The evening times., 1900-09-08

Dcmocrats in Washington today had for
their principal topics the loyal and forceful
speech CT Ex-senator Hill at Herkimer;
the probability of the return TO the Dem
ocratic fold of Grover Cleveland; the i'm
minent coal strike and the approaching
election in Maine. The Republicans in
Washington found little consolation in the
news of the day. Many OF them admit
that the signs of the times are against Mr..
Mckinley but they bolster themselves up
with the prophecy that the tide will turn;
that it is long time betwees now and the
election, and that at a corresponding pc
riod OF the last Presidential campaign Bry-
an and Sewan appeared to have fairer
prospects than Mckinley and Hobart. They
say that the excellence Of their party or
ganization will tell in the home stretch
The fact is, the Republicans find no con-
ISOLATION in the present and hang their hope
on the future. On the other side, the Dem
ocrats understand that they are in the
lead, but, knowing the uncertainties OF pol
tiles, they are working to retain the lead
and instead Of resting are really laboring
harder because of the encouragement they
receive.
Labor leaders in Washington manifest
considerable concern il the anthracite
troubles One OF them said:
"A great strike is sure to come and the
whole country knows that it has been
forced upon the men. The operators have
refused to arbitrate The Times in a re-
cent editorial summed up the situation wen
when 1t said
They refuse to treat with or recog-
niZe the Miners Union. declaring that sew
orally they always willing to confer
with their own employees This looks fair
on its face; but IN practice. when the men
OF any mine go to their operator with a
demand or grievance, he tells them that ne
cannot afford 10 concede the one or redress
the other unless all the ether operators
do the same. Thus the miners are barred
from reaching the operators as a body, eX-
cept through their own general organi2a-
tiOn-a great convenience to the operators,
which they utilize by ignoring thar oTganI,
cation.
The strike VIII hurt the Republican
party. II IS caused by the Coal Trust,
which is an auxiliary OF that party Penn
sylvaaia is Republican State and the
Governor and the commanding general OF
the National Guard are trust men. The
strike viii produce an effect against the
Republican party which viii be felt in ev-
cry ccal mining State. It viii have an in
cidertal effect all labor
ORGANIZED labor IS against the Repub-
reason why. The Legislative Committee
of the American Federation of Labor, IN
a report signed by Andrew FuTuseth,
George Chance. and T. F. Tracy made
detailed statement OF its efforts to secure
the passage CT new eight-hCur bill
which would provide iOr eight hours work
day and which would be difficult TO
evade. I have here the report. Part Of
it reads rs follows
a bill limiting the hours of daily ser
vice Of labOreTs and mechanics employed
Upon the public works OF, or work done
for, the United States or any Territory, or
the District OF Columbia, was introduced
by Representative Gardner of New Jersey
in the Fifty-fifth Congress and passed the
House It failed To pass the Senate. 1t
We @gain introduced in the House in the
Fitry-sfxth Congress and was passed on
May y, 1900, after nine hearings before
the House Committee en- Labor.
.Eighs OF these hearings were given
to the Representatives OF the Carnegie
Steel Works, the Bethlehem Steel Works
(both IN the Steel Trust. and both man
ufactarers of armOT piatel, the M!dv4Is
Steel Works the Newport News Snip
building Company, the New YORK snip
building Company. the Bath Shipbuilding
Company and the UniCn Iron Works, AM
other firms wlO contract with the Uni
ted States Government. The committee
OF the Federation of Labor at once pro
CeSQSQ TO WOFk IOI IIS passage Ol Ii4e Dlll
through the Senate. They state with
great particularly the trickery, treach
cry, and broken pledges they encountered
on all sides from Republican Sena tors
Those Senators who voted to smoth-
er the bill in the committee were R
pubIicans-Aliison, Baker, Beveridge,
Chandler, Deboe, Fairbanks, Foraker,
Foster GaIlingeT, Hale. Hanna. Hans
borough, Haw1ey, Kean, Lodge, McComas,
Mcmillan, Platt of Connecticut, Platt Of
New York, Proctor, Quaries, Ross. Scott.
Seweli, ShOup, Simon, ThurstOn, Warren,
WetmOTe, Walcott, and Stewart. One
Democrat, Mr.. Vest, voted with the Re
publicans.
Those who voted to rescue the bill from
the committee were: Democrats-Bacon,
Bate, Berry, Culberson, Daniel, Harris,
Money, Sullivan, TaIiaferro, TilIman, and
Turner. Republicans-Bard Carter, Clark,
Cullom, Jones of Nevada Mcbride, Mason,
Nelson, Penrose, and Teller Popuiists-
Butler, HeitfeId, and Pettigrew. Two of
the Republicans voting with the Democrats
on this labor proposition are supporting
Bryan and Stevenson, namely, Jones of
Nevada and Teller
One of the guides at the Capitol said to
a reporter today: II should say the indica-
tions shown by visitors to this building
are that Bryan will be elected.
Some years ago when visitors came to
the Capitol they used to ask me to point
out the seats OF such men as Reed, Car
Isle, Allison, and others. and then they
would go over and sit in them. Now they
are asking for the chairs of Pettigraw and
Wellington, and sitting in them. Yester-
day took nine OF party Of thirty-six Wis
itors from New York-alI men-threugh
the Capitol. They told me they all intend
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