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all respected him. Republicans and Democrats alike all have a good word to say for his honesty, industry, good judgment, and fairness. Even ultra-conservatives like "Uncle Joe" Cannon, who fought him continually on all measures, had the greatest respect for him personally.

During Mr. Wilson's first and second terms Mr. Cannon was speaker of the House. Naturally, under a conservative Republican like Mr. Cannon, Mr. Wilson did not receive very good committee appointments. The two committees on which he served were the Patents Committee and the Census Committee. Still, those committees had considerable important work at that time. The Patents Committee revamped the Copyright Law, and the Census Committee had charge of the great 1910 Census.

During Mr. Wilson's third term Hon. Champ Clark was Speaker of the House, the Democrats having come into control. Mr. Wilson was immediately made Chairman of the Labor Committee, and was also put on the Committee on Mines and Mining and the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. On all of these he performed most conscientious service, rarely missing a meeting.

It was especially fortunate for Mr. Wilson that the Democrats came into power when they did, for he waged the campaign of 1910 on Cannonism. He showed the people, not only of his district, but of the country, the danger of Cannon's arbitrary control of Congress in the interests of a small group. Mr. Wilson would say in his speeches:

"Although this country is a republic, it is so only in name, unless the people rise and take control.

There can be less democracy in a republic in which the people leave the control to a small group than in a monarchy in which the people are alive to the issues of the day. There is nothing in names or systems. Our future depends on each of us keeping ourselves interested in government and the people who represent us. Unless this flame of patriotism continues to burn in the hearts of all of our people, the nation may become a republic only in name."

William B. Wilson thought he was through with politics in 1912, but a strong movement developed in 1914 and again in 1918 to make him Governor of Pennsylvania. It was only the active interference of President Wilson that prevented W. B. Wilson from being nominated in the former year. When the delegation came to Washington urging the President to release him from the office of Secretary of Labor, President Wilson replied:

"Gentlemen, you can much more easily find a suitable candidate for the Governorship of Pennsylvania than I can find a suitable candidate for the office of Secretary of Labor."

It is generally known that Secretary Wilson was not a very good campaigner for himself, as he never asked men to vote for him. Owing to his extremely diffident and modest nature, it was impossible for him to do this. From my experience in Washington, however, I think he was perhaps a most successful campaigner. Certainly this was indicated by his three successive victories in a Republican stronghold. But people in his own district insist on telling stories of how in his own campaigns he often devoted virtually all of his efforts to helping others.

This was most interestingly illustrated at a meeting at the Proctor-Ellison Company's tannery at Elkland, Pennsylvania, during the campaign of 1912. Several of the foremen and officials, being very fond of Mr. Wilson, urged him to come out and meet the men at the close of the working day. With Mr. Wilson was Hon. Robert W. Hilton, who was running for State Senator from the Twenty-fifth Senatorial District. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Hilton shook hands with all the men as they filed by and were presented by the foreman. As each one was introduced to Mr. Wilson, he would immediately turn and introduce him to Mr. Hilton, telling him of Mr. Hilton's good qualities and urging him to vote for Mr. Hilton as State Senator. As Mr. Hilton was elected and Mr. Wilson defeated, many would say that this was very poor campaigning on Mr. Wilson's part; but others believe that his success in the preceding campaigns was due to this spirit of unselfishness.

Certainly it was this in Mr. Wilson's makeup that caused James Kerr, a big coal operator in central Pennsylvania, during Mr. Wilson's first campaign, to get out of his sick bed to pay tribute at a public meeting to W. B. Wilson's great fairness. At that time Mr. Kerr said:

“I have such confidence in Mr. Wilson that I am willing to open my books to him and leave absolutely to his judgment what wages should be paid to my

men.

Although many of the so-called shrewd politicians blame his defeat to this spirit of fairness, yet these very qualities caused President Wilson to select him as the first Secretary of Labor. The President made

no mistake, for when Mr. Wilson was chosen to the post the new secretary made this statement:

"Many wage earners have a natural prejudice against the employer class; and many employers have such a prejudice against wage workers, especially when organized. But the Department of Labor should have no prejudice against either class; furthermore, we should do all we can to remove this prejudice from both sides.

"Although the specific work of the Department of Labor is to improve the condition of the wage worker, as it is the duty of the Department of Agriculture to help the interests of the agriculturist, and of the Department of Commerce to help the commercial interests, yet we must never get labor anything that is out of line with justice. The prosperity of labor is fundamentally based upon the prosperity of the nation as a whole. In order that any group may permanently progress, all groups must have justice. Our work is to help the wage workers; but we must help them along sound lines and in a way that will not bring about a detrimental reaction."

CHAPTER XIV

SIX YEARS IN CONGRESS

W. B. WILSON took his seat in the House of Representatives December 7, 1908, at the opening of the Sixtieth Congress, the first Democratic Representative from the Fifteenth District in Pennsylvania since the Civil War. He had promised his friends the laboring men that he would do all he could for them, and from the first he had it in his mind to promote the foundation of a Department of Labor, which would protect the interests of Labor as the Department of Agriculture looks after the interests of the farmer, and other departments help other occupations.

In looking over the records of Congressional doings, it is interesting to note how many times W. B. Wilson introduced "A bill to increase the pension of" some one. It seems he found that many people who deserved pensions or an increase had been altogether neglected by his predecessor, so he made it his business to see that they received justice, and were treated as others had been in receiving relief or additional pensions. He was approachable, and no one asked him a favor which he did not grant, if, after consideration, he found that it was a just demand.

As a miner, he had of course known of the great many dangers that beset the life of one who goes down to get out the fuel of the world. Naturally, then, when he came to a position where it was possible to have action taken for the protection of these underground

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