Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-10-02
PEOPLES PULPIT.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

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Come Now, Let Us Reason Together.
Editor Courier: The time is fast
approaching when the voters of the
sixth district will be called upon at
the polls to elect man to represent
them in congress. There are two can
didates asking their support, viz:
John P. Reese and John f. Lacey. Mr..
Reese bases his claim for the Office on
the ground that he has been the presi-
dent of the union miners and repre-
sents organized labor, which is no
claim to the office whatever, whis MI.
Lacey's records stand as an open
book for the miners to look at When
my mind goes back to history | find
that James B. Weaver made the same
claim few years ago. He said he
represented the laboring man and ex-
hibited miniature coal screen wher-
ever he made speech during the
campaign, showing how the miners
| were robbed and so on. He was elected
to congress and served his term, but
there is no record to show he ever
raised his voice during the entire term
to remedy the matter. Later on came
one Fred White, another representa-
tive of labor; one that lived in the
| community of the largest coal district
| in Iowa at the time (What Cheer).
He counseled the miners there regu--
| larly as to their wants and there was
not a man in the district more famil-
lar with the miners and their daily
wants than White. He was elected to
/ congress, but what does his record
show? He raised a great howl against
| free wool AS far as the miner is con
cerned, he has just as much use for
| free wool as wagon has for five
| wheels. Whites term expired and we
| have no record to show he went any
farther as to the miners wants. The
question comes right here "Why was
it thus?" Simply because they repre-
sented the minority party and knew it
was useless to do otherwise, but failed
to admit it during the campaign.
| Why? Because they wanted the office.
These fellows would have raised them,
| selves greatly in the estimation of the
average miner had they even tried to
do this. This same rule will apply to
John P. Reese.
/ He represents the minority party
and should he be elected, which he
will not be. when his time expires
what will his record show? A cipher
in history.
The Monroe County News comes out
and says John P. Reese pays thirty-fve.
| per cent of his salary to the anthra-.
1 cite strike; how much does John f.
Lacey pay? This is no claim for the
miners vote as John P. Reese is like
the writer. He pays the money be-
cause he has to. in order to hold his
membership in the union. fact well
known to the large family of Courier
readers, who will admit force is not
necessary to a choice in no case.
John F. Lacey, the present member
of congress, is asking the vote of the
miners for reelection, and should be
elected. The question might come up,
'Why?" Examine his record and you
will see why. He practices after cleo
ton what he preached before election
On taking his seat in congress he en-
amined the records. He found no min
ing legislation on record and went to
work and put some there in the form
| of legislation for the territories,
! which was as far as he could CO.
Examine that bill and the miners will
/ find that it covers every obstacle the
miner meets with daily while at work
in the mines.
AS they must admit the territories
now have far better laws on mining
/ than the states ever had / want the
miners of the sixth district to read Mr..
Lacey's speech on the floor Just after
the disastrous explosion at Krebs, on
urging the passage of his last bill, viz:
a bill to Increase the volume of air in
the mines, dampen the roads: putting
on shot firers, which are paid by the
coal company, not by the miners as
/ the Iowa law now provides. In maxi
ing that speech Mr.. Lacey was inter-
/ rupted by member from Texas with
the question: DO the miners want
this measure for relief?" Note the
answer. yes, | have counseled John
! Mitchell, the national president of the
4 Miners union, on the matter and he
says urge the passage of the bill by all
means and the bill was passed and
became law. One fault that Mr..
Reese's adherents have to mining
legislation, is, they say, that
there is no penalty attached
even if the laws are violated.
Examine these measures, which hope
to see in the columns of the Courier
during the campaign, and you will find
a penalty of $500 attached, MT for the
violation of the entire BILL brt for the
violation of any part thereof NSoSthis
allegation is overcome in this bill,
which is an important one.
The writer during his residence in
the various mining camps in Iowa. has
written many resolutions and requests
to congress, while in session and by
special request sent them to only one
man, John F, Lacey, as he was known
as the miners friend and Just why the
miners should want his seat in CON.
gress filed by an inexperienced man
like Mr.. Reese is a conundrum.
An Experienced Miner