The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-22
THE TARIFF FIRST.
Then Other Reforms May Follow.
Speaker Reed Talks on the
PRESENT POLICY OF CONGRESS.
And Also DsAnss Ills Position on LabOr.
A Dsol'lon on tho Pending RnI, one
Way or the Other Mast be Reached.
Senator Mason Makes Ills Maiden speech
In conErs"-D,mOeratls Programme of
the Senate.

WASHINGTON. D. C., April a.
Speaker Reed gave an interesting talk
upon the present policy OF the house and
incidentally declared his views upon
labor organizations to-day in the course
OF one OF the conferences which are OF
daily occurrence in the speakers room.
A delegation from the American Feder-
alton OF Labor headed by Samuel Com
pers, the chief officer OF the order, call
ed to request action by the speaker and
the house In matters which the fedora
tIon Is Interested. The speech-mnklng
on the part OF the federation was done
by Mr.. Gompers and p. q. MaguIre. Mr..
Gompers said that there was great
distress throughout the country, and
many unemployed and expressed u hope
that Congress would do all in Its power
to alleviate the distress. He remarked
that there had not been as much leEis-
lation in the interest OF labor by the
last Congress as the laboring men wish
ed.
Speaker Reed In reply expressed ap-
probation OF the moderate and reason
able attitude OF the laboring men. The
labor Organization, he said, was a nee
esSary concomtant OF the factory sys-
tenn While In the old days labocers
had been individually independent, the
growth Of the factory system had fore
ed them to organize for the pTeserya-
ton OF their rights and Interests. He
believed that results beneficial to hu-
,rtaV, o,V,tnuF FFNFN Vh0qa nrwn n
iEauOnB. While reforms OF the class
they spoke OF moved slowly, they did
move. Public sentiment was now much
more tolerant OF the eIHht-hOur law
than Il had been ten years ago He
could remember when every laborlng
man was expected to work twelve
hours. Public sentiment had much TO
do with the enforcement OF the eight
hour law and he had no doubt that un-
der its impulse conditions were contin-
uAlly improving.
Referring 10 congressional action, the
speaker said that only one thing could
be- done at a time and he was certain
all would agree that the first thing to
be done by Congress now was 90 ar
rive at a decision on the pending tarih
bill one way or another. He hoped the
delegation would use It's influence TO
mould public sentiment to ask for as
speedy action on the tarin bill AZ could
he obtained. II was not thought best
for the house 60 deal with other matters
until that question was out Of the way
because any action taken here might
compllcate and delay action on the tar
IN which all must coucede TO be neces'
sary,
In response 10 the complaint that the
lnst Congress had not done enough for
labor. Mr.. Reed said that remonstrances
had been received by him complaining
that Coagress had been too much under
the domination OF the Federation OF
Labor. This fact would Illustrate that
there were conflicting ideas In the coun.
try. In conclusion. Mr.. Reed express
ed approval OF the policy adopted by the
federation. A continual and constant
pressure within the law was much more
elective IN securing reforms than vio-
lent methods, he said. Violence always
brought n reaction and the reforms
sought were likely 10 be lost in the tur-
fnou OF the outbreak.