who will be the more inclined to be fair and k. 1aha io hat confidence to remark that the Commer- cial-Appeal would advise vote for Davis.
 The Louisville Courier-Journal quotes the Journal of Labor of that city as say ing: Labor has always pointed with pride to it's record for progress and for fair dealing.- Labor must be fair if it expects to hold the respect of the pub lie. The charge is made that John W. Davis is the candidate of corporations because he has represented some Wall Street interests as their attorney. Does man surrender his ideals and his prin- ciples when he accepts employment from corporations or men of great financial dealings? John W. Davis is no more Controlled by Wall Street than are the two million railroad employees who are paid by corporations financed and controlled by Wall Street. If these railroad en- ployes can hold their ideals and their principles and yet work for and receive pay from the gigantic railroad corpora tions. so can John w. Davis" Such lan- gnage is strong mental tonic for all read CTS. whether they are union members or not. It also indicates that division in the rank and file of labor above hinted at.
 Further proof that labor is not unani- nous in lending itself blindly to blind leadership in politics is the position of MT. Lee of the Trainmen, whose view is thus given by the Washington Star: "All that the officials of the trainmen's broth erhood will attempt to do, according to MT. Lee, is to lay before their member ship the records of candidates, along with party platform declarations, and then they will expect the trainmen to form their own conclusions and vote as intelligent, independent citizens. That is Americanism in it's very best sense. It is the kind of politics that has made this the greatest of all self-governing peoples and the kind we must continue to have if the republic is to remain securely an chored to the foundations upon which it was erected" The Star further finds that this brotherhood has pronounced MT LaFollette's labor attitude one hundred per cent But the same decision is pro- nounced by the same brotherhood as to the labor attitude of MT. Davis; while Mr. Coolidge's record is pronounced as @entirely satisfactory" In other words, the members of the brotherhood are ex- pected to use their good sense in voting just the same as all other American citizens.
 While the Baltimore Sun does not be- Heye that many labor votes will be influ- enced by the Atlantic City proclamation yet '.there is, however, an underlying slRnificance in the executive councils action which it would be folly to over look. In their decision this year they have been less their own masters than at the outset of any previous campaign The Sun believes that there has been 8 pressure within the unions which caused Gompers and his associates to fear fol their own tenure of power if they had failed to endorse LaFollette. After sum ming up many of the leading policies, ad vocated alike by LaFollette and organ ized labor, as unwise and obnoxious tc the true sentiment of the American peo, pie, the Springfield Republican, con. efudes: "The Federation of Labor and Mr. LaFollette may travel on that road but the farther they go the fewer Will be the people to follow them"
 peprecating the tendency of the La Toilette movement to emphasize and de velop class division, the Kansas City Times concludes: "There is no anti-labol party in America; there is, indeed, nc labor party, and Americans ought to hope there will not soon be either. If the candidacy of MT. LaFollette has giver an impetus to this class division, it is an unfortunate candidacy and will accom- plish no good" It is noted that all these deliverances on the subject are calm anc unimpassioned. There is evident a sin eere desire to see labor prosper, as vel as quite general editorial confidence 1T the underlying commonsense and intel ii9ence of labor, even when labor lead ership shows symptoms of the contrary