Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-09
THAT BILL AGAIN.
What the Representative of the
Federation of Labor Thinks.
Claims or Mr. Gest Look Very sick
and silly Indeed, as They De-
serve.

The other day writer in the Union,
who signed himselfa Republican" made
strong effort to prove that the Brewer
amendment to the eight>hour bill did not
In any way affect it, and that, consequent,
ly, Mr.. Gest should receive the warmest
approval of everybody interested. OF
course. it was shown the same day in
these columns that the position taken was
false one.
The Washington correspondent of the
Chicago Herald states that Fl. J. Schulz
tiers, of the federation of labor, says the
labor bills seemed fair enough on their
face, but were amended to death before
the republicans would permit them to
pass. MIR. Schulters says: The Cutchs
con amendment. by striking out the
words 'or permit, legslizes any number
of hours, per day, instead of enforcing
eight hours as days labor on govern
ment work, thus nullifying the present
eight-hour and also the alien contract
law. By inserting the word knowingly.
that act is made nugatory, utterly pre-
venting its enforcement by the treasury
officials. The Brewer amendment of the
bill, providing for the adjustment of ac-
counts of laborers. workmen and mechan>
les arising under the eight>hour law. un-
der which no man can eyer recover a
dollar for work done in excess of eight
hours, though such work was under pro-
test of compulsion and 10 violation of ex-
isting law. The words 'or implied in the
Brewer amendment make this act null
and void. To recapitulate. the eight-hour
law as amended by the house of repre-
Second the alien contract labor law as
amended does not prohibit the importa-
ton of aliens under contract. Third, the
eight-hour back-pay bill as amended does
not give back pay to anybody. The in
telligence of the American workingma1
has not been sized up correctly by the
speaker and his committee On rules il
their eleventh hour effort. 1t is too late
in the session TO have it corrected by The
senate, and it is sure to prove big bun
combe boomerang"
And yet Mr.. Gest is posing as cham
pion of the workingmen and their friend
in the eight hour law and other matters
When Mr.. Reed went to Maine the Other
dav to induce the people down there tC
reflect him he told what great good the
republican party had recently &C
complished for the nation, and in his
speech at Portland he spoke of the
passage of labor bills with "appro-
pirate amendments" These amendments
were enquired into by Mr.. Reeds oppon,
ent, Mr.. Frank, and Mr.. Amos J. Cum
mings. the newspaper correspondent, and
congressman from New York, telegraph
ed to Mr.. Frank as follows:
The labor bills passed by the house are
amended so as to make them nugstorv.
No man can recover a dollar under the
eight.hour back pay bill, as amended by
Brewer. of Michigan, republican. The
eight-hour law permits any number of
hours for government employees as
amended by Cutcheon, republican, of
Michigan. The alien contract labor bill
does not prohibit the importation of
aliens under this bill as amended ny Pay,
son. republican. of Illinois. Mr.. Reed
called these appropriate amendments
in his speech, thus insulting the intelli
gence of American workingmen by false
pretense.
Is there anything that Mr.. Gest has
done that will bear investigation and
show him to be the hardworking, intelll,
gent congressman that he is sometimes
represented TO be?