Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-04

worked by the men Is now worked by
women and children. Cheap labor Is
the real issue. 1t is not so much the
age limit of 49,, but get the ones who
will do the work cheap. If just and
humane laws were put into force such
as would compel the child to go to
school instead of to the shop there
would be no age limit, false or other
wise. Jesus said, Suffer little chill
dren to come unto me and forbid them
not Greedy employers are saying
the same thing today and are gather
ing in the little children and discharg-
ing the father. Improved machinery
which should be- blessing to mankind
is turned into an instrument of torture
for the men who have managed to live
until they are 40 years of age. The
new golden rule or the manufacturers
versions of Christs teachings means
that we must dye the hair and lie I
about our ages. In the dim and misty
past some one said that grey hairs
were honorable. This may have been
true then and perhaps is now but I'M
der existing conditions they are
mighty unhandy. They may have been
honorable before the present money
mad rush for commercial and indus.
trial supremacy set in, but from a cap
italist's standpoint it's more honorable
to be very young and ready to work
cheap.
Miners Convention. -''s'
The miners of district thirteen com
prising all of Iowa and the northern
| tier of counties in Missouri. will CON
vene next Tuesday at Des Moines. 1t
is almost certain that majority of the
old officers will be reelected and that
the meeting will be harmonious. Many
new amendments to the constitution
will be proposed and new rules of dis
cipline for the craft will be put in
force Fully $50 delegates will be in
attendance. One of the main features
of the convention will be the consider
alton of re-afiliation of the State Fed
Grafton of Labor. President Arthur
ton of Labor, will be in attendance as
will many other labor leaders of note.
State Federation of Labor.
The State Federation of Labor,
which convenes at san Cedar
Rapids May IS, will be
most important labor convention
in the history of the labor movement
| in Iowa. The convention will be COM
posed of men who have had years of
| training in the labor movement and
know every phase of industrial condi-
ton of the country. The State FEEDER
alton of Labor has been great bene-
| fit to the wage Garner of Iowa.
| Through the efforts of its legislative
committee laws that would be oppres-
sive to the toilers have been defeated
and numerous other laws and9eity or
dinaces have been passed as desired
by this organization. Among the laws
proposed, which We're defeated is the
garnishee bills which provided that 10
\ percent of the wages of the heads of
families should be subject to garnish-
ment. Should the garnishment law
have applied to all classes of people
as we'll as wage earners in all prob
ability it would have passed. but be-
ing aimed at the wage Garner alone it
was defeated for the reason of past
legislation. There will be a strong
delegation go from Ottumwa to repre-
sent the labor interests of this city in
the state federation of labor conven,
ton.
Painters, Decorators and Paper Hang
erS.
The Brotherhood of Painters, Deco
rators and Paper Hangers have adopt,
ed their new scale of wages, which
has been endorsed by the Trades and
Labor Assembly and the Building
Trades Council The same is being
presented to the master painters for
their signatures. Ninety-five per cent
of the contractors have attached their
names to the new wage scale for the
season OF 1902 and everything is sail
ing along in successful manner
Building Trades Council.
4 President James King of the Build
ing Trades Council. reports everything
moving along rapidly for that organiza
ton. The regular weekly meetings
are held every Saturday evening al
Bricklayers' hall, which are we'll at
tended and a general spread OF enthu
siasm seems to be the result among
all members of the building crafts in
this city.
Building Trades Laborers.
The hod carriers. bricklayers anG
, mortar-mixers of this city report that
they have adopted new scale anC
that the same is being readily signed
!, by the building contractors of this
city. This union, although a little
t over a year old. is a model for VIVA
the trade union will do for the toilcr
Previous to it's organization this Graf
was employed for wages as low as
$f35 per day. Through their organ
ization they have increased the wages
nearly, fifty per cent and shortened tht