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Show THE LABOR VOTE. Right at the beginning of the presidential campaign, cam-paign, efforts are made to "deliver the labor vote" to the candidates of one or another of the great parties, or at least to make it appear that the labor vote is tied up in a bag held by certain leaders, ready to be delivered in bulk to the candidate who will promise certain reforms very much desired by -labor or the leaders. Interviews with labor leaders lead-ers indicate that there is quite a -divided opinion among the leaders themselves, some being strong for Bryan and the Democratic platform of 4,800 words, others equally as strong for Taft and the Republican platform of 5,100 words. Mr. Taft has been elected a member of the Steam Shovelmen's union, not for the purpose of engaging in the work of grubbing dirt with a steam shovel, but because he had a good deal to do with the steam shovelmen at Panama. Several organizations of working men have endorsed en-dorsed the action c-f the men who have taken it upon themselves to "deliver the labor vote," but others have condemned the political activity or partisanship shown. It is all so plainly an effort to secure as large a proportion of votes among those who work for a living as possible that few are deceived. We doubt very much if enough votes will be influenced to change the result in a single voting precinct in the country. The truth is that the labor vote cannot be delivered. If labor, whether wheth-er organized or not, believes in one party more than another, it is the individual and not the organization organiza-tion which makes it so. If a majority of one organization or-ganization favors one candidate and party, an official of-ficial endorsement by that organization certainly will not influence the vote of the minority members. mem-bers. It is none of our affair how anybody votes at presidential elections, but we should think the possibility pos-sibility of securing the endorsement of or-, ganized bodies of laboring men would not appeal very strongly to the candidates or campaign managers, man-agers, especially when the pledges of support ai3 made by men in no way authorized to speak. Voters may be influenced by argument, by appeals to prejudice pre-judice and passion, but most of them know what they want, and all of them think they know how to get that at the polls. The formal approval of labor organizations or societies of any kind can carry little weight with the great mass of people, who are going to cast their votes as they believe for their own and their country's best interest. The efforts of political managers and labor leaders thus early to "deliver the labor vote" would be funny if it were not so worthy of rebuke from thinking men. |