Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-21
port, stating that he would make it tomorrow
morning as a privileged matter.
THE E1GHT-Bor-R c1ArMs

the accounts OF laborers, workmen and me-
chanics arising under the eight-hour law.
In advocating the bill Mr. Buchanan con-
tended that the eight-hour law made contract
clear and explicit between the government and
the workingmen employed by it He reviewed
the violations Of the law and Of President
Grants order under 1t, stating that most Of the
violations had occurred in the War and Navy
departments. Men had worked extra hours
without receiving the extra compensation
pledged to them by the government.
As TO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
involved in the bill there had been many wild
and extravagant conjectures. The committee
on labor had received official communications
from the heads Of departments upon the sub
ject. The estimates, while not exactly correct,
were approximately so. The Secretary of the
Navy for his department estimated $500, 600;
the Secretary of War 100000. and the Post
master General $175,0O0. These sums aggre-
gated $3, ,000 and no man had a scintilla Of
evidence to show that if all the claims were
allowed and paid in full they would involve
one dollar above that sum. They might in
volve less. But this was not question of
money, but a question of justice. Justice
should never be measured by dollars II these
men were entitled to anything they
we're entitled to whatever the amount might
be, be the amount large or small 1t had been
said that the men were represented by pow
erful lobby. 1t was not true. They we're poor
men who could not afford to employ those rep
resentatives who were sometimes influential in
pushing measures through Congress. Let it
not go to the country that Congress denied to
poor men that access to the courts which it
gave to the wealthy contractors of the country.
MR. GEsT FAyoEs THE BILL.
Mr.. Gest Qll.) favored the bill Up to
1872, when Grant issued his second procama-
tion, the understrappers and the autocrats of
the army had defed the Congress Of the United
Sfutao and tlaD 80 tha
and had compelled men to work twelve hours
instead of eight hours, as had been the intent
of the law. 1t was but just to these men that
they should be recompensed for their extra
labor.
Mr.. Kerr Qowa) expressed himself as being
believed that the men who had consented to
accept g. so a day for ten or twelve hours
work, while men in other employments we're
receiving but S175 were the greatest enemies
of the law. Having received that extra pay
they were not entitled to ask for additional
pay for the time which should have been given
to other men.
THE BILL DEFINING LARD.
Pending further discussion the morning
hour expired and the House proceeded under
the special order to the consideration of the
bill defining lard.
MR.. McLAMMY ENLrvENs THE DEBATE.
He had intended to answer the eloquence Of
the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. .Brosius),
but he could not do 80. Last night he had
wooed the goddess Of sleep and she had not
come to him. He had stayed awake all
night thinking over the Importance of
this measure. He knew that it was
big question. He knew that in
into insgnifcance. [Laughter.l He honestly.
reiigiously, conscientiously, scrupulously be-
lieved that when the American people con-
sidered this question, even the rulings Of the
Speaker and the counting of quorum would
be forgotten. Laughter.l
AND DROPS INTO POETRY.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania had fallen
into poetry. He could not do so bee ause he
had had no sleep. He could only think Of one
verse
You may break,
You may shatter the lard trust il you will,
But If you listen to the testimony taken be-
fore the committee on agriculture and find
what pure lard is made of, You will find that
the scent of the whole hog will hang around il
still. fLaughter.l
SERIOUS QUESTION.
Mr.. Mason Oil. said that this was a serious
question to him and to the people he repre-
sented. There we're very few times in his life
that he could not afford to smile but upon this
occasion he desired to present to the House
some seriou, questions for fair play and fair
consideration. This was a fight between the
packers OF impure lard and the packers Of re-
fined compound lard
1t was trade fight and had no place in Con-
gress He was in favor of branding every arti-
Gle In the market for what it really was He
was as much opposed to food adulteration as
any man in the House. The compound lard
men were charged with defending fraud and
counterfeitlng That charge was false. This
bill struck down everything-every possible
chance of exporting lard compound lard
from this country. He not here to
defend counterfeiting. but he was here to de-
fend the men who manufactured a clean,
healthy food product. The more hogs lard
that was taken out of it and the more cotton
seed oil put in 1t the purer and cleaner it was
Tor the human stomach. No man could say
that cotron-seed oil was not one Of the best
articles of food products discovered during the
present century. Ii had become
THE POOR MANS fooD.
1t was marked for what it was. The working
people were not asking for this bill. They
we're opposed to taxing a clean, healthy food
product. Geptlemen spoke about the pow
erty OF the farmers and proposed
to tax the poor laboring men Of his
district in order to help the farmers
Did gentlemen ever know of farmer going
hungry? Did they ever know OF a farmer to
stand out in the storm with his wife and chill
dren in the presence of the landlord and the
sheriff? But the laboring man who worked
fourteen hours a day out of the sunshine must
be taxed for a cheap. clean food product to
help the farmer of the country, when no
farmers organization had demanded it. 1t
was proposed to have a clean food product and
force the people to pay higher prices for the
filthy, sinking stuff made In flats in Chicago,
st. Louis and Boston. 1t was said that Chicago
was fighting this bill. The manufacturers of
lard in Chicago who used smothered hogs were
not opposing the measure, which was one of
THE MOST BUNGLISG PIECES OF LEGISLATION
which had ever come ont of a committee room.
He defended Mr.. Fairbanks against some
structures made upon him by Mr. Brosius,
deprecating the practice OF members to attack
men who had no opportunity for reply. 1t was
easy thing to strike a man with his hands
tied, but it was not brave thing to do. He
then proceeded to argue in support of the Pad
dock pure food bill.
MR.. MRAE's AMENDMENT.
Mr. McRae (Ark. offered an amendment to
the first section Of the bill by adding the follow
ing words: "And rendered in open kettles the
process used by farmers and butchers" to the
definition Of ''lard."
TO HELP SPEAKER REED.