The times., 1898-10-25
CRITICISM Is REVOKED
Central Labor Union 'sAttitude
Toward Mr.. BabcOck.
NO CAUSE TO AsSAIL HIM
The Committee Appointed to In
vcstiEate the Wisconsin Members
Record Reports That He Never
Has Been an Enemy to Labor
Milford SpOhn Held Responsible
for the Attack.

, for the Attack.
The Central Labor Union last evening
| rescinded its action criticising Represent
ative j. W. Babcock on account OF his op-
position to extending the right of suf-
| frage to the residents of the District of
| Columbia, and commended him for his
| fairness in his relations with organized
| labor generally.
| The meeting was perhaps the most
| largely attended ever held by the union
since its organization, and for more than
two hours the report of the committee
i, which had been appointed at a previous
| meeting to investigate Mr.. Babcock's at
titude toward labor was the subject of the
most spirited debate which ever took
place upon the floor of the assembly. The
meeting was presided over by. President
Szegedy, and the report of the committee
was submitted by Mr.. Mccormick.
great deal of the report is taken up
| in explaining how the original resolutions
adopted by the union criticisinS Mr.. Bah
| cock reached the headquarters of the
! Democratic Congressional Committee.
| The blame for this is charged to Milford
/ Spohn, the mover of the original resoIu-
| tions, who, it is claimed, took them to
| the committee without the authority of
/ the Central Labor Union
| The report then proceeds to enumerate
+; the charges made by Spohn against Mr..
. Babcock, and in reply thereto gives the
F.: facts as found by the committee of in
! yestigation. The report follows:
| The Report.
THE following charges We're made by
Delegate Spohn against Congressman Bah
cock:
"First-That he was opposed to the
| eight-hour law
| Three witnesses testified that they were
at the Capitol when this bin passed and
that Mr.. Babcock told them that he was
! in favor of and would support the bill.
| Mr.. Babcock stated to the committee that
he favored the bill. There was no oppo-
| sition to the measure.
''Second-That he favored the Metropoi-
! tan Street Car Company while there was
a boycott on that road by allowing the
company a franchise to extend its line
/ and not allowing the knights OF Labor a
! hearing on the bill when he had promised
/ to do so; and also that he had refused to
| intercede for the men who had been dis
| charged on account of being members OF
the knights of Labor.
Mr.. Babcock stated TO the committee
| that he did interecede for these men and
| even went so far as TO get a meeting OF
| the board of directors so that the knights
of Labor could have a hearing. One OF
your committee says he remembers the
time the board was called together and
that ii met in Mr.. Babcock's s office and
I,oF 81
Mr.. Babcock states that the legislation
referred to in this charge was asked for
through a petition signed by the residents
who would be benefited by the extension
and that the president of the road came
to his office and told him he did not want
, this legislation at that time and asked
him to keep the bill from passing. Mr.
Babcock says he got this legislation
through because those citizens living ir
that neighborhood said they We're com
PEELED to walk to the cars and IL was al
imposition.
"Third-That Mr.. Rabeock fathered q
bill which gives complete monopoly te
the railroads in the District and deprives
hackmen of positions.
ION this question we shall have little
to say, because we do not think it af-
fects labor or labor organizations TO an!
extent. as it will take as many men tC
drive the hacks belonging TO the railroad
companies as if they were owned by somt
one else We find, also, that the samt
condition exists in most of the largt
cities.
"Fourth-That in 1895 the Republican
Campaign Committee had its printing
done by the Feister Press Company, :
notorious rat concern.
Mr. Babcock, in answer TO this Ques
ton, referred to his books and showed
your committee where. in 1896 the Feiste
Press Company did some printing for tn,
committee. We examined the list close
ly and found that out of $50 orders printed
that year fifteen had been given to thi
concern. Mr. Babcock says that he ha
positive instructions that the label mus
be on all documents that the law viii
allow 1T to go on. and that as soon a
he discovered that this was a rat con
cern he gave them no more orders. H
states that before having the campaign
book of 1898 printed that they received
bids for the work and could have savet
on this publication alone $3.50 by havinl
had it printed in an Office which was no
entitled to the label.
"Fifth-That Mr.. Babcock introduced
bill and had it referred to his committe
which would. if passed. benefit labor EN-
ployed in the building industry in III
District, and then quietly pocketed tn
bill
eve called on the clerk of the Distric
Committee in regard to this matter. an
was furnished the following statement
, which speaks for itself:
t Washington. D. c., Oct. 90 1898.
AT the request of the investigating COR
mittee of the Central Labor Union l. Harry W
: Barney. clerk Of the Committee ON the D;stric
of Columbia. House of Representatives Fifty-fft
Congress. make the following statement in rels
tion to Fl. r. bill l01O3. "Relative 10 the pa,
ment of claims for material and labor furnish
for District OF Columbia buildings" Tii, hi
was introduced br Representative J. W. BabrocE
! on April 26. 1898. and on that date referred
the Committee the District of Columbia an
ordered to be printed. The official copy was d:
livcred to the following day, April q
and, there was legal point involved. the b
was that day referred TO the Subcommittee a
Judiciary, of which Representative John J. Jer
kins of Wisconsin is chairman. the other member
being Representatives Shannon. Sprigue. Rchart
son, and King. Until the bill examined b
this subcommittee and reported TO the full con
mittee further action by the committee coul
he taken. great many bills having legal point
I involved were referred TO the Subcommittee o
| judiciary, and this one not definitely acte
upon by the subcommittee before Congress at
iourned, July s. 1895. HARRY W. BARNEY.
His Labor Record.
1--WE find from his own statement an
: from two other witnesses that Mr.. Bah
cock aided a committee from the plat
printers of the Bureau of Engraving an
Printing in their opposition to the use G
! steam presses for the printing of curren
} | cy and securities of the Government Th
t plate printers We're indorsed in this move
ment by the American Federation of La