The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-01-01
CONGRESS AT WORK.
NO PROSPECT Of GENUINE RE-
LIEF LEGISLATION.

LIEF LEGISLATION.
Party Advantage the Only Thing Aimed
at This Session-Insincerity OF Both
Parties' Professionalism People Not
Considered.
The work of the present congress viii
be watched by more people with more
interest than any session for many years.
For two years the people have been
studying politics" as never before, and
the significance of many things never
before noticed is now being understood.
A notable instance in this congress
was the speakership fight. It was I'M
derstood from start to finish to be con-
test of factions-one faction seeking to
make the tariff the great political issue
for next year in order that Grover
Cleveland might be the Democratic
nominee for the presidency, and the
other faction opposing Cleveland's NOM
nation and favoring that of D. B. Hill.
It was simply fight having no pur-
pose in view other than that of foisting
on the country and people some man,
without regard to whether he was ac-
ceptable or not. The Cleveland faction
met defeat in the defeat of Mr. Mills as
speaker. Had Mr.. Mills been victorious
the partisan Democratic press all over
the land would now be hurrahing for
Cleveland. But, as the case stands,
these same papers are trying to explain
to the people that the speakership fight
had no significance whatever as to the
presidential nomination. It was thought
that a big Cleveland boom could be in
augurated by the election of Mills as
speaker This boom is busted, but the
determination to stick to the man in
whose behalf the boom was attempted
is not decreased. Great powers will be
brought to bear to make Cleveland the
nominee next year, and will probably be
successful.
Senator PETER represents the great
state of Kansas. He knows he can serve
his constituency more efficiently if he
shall be put on some working commit
tee. He does not go into the party eau
cuses. but that action does not indicate
a desire to shirk work. That he might
work for his people, he wrote letter to
the senatorial Democratic caucus ask
ing for consideration in the matter of
committee assignments. One Of the
'caucusmen" met the letter with some
pretty caustic remarks, and it was final
" laid on the table "until there is time
for Mr.. PETER to define his status more
explicitly"
In other words, unless the senator
shall come into the ring and jump when
the whip is cracked, he will not be given
an opportunity to work for his people.
These are the things we see in con-
gress of the people-things from con-
gressmen who get on the stump before
the people, and talk about the "sover-
eighty of the people," and "the freedom
of the Individual" and the fright of
personal opinion" etc. But when a
few men have the courage to assert
these things, they must be called on to
resign or have caustic remarks made
about them.
Of course the presidents message was
an important document before the body.
Any man who would read all the re-
marks and criticisms on the message
and then try to judge of the merits of
the message from these criticisms would
go insane before he reached any conclu-
sion. The foreign policy" part of the
message has been most widely approved.
The document does not seem to present
I,
than that of letting things remain as
they area condition which has aroused
the Indignation and protest of the peo-
pie all over the country. There is just
one streak of humanity and philan-
thropy in the message. It is this:
II have twice before urgently called
the attention Of congress to the neces-
sity of legislation for the protection Of
the lives of railroad employees, but moth
ing has yet been done. During the year
ending June 80, 1890, 369 brakemen were
killed and 7,841 MANNED while engaged
in coupling cars. The total number of
railroad employees killed during the
year was 2,451, and the number injured,
q, 800. This is cruel and largely a
needless sacrifice. The government is
spending nearly 100000 annually to
save the lives Of shipwrecked seamen;
every steam vessel is rigidly inspected
and required to adopt the most approved
safety appliances.
''All this is good; but how shall we
excuse the lack of interest and effort in
behalf of this army of brave young men,
who in our land commerce are being
sacrificed every year by the continued
use of antiquated and dangerous appli-
ances? A law requiring of every railroad
engaged in interstate commerce the
equipment each year of a given per cent.
Of its freight cars with automatic
couplers and air brakes would compel
an agreement between the roads as to
the kind of brakes and couplers to be
used and would very soon and very
greatly reduce the present fearful death
rate among railroad employees"
= +
Very good as far as it goes; but in the
country one-haf of the wealth is con-
trolled and owned by $4,000 people.