The Washington times., 1894-07-23
PANACEA FOR LABOR ILLS
Great Interest in the Bill Of Repre-.
sentative Phillips.
IT WILL PUT AN END TO STRIKEi
Its Purpose Il to Solve the Great Question:
Equality Between Man and Nan-Presd
Laws Not in Keeping with the Spirit
Our Institutions and Of the Ago.

Great interest is being manifested all
the country, more especially In promin
labor circles. in the bill introduced in u
House Of Representatives last week. by Hon1
Thomas W. Phillips, Of Pennsylvania, tn ;
full text Of which was printed exclusively 4
The TIMES Of Thursday last, and which hs
since been copied by many other pape
throughout the country.
Should the bill become law, which is con-
fldently expected, its promoters claim for n
that it will be practical and final solution Of
all labor and capital problems. and will pQ
an end to strikes. Tho bill is to authopf
the appointment of a non-partisan conn
sion to collate information and recomn
legislation to meet the problems preseI
by labor. agriculture and capital.
Mr. Phillips, author Of the bill, said yes
day:
"This bill Is designed to give an fmpsl
hearing to those who complain Of discl
mating laws and unequal burdensl j
bring into conference representative N
labor agriculture and business, thus
ing the aggrieved and those against Il
the grievance is made together. whose d
will be to recommend laws looking towal
more Just distribution Of the burdens
benefits of our free government. 1t is desigI
to be impartial, seeking exact facts and cod
tions, taking the matter out of partisan pd
tics. This is important along all lines Of Il
duties, especially In regard to the iu1migra,
ton question. 1t seeks to conform legisla
ton to the foundation principles of this gov-'
ernment, to place all men on an equal foot.
ing before the law.
GREAT oUEsrIoS-rHAr OF EQUALITY.
"The great question involved is that Of
equality. This is the greatest question Of this
nation, and the world. It must now be appar.
ent that this nation has been as false to its de-
clared principle Of equality as It was to its
declared principle Of freedom. No great
event in all history has been more clearly
pointed out in advance than that OF coming
social or industrial revolution; this will come
in blood, if not by law. This bill seeks to 40
compIish this change by law.
1.-THE two great classes now organized and
making the strongest protest against discrim-
mating laws and unjust burdens are the Ia.
borers and the farmers. These are the most
imp ortant classes of society. Without labor,
none can accumulate, and all developments
would cease. Labor is the basis of all wealth,
and has been from the time when God said
In the sweat Of thy face shalt thou eat
bread till thou return unto the ground
Again, from the products of the soil We
receive all sustenanee. Without the farmer
the world would be a wilderness. The mass-
ing OF capital and labor, which has
been caused by the discovery and use
of steam and electric power and invention Of
modern machinery, has brought US to face
a new industrial problem of great magnitude.
History furnishes US with no precedent or ex-
ample for its solution. But IL is found in tho
divine law. the golden rule, and future legis-
lation must proceed along this line.
OUR LAWS AWAY BEHIND THE AGE.
ut is my judgmentth that our laws have in No
sense kept pace with the new discoveries, in
ventions, and developments Of the age. The
world has made more progress in physical
and scientific discovery in the
last hundred years than 1t did in the preced-
ing six thousand. While the founders Of
this republic declared new principles, yet the
laws they adopted were largely taken from
monarchy and belong TO a darker age, when
labor was oppressed, had no voice in the
and had not even the right Of
organization. We thus put our new wine in
old bottles and they are bursting with new
We say government exists
for the people, vet we took our laws from
those who say that the people exist for the
government
"The barbarous ages are passed. Feudalism
is gone. Serfdom has been destroyed and
slavery has perished from the earth; the final
and greatest political and social problem Of
the world, the question of equality. has come
to the front and is pressing for solution with
irresistible force.
while this bill seeks to meet the Just de-
mands of all classes, It must, however, bs
borne in mind that this is not q class govern
ment, il is not a government of laborers,
farmers. manufacturers. transporters. or busi-
ness men. but it is a government of the peo-
pie. No one class established this govern
lhent in eight years of war. No one class
saved it in four years Of rebellion. and no one
class can ever govern it unless it be by des-
potic rule"