Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-06

coasts OF Louisiana ana IeXaS, thanks
| to the department of agriculture, a
rice suitable to the region was i'm
ported from the Orient and the rice
crop is now practically equal to ou,
needs in this country. whereas, few
years ago it supplied but one-fourth
of them. The most important of our
farm products is the grass crop. and
to show what has been done with
grasses. 1 need only allude to the
striking change made In the entire
west by the use of alfalfa.
There are number of important
questions such as that of good roads
with which the states alone can deal,
and where all that the national govern
ment can do is to cooperate with them.
The same is true of the education OF
the American farmer. A number of
states have themselves started to help
in this work and the department. of
agriculture has done an immense
amount which is in the proper sense
of the word educational, and education
al in the most practical way.
Wage Workers.
"But the wage workers in our cities.
like the capitalists in our cities. face
totally changed conditions. Develop
ment of machinery and extraordinary
change in business conditions have
rendered the employment of capital
and Of persons in large aggregations
not merely profitable, but often neces-
sary for success, and have specialized
the labor of the wage worker At the
same time they have brought great
aggregations Of wage workers together.
More and more in our great industrial
they can not live as Independently of
one another as in the old days was the
case everywhere, and as is now the
case in many country districts.
OF course, fundamentally each man
will yet find that the chief factor in
determining his success or failure in
life is the sum OF his own individual
qualities. He cannot afford to lose his
individual initiative. his Individual
will and power; hut he can best use
that power II for certain objects he
unites with his fellows. Much can be
done by organization, combination, un-
ion among the wage-workers; finally
something can be done by the direct
action of the state. It Is not possible
to declare when the inter-
ference of the state should be deemed
legitimate and when illegitimate.
The line OF demarcation between
unhealthy overinterference and un-
healthy lack Of regulation is not always
well defined, and shifts with the change
in our industrial needs. Most certainly
we should never invoke the interfer-
1c .ko 8
is absolutely necessary; but 1t is equal
iy true that when confident of its ne
cessity we should not on academic
grounds refuse it. Wise factor laws.
laws to forbid the-cmptoynert OF -Aild
labor and to safeguard The employees
against the effects OF culpable negli-
gence by the employer are necessary
not merely in the interest of the wage
worker. but in the interest of the hon-
est and humane employer, who should
not be penalized for his honesty and
by being exposed to un-
checked competition with an unscrup-
ulous rival. 1t Is far more difficult to
deal with the greed that works through
cunning than with the greed that works
through violence. But the effort to
deal with 1t must be steadily made.
Aiding Labor.
..Very much of our effort in refer
ence to labor matters should be by ev-
cry device and expedient to try to Sc
cure constantly better understand
ing between employer and employee.
Everything possible should be done to
increase the sympathy and fellow
feeling between them, and every chance
4, 1r0t of oil N
tions, especially at questions In dispute,
some what through the others eyes. II
met with sincere desire to act fairly
by one another, and II there is, further
more, power by each to appreciate the
others standpoint. the chance for trou-
BILE is minimized. / suppose every
thinking man rejoices when by media
ton or arbitration it proves possible to
settle troubles in time to avert the
suffering and bitterness caused by
strikes. Moreover, conciliation COM
mittee can do best work when the trou-
be is in its beginning. or at least has
not come to head. When the break
has actually occurred, damage has
been done, and each side feels sore
and angry and it is difficult to get
them together-difcult to make either
forget Its wrongs and remember the
rights of the other. II possible the
effort at conciliation or mediation or
arbitration should be made in the ear
lier stages, and should be marked by
the wish on both sides to try to come
to common agreement which each
shall think In the interests Of the
other as well as of itself.
Coal Commission.
.eWhen we deal with such a subject
we are fortunate in having before us an
admirable object lesson in the work
that has just been closed by the an
thracite coal strike commission. This
was the commission which was ap-
pointed last fall at the time when the
strike in the anthracite regions threat
ened our nation with q disaster sec
ond to none which has befallen US
since the days of the civil war. Their
report was made just before the SEN
ate adjourned at the special session;
and no government document of recent
years marks a more important piece
of work better done, and there is none
which teaches sounder social morality
to our people. The commission con-
sisted of seven as good men as were
to be found in the country, represent
ing the bench, the church, the army, the
professions, the employers, and the
employed. They acted as unit. and
the report which they unanimously
signed is a masterpiece of sound sense
and of sound doctrine on the very
questions with which our people should
most deenly concern themselves The