Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-17
FAC|0R|ES INSPECTED
Action Resented by Some as an
Interference with Their
Private Affairs.
THREATEN THE INSPECTORS
When Law ia Explained Resistance
Ceases = Facts About the Inspection
Button Industry in Muscatine -
Democratic Newspaper in Des Mones
Aged Woman Killed by Street Car.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
1 Des Moines, Nov. 17.-During the
| past week E. D. Brigham, state labor
commissioner, made the required legai
inspection of the factories and estab-
tlishments employing large numbers Oh
lahorers in Muscatine. Mr.. Brigham
and Mr. Holder, his assistant, nave
| made the inspection Of factories in
| moss of the cities of the state, and are
| doing the work carefully, but as this
lis the first time there has ever been
/ any state factory inspection and the
work must therefore be commenced
from the foundation, they have met
with many obstacles. Some OF the
factory owners and managers resent
what they term interference with their
private affairs and in several instances
| they have threatened to throw out
| the inspectors. But when the law is
exnlaired and the managers Gomez to
understand the purposes of the inspec-
| ton it is rare that they resist. Whal
makes the inspection at this time most
Idif1fcult is the fact that in each ana
Ievery case must the law be explained
| for few Of the large employers OF Ia
Dor know anything about the law ana
many of them at first doubt the eA-
| isterce of any such law. Mr. Brlgnam
reports that he found in Muscatine
the biggest thing in the way OF
! manufacturing business he has yet en-
Iconntered. This is the button INDUS
! try Everything circles around the
buttons in Muscatine. They are all
but legal tender in Muscatine. 1t is
buttons, buttons everywhere. i was
greatly astonished at this button IN
I,1ustry," said Mr.. Brigham, and nave
gathered mass of information regard
ing it which will get together in prop
or shane as soon as possible and make
public l suppose these factories are
paying out as much as SS00,Voo an
n4lalIs for wages in Muscatine, per-
! hsss,, more, and they give employment
| to a large army of employees. But right
now they could give employment TO 5o
or 100 additional men, such is the pres
sure OF the business. Every person
who can be got to work in the factories
is pressed into service in Muscatlne
and business is good. judge tnat ali
the factories are prosperlng as never
before I found some child labor III
the factories, more than there ought
to be, and yet the employers are try
ing to make conditions of labor as
good as possible. They have not very
good buildings as yet and are just
building up their plants and machinery.
They are sure to make improvements
in the future. I found great lack of
fire escapes in all the factories of Mus
catine-only one fire escape in the city,
in fact" Mr.. Brigham was greatly
pleased with the situation in Muscatine
and yet found some things which need
rectifying and will consult with the
governor in regard to these matters
before acting. There is no doubt that
the factory inspection under the new
law will have a beneficial effect on the
Industries in Iowa and that 1t will lead
to still further legislation for the pro
lection Of the lives and health of the
persons employed in large numbers
in the trades.
There are some signs Of an effort
to revive democratic newspapering In
Des Moines at an early date. Formerly
there were two democratic weekly pa
pers here, but the Gazette winked out
some timel ago, and the Democrat alone
has the field. Its name is all that is
an assurance that it has politics save
the record that 1t is regularly selected
as one of the papers to do the county
printing. More recently there has been
talk Of new paper being started.
with H M. Rebok, formerly Indian
agent at Tana, as editor Mr.. Reboh
has moved to Des Moines and was
connected with the democratic state
committee Mr.. Jackson, chairman OF
the committee, encouraged the idea that
there should be democratic paper
here. Since the talk has started about
Rebok starting semiweekly demo-
cratic paper the Democrat has am
nounced that it will become semi-week-
ly and occupy the entire field" The
movement fer democratic daily paper
never got any further than q move
ment.
Mrs Mary A. Swan, a woman of 81.
Was struck by a street car and Killed
in Des Moines one day last week. The
incident recalled that she was relfct
of one who in his time was con-
spicuous man in the community in
which he lived Her husband was
George NJ Swan to whom she was
married in Columbus, Ohio, in lS40.
Mr.. Swan was for many years well
Inown journalist of the Buckeye state.
He was connected with a number of
country newspapers and in 1S4S be-
came Unidentified with the Ohio Tribune
at Columbus. In 1854 he changed its
name to Swans Elevator, and sub
sequently to that of Columbus Elevator.
In 1855, after he had made his mark
as q journalist there and the paper
had become prosperous he sold out,
and the name of the paper was after
wards changed to Columbus Gazette
under which name it was published
many years. Mr.. Swan had at one
time published newspaper in Nor
walk, Ohio, and when he came to Iowa
previous to 1S40 he plated the town
Of Norwalll in Warren county. after
wards conducted hotel there and vas
postmaster many years. He died IN
1863