The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-11-10
CONDITIONS IN IOWA.
CHARLES G. LA BACH WRITES. THE
NEWS A PERTINENT LETTER.
EMPLOYMENT SEEKING LABOR.
An Old Kenosha Boy Tells of The Scarcity
of Laboring Men in Iowa, All
wages increased Under
Republican Rule
EDITOR KENOsHA EVENING News:

EDITOR KENOSHA EVENING NEWS:
Dear Sir.-By chance, copy of the
Daily Gazette, a paper published in
your city, fell into my hands. 1t bore
the date October 20, and contained an
editorial casting reflections upon the
President of the United States. The
said editorial in part runs thus: " When
President Mckinley said in one of his
jubilee politico speeches that 'We have
gone in a few months from labor seek
ing employment to employment seek
ing labor he no doubt uttered what the
yellow backed organs call an 'epigram'
but it was not truth"
1t seems to me that the Editor might
better have made himself acquainted
with the existing conditions of the
people to whom those words were
spoken, before insinuating to the pub
lie that our Chief Executive is pre-
varicator, or a man of questionable
veracity. If [ am not mistaken the
statement attributed to President
Mckinley was made by him only in his
Iowa speeches.
am an employer of labor in Iowa,
at three different places, and from eX-
perience can say that the President
uttered truth when he told our peo-
pie that employment was seeking
| labor"
At no time since July LIST of this year
has the company [ represent been able
to find sufficient laborers to satisfac
torily carry on their work. This con-
dition is not only true of the Burnt
Clay Ballast business, but of all con-
tract work and Railway work in Iowa
to my certain knowledge, men have
been so scarce that it became necessary
to send south for negro help, on several
Jobs, thus to enable contractors to COM
pie work on time.
The G. B. & @. Ry. company have
been short of help on track work all
this season, and the G. r. l. & P. co.
have been seriously delayed with their
double track improvement for the same
reason. In fact, any man who has
been unemployed in Iowa this summer,
has been idle by choice.
Again, in the same article, the state
ment is made that "labOr conditions
are not whit better than they were
before DR.. Mckinley assumed Office"
Doctor A pretty way of clubbing
the President in slurring manner.
While there have been many cases
of reduction in wages, undoubtedly
there have been more increases, as
statistics show.
In Iowa the G. B. & @. Railway Co.
is paying labOrers who received from
$1.1O to $l.15 per day year ago, not
less than $1.25, and in great many
cases $3.50 per day. The c., R. |. &
P. Railway Co. have been Offering as
high as $1.75 for men to work on new
track and the superintendent tells me
that they are not to be had. The Davy
Burnt Clay Ballast Co. is paying $1.5C
for common labor and from that figure
to So per day. And so it goes from one
end of this state to the other. And
the President made no mistake when
he told the citizens of the state of Iowa
that employment is seeking labor, u
as was plainly demonstrated by the
hearty cheers shat greeted the utter
anc6.
Men may be idle in the city of Keno
sha, but the editor should look beyond
the limits of his circulation and learn
the condition of affairs in general.
The strikes that are in progress are
not beyond the ordinary, which would
be the case, were wages advance ten,
twenty or thirty per cent. When the
wages Of the common laborer in the
west were So per day there were strikes
and strikes there will be under any
administration.
1t is probably the right and privilege
of any citizen of the United States to
criticize any other citizen, but for
heavens sake don't call our Chief
Executive an untruthful man until you
know whereof you speak.
Yours truly
CHAS. G.. LABAGH.