The Labor enquirer., 1884-08-30
weaver and Campbell.

Editor Labor Enquirer
KIRKv1LLE, Iowa, Aug, %. Perhaps
there is not congressional district in
the Union to which the eyes of those
people who yet believe in the ballot
turn with greater hope than to the Sixth
of Iowa, the home of General j. B.
/ Weaver, who is now candidate for con-
tgress. nominated by the greenbaekers
and endorsed by the democrats his
only opponent is Mr.. Campbell. the re-
publican candidate, national bank
president.
Last week / saw in an obscure corner
of our country paper, a muddy little
document that read somewhat like a
challenge to debate, from Campbell to
Weaver. The general promptly replied,
signitying his willingness to debate
| political issues. A joint meeting was
arranged for to-day at Newton. General
Weaver was there but Campbell was not;
a little boy suggested that he was out
hunting sheep perhaps he was; the
national bank presidents look carefully
after the golden fleece annually, sheared
from farmers. Weaver spoke two hours
at Newton to a large audience and
reached Klrkville in time to address a
second large audience in the evening.
He was received with great enthusiasm.
1t will be strange If some of the en-
ployes of the Wapello Coal company do
mot lose their positions to pay forthe
reception of a part of his speech detail
ing some Of the miners wrongs. He
had samples Of the screens used in the
Iowa mines separating slack, pea, chest
nut, nut and lump coal, passing the latter
(the only coal the miners get paid for
digging, over one and three quarter inch
screens.
General Weaver reminded them of
the fate of the miners bill in the Iowa
legislature last winter. Last July an
association of miners and operators
agreed that six men, three to be chosen
by the miners and three b, the operators,
should draft a bill to be presented to the
Iowa legislature, providing that nothing
but slack should be screened from coal
before weighing it to the miners. 1t was
a standard wonder to me the remainder
of the summer why the operators con-
sented to the framing of such bill. 1t
reminded me of the little girl who didn't
want to play keep house in the pantry
for fear she would steal. The operators
think they must not lessen the size of
the screens unless compelled by law to
do SO. There seemed to the uninitiated
no hindrance to the easy passage of the
bill after such concurrence between em-
ployer and employe; but the operators,
true to their monopolistic instincts, sent
a lobby to work against it. 1t was one
of the bills yet unconsidered when the
sitting committee was appointed. That
committee should haye been made up of
the chairmen of all the committees, it
was careful selection of monopolists !;
under their shadow that bill sleeps.
Even a republican senator had the con-
science to declare the selection Of that
committee "an outrage" but | doubt
whether the bill would have had q
kinder fate even had the precedent been
followed. People will, perhaps, find out
sometime what "law makers are worth
to them.
What pleased me more than anything
else in Weayer's speech was his une-
quivocal recognition of the labor ques-
ton as the question of the hour. He
gave some time to the tariff, land and
money questions, all considered from
the standpoint of Justice to the laborer.
Surely all laborers in the Sixth dis
trict Of Iowa, who have not yet lost all
faith in the ballot. will stultify them
selves if they hesitate ! moment between
Weaver and Campbell. As for those