Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-02-10
IMMIGRATION.
A Substitute to the Lodge Bill Pre-
pared by Representative Corliss-
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.
The Consideration OF the Labor Arbitra-
tion Bill to BE Resumed Next Week
President to Visit Gettysburg
The Eight-Hour Law.


WASHINGTON, Fob. 6.-Representa-
tive Corliss. of Michigan. whose immi-
grafton measure was incorporated in
legislation which passed the last con-
gress and was vetoed, has prepared a
substitute to the Lodge immigration
bill which he will offer as soon as the
immigration debate is opened. Con-
corning the substitute Mr.. Corliss
says:
lido not approve of the narrow educational
test embraced in the Lodge bill We cannot
afford in this country to base our standard of
humanity upon the educational test either in
the application OF our laws to immigration,
civil service or citizenship The test that
should be applied to every human being seek
ing home upon American soil should be
does the human being possess character suf-
iciently honorable and intelligent to become
amalgamated with the spirit of American in
situations and American manhood: The
bill places in the hands of the
rotary of the treasury power to es-
tablish such regulations may be
necessary to properly ascertain the physical
ability and mental capacity of all imm igrantS
1 still preserve in my measure the reStric-
ton of the birds OF passage covering all
aliens over Is years of age who come to this
country like hawks for the express purpose of
stealing from our wage earners the fruits of
American labor and taking them back to their
homes and families in foreign land. My in
vestigations show from 30 900 50 900 able
bodied men annually come to this country and
not to exceed ten per cent thereof come from
the provinces of Canadian. have therefore
excepted from the birds of passage the sub
1ectS OF the provinces of Canada contiguous to
the United States. Ny measure also forbids
employment on any public works of the United
States of any but citizens.
Department of Commerce.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-The house
committee on interstate and foreign
commerce gave an extended hearing
yesterday on the Hepburn bill to create
department of commerce and indus
try. Ferdinand w. Peck, of Chicago,
president of the National Business
Mems league; Theodore c. Search, of
Philadelphia, president of the Manu-
facturers' Association of the United
States, and John w. Ella, of Chicago.
made arguments urging the proposed
legislation. They submitted a memo
rial prepared by Mr.. Ella, expressing
the views of the business interests of
the coun try, which included 81 nation
al, state and municipal business or
CARNATIONS in 81 different states, and
from 113 prominent business firms in
80 different states, all favoring the
new department. They claimed that
the new department would be a great
boon to labor as well as to capital. Mr.
Search said that under existing condi-
tiOnS proper information was not be-
ing secured by the government as to
wages, cost of production, particularly
as to the wage cost of production, the
kinds of goods wanted and the best
manner of producing and furnishing
them. Mr.. Ella said that the dominant
reason for the formation of the new
cabinet Office was the necessity of con-
centrating the instrumentalities for
obtaining, classifying and effectively
using the statistics, both at home and
abroad, necessary for the systematic
extension of United States commerce
and industries. 1t was claimed that
the information, as now obtained, is
almost worthless to business in ter
eStS.
Labor Arbitration Bill.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-The conSidera-
ton of the labor arbitration bill by
the house committee on labor will be
resumed next Thursday. The bill
gives every case of labor disagreement
or strike an official status and the sig
nifcance of public opinion. The pro-
ceeding so far has developed a wide
difference of views between labor
leaders and Mr.. Hynes, representing
federal railroad employees organiza-
lions, mas taken issue with PRESIDENT
Gompers of the American Federation
of Labor, as to the respective obliga-
| tions of employer and employed, and
every railwa- brotherhood apparently
| favors the pending measure, while
some of the officers of the federation
| want the bill to go further, others
| claim that no arbitration system can be
safely esta blished that does more than
! give the arbitrator opinion and then
| stated, want the disputes to be the
subject matter of legal arbitration,
while the opponents of the bill, it is
represented want such regulations of
| disputes left to themselves. 1t is
stated. however, that President Comp
ers has taken no official action in max
| ing these representations.
President tn Visit Gettysbarg.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. president Nc
| Kinley and his cabinet have accepted
| the invitation of Gettysburg to attend
| the memorial exercises upon the field
of Gettysburg on Decoration day Hon.
Webster Davis, of Missouri. assistant
secretary of the in terror. is to be the
| orator of the occasion.
Favorable Report on Eight-Hour Law.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-The house
committee on labor. has favorably re-
| ported the bill amending the eight
| hour law. Its effect is to enforce the
| law as it now exists, which is impossi-
BILE in many instances at present, ow-
ing to lack of jurisdiction.
|