Evening star., 1928-09-30
NEXT FOUR YEARS VITAL
TO LABOR OF AMERICA
Many Problems Having Far.Reaching
Bearing on Prosperity OF Workers
Must Be Solved.
BY w. n. D0AK.
E1itor of the Railroad Trainman.

a01ut two weeks ago. little h3C
feen Sid Of the needs of labor in rela
ton to the National Government O
the neXt four years. Htr. Hoover mad
1t plain that the future of labor anc
agriculture lie in the same direction
saying that "one of the large opDor-
tunities fer the further improvement
of labor lics in the further improvement
OF agriculture" However. labor is such
q comprehensive term that a genera
survey of its needs and of the char
ecter and viewpoint of the next Con-
greSS and of the man who occuoieS the
White House during the four years be-
ginning March is of vital inportanco
TO all the millions who earn their bread
by the sweat of their brow.
To think of labor as the millions OF
men and women who are members of
the trade unions of the country. and
sS voting unit that can b. swung or
controlled for certain D.lrty or candi-
date, is doubly wrcng.
In the first place, labor occupes a
much larger space than the labor union
membership Of the country. 1t NAV b,
said to consist of the 100000 people
throughout the United States who ara
employed for wages or salaries. In
manufacturing industries alone there
were 100000 men. women and chill
dren employed during the early part of
this year. More than $40 900 people
are employed by the railroads.
Labor includes not only carpenters.
plumbers. structural steel workers and
other craftsmen who are strongly or
ganlzed in unions. but hundreds of
thousands of unskilled laborers who
have never been affiliated with anv
trade organizations. as we'll as millions
OF men and women engaged in clerical
and like occupations in large and small
industries: all who use their hands AS
well as their heads in earning living.
Cannot Be Voted Solidly.
The mere contemplation of the i'm
mensity of the body of what We desig-
nate as labor demonstrates the alb
surdity of claiming that it can be voted
solidly for either candidate or party.
Among most labor union leaders.
furthermore, there is neither desire nor
intention of "instructing" members how
to vote. Labor leaders who are worthy
OF that designation realize that voting
Is a matter of conviction individual in
character. and. like religion. can have
proper expression only by use of the
OWl DOWC1S VI ICdSUIlIIl8.
The long established policy of organ
lied labor has been to keep out of par
tisan politics Officers and members of
labor unions generally will go to the
polls in November free to vote for
whom they prefer, individually. for the
presidency of the United States. with
the same degree of independence and
conviction as they go to their churches
or synagogues to worship their God.
Labor has its friends and enemies, both
Republican and Democratic. and these
1t favors or Opposes at the polls. but
entirely without party bias or preju-
dice.
Many men presume to speak for
labor who have never done a hard days
manual work for wages. and who have
no real conception OF the problems. thc
d1ff1culties and the fundamental view
point of the millions of our people who
are engaged in manual occupations. L
may be well. therefore. to state that to
me labor is not mere word designat-
ing the membership of trade unions: it
is that part of my life involved in earn
ing bread and butter from the age of
10. Labor, TO me. means the hard
work of brakeman and switchman.
working outdoors in all kinds OF
weather, taking the risks of loss of limb
or life: living with and ENJOYING thu
association of other working men and
women and knowing and understanding
their views of politics, business and life
in general.
MOmentous Possibilities.
To those who know the present con-
dit1on of labor here and abroad, and
who can glimpse the trend of affairs
throughout the world, it is plain that
the next four years hold momentous
possibilities for the advancement or inn
pairment of the rights and conditions
Of men and women who work for wages
and salaries.
There are economic and political
problems to be dealt with by our Ma
tional Government curing the next four
years and If those problems are treated
as mere matters of economic conditions.
there can be no general and perma-
nent Improvement in the condition of
our people. One of the candidates Mr.
Hoover. has happily phrased that
thought in this way
Our party platform deals mainly
with economic problems, but our Nation
Is not an agglomeration of railroads. of
ships of factories. of dvnamos. or sta
tistics. 1t is a Nation of homes. a
Nation of men. of women. of children
Our purpose is to build in this
Nation human society. not an eco
nomic system. We wish to increase the
efficiency snd productivity of our coun-
try, but its final purpose is happier
homes"
1t may be said fairly that both candi-
dates regard labor not as a commodity
to be bought and sold, like iron and
steel. but as human flesh and blood
men, women and children striving to
earn q living honestly and to attain
what happiness may be found in this
life.
Labor may be said to be fortunate in
this presidential campaign, because
both Mr.. Hoover and Gov Smith were
during the early part of their lives. part
of the great army of labor. Both
worked with their hands for wages:
both know what hard toll is from thc
standpoint of having actually engaged
in 1t. Both. therefore. have an under
standing OF the condition and needs oi
labor. ToN enumcrate what the prob
lens affecting labor will be during the
next administration Is not the function
Of this article: yet it will not bo amiss tc
mention the labor records of the twc
candidates.
Little need be said concerning Gov
Smiths record in SO far as it concern,
labor. He has been in political life
voting and passing on measures tha
affect workers. for many years. Hi
attitude toward labor has been fair anc
satisfactory to the workers Of his State
Herbert Hoover has not been mem
Der Of legislative bodies nor in a posi-
ton to approve or veto measures affect
Ing the workingman. but his contact
with labor have been numerous.
Attitude Toward Labor.
| In his book Principles of Mining
published in 1903, years before he BE-
came political figure. Mr.. Hoover hac
this to say about one phase of labor:
Given union with leaders who car
control the members and who are dis
posed to approach differences in a busi
ness spirit. there are few sounder posi-
tions for the employer. for an agree
N1xy rrin