The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-03-08

1 - NV ~ Fhi
| disguise il AS Won may OF course this IN
fluenee i universally disclAimed, and the
motives Of the highest patriotism and
purcst devotion tu the public good are m
! val ably assumed for every at shsWeNef
| dar1tg may b, Its suhserN ien,v t. the dici
| tatcs II unscrupuluus wealth. Consequent
| IS the preteNts fnr opposition Ia the bureau
hich Sere plausible enough Z" pass cur
! rrutly for sincerity were not wanting. The
cod Corporation Was morr directly aSSailed
u the results 70 which the Investigations
W the bureau brought them on the subjects
ut savings banks and bIils
Ia connection with the former it was
shown that 1914 of the deposits m the
savings banks of the State were those Of
more than 500, showing oonclusively that
capitalists got the most benefit from lnstI-
buttons which il was pretended We're car
RED on for the benefit If the poor, ana eff
! tectuslly disappearing the theory held 10y
rHE oPruNLNIS ~ LABOR REFoRM
that the prosperity Of these banks was an
evidence of the prosperity u the lLboring
classes. sustaining the Recommendation u
Governor Clafflin that those banks be taxed
the same as others are Here. then. the
D
consequently its representatives III the Leg
| islature found that the conclusions of the
! bureau were incorrect The question was
1 even brought before the committed bank
| M. a manifestly partial tribunal for such
a case, and in the course Il the hearing
| the method of the bank interest Was well
| illustrated by a simple incident. Evidence
4 was offered professcdly from the bank oth
Z bat thu made hN
| the bureau were Incorrect. hut not one
I bank book Was produced IN support Of II.
| The attorney readG number 81 letters from
I bank officers III different parts IF the State,
declaring that they thought the report ~
the bureau incorrect IN regard To savings
banks when they could not have seen that
report, As ii had not been published. Most
II the testimony was IN the form OF writ
I tn statements. and one oi the witnesses
being asked if he wrote his own evidence.
confessed that the attorney gave 1t to HIM
W read yet this in spite Of protest, was
permitted t. be placed on tlle as evidence.
Similarly the conclusions which the bu-
reau reached IN regard "a hours Of labor
AMI :ie employment q
children II TtrrnRIES,
NtIt very ultNclNbiiiC u lilt MIN ilibtltSNs
showing a. it did among other things that
the Law prohibiting the employment of
children under ten years Of aye, and others,
except under certain conditions, was eXttn-
sively violated. and the hostility OF their
great power was at once manifested IN the
Legislature The protessed reasons tor the
! hostility were as cunnlngly devised as were
the tricks resorted to for the purpose Of
impalring its usefulness Complaint Of the
partial nature and trifllng value Of the in
designations, and even the preteIse of a
| desire to substitute a new system giving
the bureau increased powers were some of
I the many sl,eclous objections raised while
the methods pursued We're mainly by caus
ing delay III carrying out the suggestions "
the bureau 1t has been mostly a silent
warfare on the part Of the opposition.
10 show how well founded are the objec
I tiuus raised. u 5 only necessary to refer To
the measures of relief which have been in
stitutrd for the victims II the tenement
( house ~ stem. from
TIRE EXPOSURE ur The ~ KEAt.
as well As in other directions all # which
are TOO well known ~ enumerarr.
| Ii may further IT, shown from the many
unsolicited testimonials which have been
\ received Al the office ~ the bureau from All
/ parts Of the country and even from abroad
including all classes and professions some
I of them being 81 the greatest weight from
he prominence OF their authors. all Of
Y them expressing the Varmest approval Of
I the labors II the bureau. and the most
/ earnest wishes for It's continuance. One
Y prominent writer from England speaks Of
seeing a complimentary 'tlce II one Of
the bureaus reports III the London Times,
ana mentions il as the only instance with
in MS knowledge of the notice Of All Amer
lean Legislative document ia that journal.
CommendatOry notices nave appeared in
the Nation and other periodicals Of author
ity. and it is rare If ever that a local docu-
uent has attracted such vide notice as
these reports The private testimonials
include hundreds Of the representatives ii
the labor reform movement In all parts Of
the land. and many employers As wen as
the employed, and wealthy people as well
as the poor. The laboring men as a body
are VI course the strongest friends If the
bureau. Some personal divisions have oc-
CURED among the reform societies, III ref
erence to the management 81 the bureau,
but these have not assumed any import
auce A circular Is nov being circulated
and has already received the signatures Of
over a hundred Of the foremost labor re
forms If the State, asking for the cUntinu-
alton Of the bureau under its present
management But the Legislative opposi-
ton, We regret to say, Is more formidable
than ever at present. The test question IN
the Legis allure this year is the printing If
the report which is now III course Of prep
aratlon. The vote was hrst taken In the
Senate and the order passed, and the House
refused to concur then It went back To-
the Senate where it was defeated, and the
House adhered to this decision. Being
again renewed in the Senate, II was land
Uu the table, where it still remains, and
has remained for nearly two weeks The
last vote in the Senate stood % to against
the measure, hut in the House its prospects
unbiased vote would show a majority III its
favor in hat branch The contest is un
dOubtedly between the corporations and
the existing bureau.
la the Senate there exists a strong con-
bmatIun Of the savings bank and the mill
interests, which Is strong enough 10 defeat
the measure IN that branch, should its pol
icy 81 concealed warfare not be proved mad
equate Ia the occasion. 1t is undoubtedly
a critical moment with the bureau. and If
this point be safely passed there are bright
er hopes for the future. 1t is confidently
predicted BY some Of the leaders Of the re
form movement that a comparatively new
state Of things are to be brought about
before the next session Of the Legislature
1t is affirmed that the spirit of investga-
ron which IS abroad will give evidence Of
its existence in our Commonwealth, and
that too not tardily, producing social
revolution which shall materially affect the
complexion Of the next Legislature, break