The Meeker herald., 1900-02-24

would have been made on the subject.
Chairman Hepburn of the House
committee ON Interstate and foreign
commerce has submitted the report OF
the committee In favor Of the Hepburn
bill for constructing the Nicnraguan
canal. The report says In part: "If the
provisions of the bill can be carried out
the United States will within few
years (from six to eight be in fun
ownership and control Of waterway
connecting the oceans, that 1t can de
| fend and that II can use In the interests
| of its navy and Its merchant marine a.
wisdom may dictate. There seems to
be but little doubt that the states Of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica will give
their consent for the construction Of
this great work. 1t will traverse either
the border or the interior Of Nicaragua
for a distance Of about 100 miles. II
will give to that state waterway
from it's capital and Its most productive
region to the sea. 1t will place that
country on one of the leading water
ways Of the world, bringing it into i'm
mediate contact with large foreign
commerce and those who conduct II.
In very many ways the state will have
advantages not now possessed, ana
that will I've for long time lost II an
other route by which the oceans are
connected should be adopted. All OF
these considerations induce the BELIEF
that these two enlightened states WIZ
be glad to aid our government cordially
and efficiently In carrying ont thts
great design. 1t is true that the estt
mates of cost are variable, ranging ak
they do from less than 40,OOO,OOO to 2
possible $145,OOOO0O. 1t is, howevet
proper to say that the size and charn4
| ter Of the canal estimated for IL rs yn9
liable as the cost. The earliest estl-
mates were for canal suited to the
ships Of the time. The later estimates
are for ships of this time. Fifteen feet
depth and fifty feet width was the size
of the earliest project. Thirty feet
depth and 100 feet width are the d.
mansions of the later proposed canal
For several weeks skillful attorneys
have been engaged In drafting law
for the American Federation of Labor
| to be introduced into Congress to pre-
vent future interference by United
| States courts with strikes and other In
Dor movements. The purpose of the
proposed law is to prevent employers
of labor from appealing to the courts
| for injunctions and other orders for
| their own protection and the protection
of nOn-union labor which they may EN-
ploy This IL not new subject. 1t
has been under discussion for many
years, and n number of bills have been
| Introduced into both houses of Con-
gress from time to time to exclude or
ganized labor from the Jurisdiction Of
| the courts. but no bill yet drafted has
commanded the support ana approval
of any committee in Congress. The
American Federation of Labor took
the matter up last fall and employed
some of the ablest attorneys In the
country. The result Of their work, in
the form Of a bill, has been submitted
to the executive council of the fcdern-
ton, consisting Of President G0mpers,
Vice Presidents Mcclure, James Dun
can, James O'COnnell, John Mitchell,
Max Morris and Thomas I. Kidd,
Treasurer John p. Lennon and Secre-
tary Frank Morrison, which now has 1t
under consideration. As soon as 1t re-
celves the committees approval 1t will
| be introduced In both houses OF Con-
gress and Is awaited with great inter-
| est by labor men. There il almost uni
versal doubt on the part of lawyers In
| Congress whether 1t Is possible for hui
man ingenuity to devise method by
which the labor unions may be made
exempt from the action of the civil
|
cago, member of the House commit
tee on labor, who has been in Congress
several terms. and has always taken
deep interest in the subject. having
| framed bill himself to restrict the use
| Of injunctions. admits that he has been
| unable to draft measure that was
worth the paper it was written on.
The correspondent of the Chicago
f..II.
| 1.-The action of the Senate In passing
the currency bill by such an over
whelming majority ought to remove
the financial question from politics in
definitely, because, even If Mr.. Bryan
or some other Silver Democrat were
elected president in November and had
a Democratic majority In the House of
Representatives behind him he could
not repeal this law for at least six
years. The tariff question is out of
politics for the same reason. 1t will lie
at least six years before the Dingley
law can be repealed or materially al
tered Ii the Democrats should capture
every seat In the United States Senate
between now and March 4, 1906, they
would not be able to secure majority
until that time. Nor Is 1t possible by
any political mnneuver or by any vote
Of the people at the polls to pass law
for the free coinage of silver at 16 to 1.
or at any other ratio, until 1906, ex-
cept in the improbable event of an cpl
demlc which shall carry off the Re
publican majority in the Senate and
the election of an equal number of free
silverites to fill their seats. Hence sew
eral of the Democratic leaders argue
that 1t is useless for their candidate
for the presidency to go before the
country upon the free coinage issue or
the Chicago platform. The suggestion
that the chances Of Mr.. Bryan's cleo
ton will be strengthened by the GER
tainty that he cannot disturb the finan-
cial policy of the government Is met
with another suggestion that he is de-
prived of his strongest argument. and