The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-04

far practicable under the conditions of
government work, provision should be made
TO render the enforcement of the eight-hOur
law easy and certain. In all industries car
ried directly or Indirectly for the United
States government women and children
should be protected from excessive hours
of labor, from night work and from work
under unsanitary conditions The govern
ment should provide in its contracts THAI
all work should be done under fair con-
ditions, and in addition to setting a high
standard should uphold it by proper in
spection, extending if necessary to the sub
contractors. The government should for
bid all night work for women and chill
dren, as well as excessive overtime. For
the District of Columbia good factory law
should be passed; and, a powerful indi-
rect aid to such laws. provision should be
made to turn the inhabited alleys, the ex-
istence Of which is a reproach to our capt.
tai city; into minor streets, where the in
able to health and morals.
SECRET OF OUR SUCCESS.
American wage-workers work with their
heads well as their hands. Moreover
they take a keen pride in what they are
doing; that, independent of the reward,
they wish to turn out a perfect job. This
is the great secret of our success in compe-
tition with the labor of foreign countries.
The most vital problem with which this
country, and for that matter the whole
civilized world, has to deal is the problem
which has for one side the betterment Of
social conditions, moral and physical, in
large cities, and for another side the eff
fort to deal with that tangle Of far-reaching
questions which we group together when
we speak of labor" The chief factor in
the success of each man - wage-worker,
farmer and capitalist alike-must ever be
| the sum total of his own individual quail
| ties and abilities. Second only to this
comes the power Of acting in combination
or association with others. Very. great good
has been and will be accomplished by as
| sociations or unions Of wage-workers when
| managed with forethought and when they
| combine lnsistence upon their own rights
| with law-abidlng respect for the rights of
| others. The display of these qualities in
| such bodies is a duty to the Nation no
less than to the associations themselves.
Finally, there must also in many cases be
| action by the government in order to safe
guard the rights and interests of all. IN
| DER our Constitution there is much more
| municipality than by the Nation. But on
points such as those touched above the
| national government can act.
When all is said and done the rule Of
| brotherhood remains as the indispensable
| prerequisite to success in the kind of ma
| tional life for which we strive. Each man
| must work for himself, and unless he so
works no outside help can avail him; but
each man must remember also that he is
| indeed his brothers keeper, and that while
| no man who refuses to walk can be car
| ried with advantage to himself or any one
| else, yet that each st times Stumbles or
| halts, that each at times needs to have
| the helping hand outstretched to him To
| be permanently effective aid must always
take the form OF helping man to help
| himself, and we can all best help ourselves
| by joining together in the work that is of
| common interest TO ALL
| OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS NOT GOOD
| Our present immigration laws are unsat-
| isfactory. We need every honest and ef-
| ficient immigrant fitted to become an Amer
lean citizen, every immigrant who comes
| here to stay. who brings here a strong
| body, stout heart, a good head and a
| resolute purpose to do his duty well in
| every way and to bring up his children as
| law-abiding and God-fearing members of
the community. But there should be a
| comprehensive law enacted with the object
| of working threefold Improvement over
| our present system. First, we sould aim
| to exclude absolutely not only all persons
| who are known to be believers IN anarchis-
| tic principles or members Of anarchistic
| societies, but also all persons who are OF
| low moral tendency or of unsavory reputa-
| ton This means that We should require
a more thorough system OF inspection
| abroad and more rigid system Of exami-
nation at our immigration ports, the former
| being especially necessary.
The second object Of proper immigration
| law ought to be to secure by a careful and
not merely perfunctory educational test
1
/ American institutions and act Sanely as
American citizens. This would not keep out
| all Anarchists, for many Of them belong
TO the intelligent criminal class. But il
would do what is also in point, that is,
/ tend to decrease the sum OF ignorance. so
potent in producing the envy, suspicion,
| malignant passion and hatred of order. out
| of which anarchistic sentiment inevitably
| springs. Finally all persons should be ex-
| Guided who are below a certain standard OF
| economic fitness to enter industrial
4 field as competitors with American labor.
There should be proper proof Of personal
/ capacity to earn an American living and
| enough money to insure a decent start IN
| der American conditions. This would stop
| the influx Of cheap labor and resulting COM
/ petition which gives rise to so much of bit
| terness in American industrial life, and
| II would dry up the springs OF the pestilen-
| tial social conditions In our great cities.
where anarchistic organizations have their
| greatest possibility OF growth.
| Both the educational and the economic
| tests in wise immigration law should be
| designed TO protect and elevate the gen.
| eral body polite and social A very close
| supervision should be exercised over the
steamship companies which mainly bring