The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-21

street and Pierce avenue. interment viii
be made in Glenwood. The pail beareri
will be T. W. House, Henry Henke. f
+. Fleming, A. Key J. j. McKeever, Sr.
l.. NJ. Rich, J. Hornberger and NJ. G,
Howe.
Cotton Industry md shorter Hours
of Labor.
To the Editor of The Post
Millican, Texas, March 1.-The Post In
It's issue Of February 10 prints a dispatch
from Washington to the effect that "a
delegation OF Southexn cotton mill men APP
peared today before the judiciary committee
OF the house of representatives to urge the
passage Of the resolution proposed b. Rep
resentative Lowering of Massachusetts TO
authorize the government to regulate the
hours of lebor in the different States. MIR.
Lowering the author OF the measure. first
addressed the committee in its favor. His
argument was an exhibit of the needs of
the manufacturing interests of his state
Tor protection against competition outside
the state. He thought this could be ac
complished by law making the unfavor-
able conditions surrounding TABOR the same
j as in New England He was followed by
4 Representative walker OF Massachusetts IN
| a speech favoring the bill"
| This The Post characterizes as 'pater-
| nalism." | would call IL protectionsm run
mad.
l 1t is not to be supposed, however, that
am opposed to making the hours of labor
| uniform in the different States or to any
other legitimate measure which has for its
| object the betterment of the condition of
| labor North and South. What / object TO
| Is the agency, the methods employed to
. N oh HI a.
object to it further, because the solution
| offered is no solution ut ali. Mr.. Lowering
and Mr. Walker are merely PLAYING with
nc question. That is all, Equalizng tho
hours of labor between the North and the
South Is like taxing mortgages to benefit
the farmer Any man with half a grain
OF economic sense in his head must see
that to tax or attempt to tax mortgages
can only result in increasing the interest
rate and making the terms that much
harder for the farmer TO borrowA money.
Ana following a natural law. this is Just
what the tax on mortgages would do BY
increasing the interest rates on which
money could be borrowed the burden OF
the tax would be shifted to the shoulders
OF the farmer or other people who might
wish TO borrow money
But, to come back to the subject under
discussion, the frankness of Mr.. Lowering
Is commendable. What New England needs,
~ 'o'ip US 10 pIOlttllO0 against the
petition of the South. And in telling us
so. he seeks not to color or to disguise
the Issue in the least. Dingleylsm having
Jailed to afford New England ample pro-
ttgtion. the kind MI Dingey promised her.
the powers Of the general government are
10 be invoked In another direction to give
her the advantage she seeks al the ak
pense Of tie South With the labor condl
tons edualized between the two sections
no matter how brought about New Eng
land hc3es 10 be able to successfully cone
with the South in the cotton goods in
dustry and to recover the trade she ha |
lost to this section. or which she thinks
she has lost to II. But If 1t can be proven
that the hope Is based on very shallow
grounds. then service will have been
done to the Nation as n whole
! have no reliable statistics at hand |
however, on which to base an argument |
and in discussing the question I shall DO
therefore compelled to address myself to
the logic of the situation as 1t presents |
itself, and to rely instead upon the facts
IN the case as they appear to me to make
an argument
The problem of the unemployed. North |
and South, East and West, is a grave one
IN Importance 1t orershadows all other
questions. Before 1t even the blowing nm
Of the battleship Maine with its attending
great icss OF human lives pales away into |
insignifcance, And IL is as varied in its
phases as II is grave. In New England il
revolVes around the question of shorter
nours OF labor for the South In the South
~ reVolves around the question of tariff
ielVrm, pension reform and money reform
win the attendant demand for better prices
LOT the products OF the farm. In Texas IT
hahiiests itself in the demand of farm
tenants ior change from the money. To
the snare system of land renting. And
SO II runs through the entire catalogue of
Fhf~E t.,... a.. I
a sinister gloom over the lives of men and
CLOUD the future with dreaded apprehel,
SION And so 1t must continue to do until
we ADDRESS ourselves to first principles
ana go to the root OF present social ana
economic evils anu
ny making the hours of labor uniform In
the dinerent States New England homes ~
onset supposed advantage of tne Sor,b
VIZ; cheaper labor, longer worked labor
ano 10 be thus enabled TO compete with
ner IN the market. But in these mechan-
ical tunes when machinery has taken the
pIace OF manual labor In the productive
ah .as anu Is last reducing the old time me
.nanic 70 an Industrial has BEEN and !
DIS handiwork to thing OF the past, longer
Of shorter hours Of labor cut but . very
'niaii inquire In the problem of competition '
oelMseh the TWO sections. 1t is not a |
question OF hours of labor ut all. but n
iuesloh OF an extra revolution or two Of I
,r' nis Iy-wneei that moves the machin- c
I, ~ I'm IN .he miil; And in stated number I
y hours, why should not the fly-wheeIs In r
he mills of the South be able 70 mate a n :
Hany revolutions as those in the mills OF
VIEW Engiandf Reduce the cost of labor
minimum by corresponding in.
rease IN the number of revolutions Of the
iy-wheel and by requiring a greater Ell.
ALL on me part OF the loom tender to
axe care OF his loom, his position is made
nat OF an expert. and experts in any linz
!, Industrial pursuits must in the nature
tnlngs command good wages. This 20 ,
e,oiding to natural law. And with har
sst and present history before her in G
NO. =, .astsr connection, the South has moth
'g 10 rear In contest of industr,a, e
trength with New England. Har nao,sn :,
re as Intelligent. as keen witted az !"
nrewd, and withal moro liberal and nra 40 G
r a,, 'han the people Of New England !.
ou 40 not hear the South clamoring for Ii