The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-04-07
WASHINGTON.
An Eloquent Appeal in Behalf Of the Work
ingman by Representative Lowry.
The Indiana Delegation and Representative
Bynum-A Concerted Plan to Defeat
the ONein Labor Bnl-Gen-
eral and Personal.

tDat mas Deen sdlu upon tne SuDJecb ny any
of the Indiana delegation. The following
is a brief synopsis of the same:
Il do not believe that this bill is either a
fraud or cheat. l do pot believe with my
distinguished friend from Georgia, Mr.. Ham
mond; from Virginis, Mr.. Daniel; from
Texas, Mr.. Reagan, that il infringes upon any
provision of the Constitution. AS ] under
stand this bill, conceive that the Commit
tee on Labor has proceeded with the utmost
caution and circumspection in framing II,
and have sought to bring forward a measure
that is entirely consistent with every consti-
tutional provision, and one which may be
calculated to meet as fully, as found to be
feasible, the existing emergency and may
prove 10 be sal utary aid In q settlement Of
the labor difficulties between capital and
labor. 1t las been insisted that this
act is unconstitutional. 1t is al
legged that it undertakes to confer
judicial authority up a judicial tribunal
organized by virtue of its provisions. Now,
sir, undertake to say that this bill does not
provide for any judicial tribunal that it
does not undertake TO confer jurisdiction of
judicial character upon any tribunal. 1t
simply provides for an arbitrament, which
may be voluntarily entered into by the par
ties TO existing difficulties, and affords an op
portunity for them to have the questions a
issue between them arbitrated and an award
made. 1t provides also that the awards
made by such arbitration shall be of such
character that the parties, if they so desire,
will be able afterwards to enforce their rights
in a court of justice. Suppose the parties
meet and agree to arbitrate their difficulties,
whether they be railway companies or other
corporations or individuals citizens OF one
State, or citizens of different States. When
the arbitration is held and the award is made
the parties, i apprehend, are bound oy the
conclusion reached by the arbi-
traitors, and their . rights under the
arbitration may be then enforced by pro-
ceedings in the courts. But, sir, the case of
the Genessee Chief Q2 Howard's Reports,
44S) is cited here by the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Hammond) as an authority in
support of the doctrine that this bill is un-
constitutional. What was that case? That
was a case where the REALTORS, as owners OF
the schooner Cuba, as libellants, proceeded
against the Genessee Chief to recover dam
ages in consequence of collision that had
taken place on Lake Erie. 1t was insisted in
the course of the argument of the case that
the act under which the proceedings was
brought was unconditional, for the reason
that the jurisdiction of the Admiralty
Courts was confined, under proper con-
struction of the Constitution, to the tide
waters of the United States. Judge Taney
in delivering the opinion in that case, with
his accustomed incislve logic, brushed away
the plattude in which the courts
had previously indulged upon the
subject, and showed that the act of
Congress providing for admiralty jurisdiction
being applied as well to the Manageable lakes
and rivers of the country to the tide waters,
was wholly free from all constitutional OBJ
Jection, and held that the enactment simply
extended the jurisdiction of the Admiralty
Court, and authorized them to take cogniz-
ance of and adjudicate controversies origin
ating on such lakes and rivers in the same
manner as were those arising on the tidal
waters. 1t seems to me that matter was so
plain there ought not to have been much
controversy upon the subject. The simple
proposition contained in the act was the ex-
tension of the jurisdiction OF certain judicial
tribunals under provisions of law already ex-
isting. Now what is the emergency that con-
fronts us by reason of our existing social and
polite economic conditions? In this coun-
try, as elsewhere, capital has the advantage
of labor. The common law and the statutes
of every State in the Union authorize the
organization of capital in the form of corpo-
rations. These smploy vast multitudes of
men, Questions arise between these power
full corporations and the operatives and la
boring men. While capital has every facility
for enforcing its exactions, there are no ade-
quate means by which labor can enforce its
rights. The laboriDg men appeal for arbi
TRITON. We saw Just the other day the mag
mates of a railroad corporation higgling with
the representatives of the great labor ogan-
izations throughout the country, who sub
mitted, IN reference to existing difficulties
the simple proposition, Let us arbitrate.
Call ye in council one of your friends, and we
will bring thither another. Let them call in
third, and we will submit these questions
tended to this House. What will be the
probable effect even of this, since
the meeting of the present Con-
gress, when it was proposed to regulate the
relations between operatives of your lines
of street cars and the corporations which
employ them which had been exacting from
the bone and brain and muscle of these men
from fifteen to seventeen hours day of
hard labor for the comparative pittance, for
a wage here, of from sl.5O to S32 These cor
porations speedily came to terms and pro-
posed to limit their day of labor to twelve
hours and to compensate that labor by the
payment of 81 for each and every day.
THE bill is step in the right direction. 1t
is in response TO a cry of distress; it IS Ship
ahoy' to the struggling sailor. By the pas
sage Of this bill this Congress will put its
sign in the heavens as a token of covenant
that there shall be redress offered to the
-