Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-04
.QU|E|LY WORKING
FOR RECIPROCITY
The Chicago Committee Doing
Good Work In Agitation
for Tariff Revision
WOULD CONVERT THE SPEAKER
"Unclo Joe's" District is Being Can
vassed and He Is Receiving Some
Earnest Letters and kilograms
Urging Him to Stand for Reciprocity
and Revision.
peeial to Times-Republlcan.

Special to Times Republican.
nothing has been heard from the exc
cutlve committee appointed at the re-
ciprocity conference at Chicago the
committee is at work and doing good
work Mt that. The committee was ap-
pointed to devise means of carrying on
the agitation for reciprocity and tariff
revision. From absolutely reliable
sources 1t Is learned that the commit
tee has held meetings and formulated
its plans and is now at work carrying
them out. The committee decided in
the first place to do all the work quiet
ly and not to make any agitation thru
the newspapers. The first thing talk
en- In consideration was that there
could be nothing done with the tariff
unless 'Uncle Joe" Cannon OF Illinois.
the speaker Of the house was gotten in
line. 1t was reasoned that Mr.. Cam
non would get into line as soon as he
realized that his congressional district
was in favor of revision Acting on
this as a basis men We're sent into
Cannon's congressional district and
since then Cannon has been lombard
ed with letters and kilograms favoring
revision. The work has been done
Systematically but very thoroughly and
also very quietly. Other influential
congressman have been handled in the
same way and in this way the COM
mittee hopes to get tn line favoring
revision a large number of the influ
ential men OF the house. But II Is
realized that the autocratic powers In
the hands OF the speaker of the house
are such that he first of all must be
brought to favor revision.
In addition to this the committee
has had printed an address which has
been mailed to each congressman. The
address discusses the tariff question
briefly and analyses the political stu
alton and points out that unless there
is revision by the republicans there
will surely be revision by the demo-
Gratis The address contains a sug-
gested compromise OF the question in
some respects and points out with
ample proof that the people are in fav-
or of revision. During the coming
months the committee will seek to
put into the hands Of the congressman
additional proof along that line.
The fact is there will be no particu-
lar Recommendation for tariff revision
in the message Of President Roosevelt.
The message may recommend 1t but it
will be In mild terms. The stress in
the message VIII be on rate legislation.
The president and the friends of reci-
procity and revision all recognize that
there can be no revision till the rate
matter is out cf the way. 1t is hoped
that this will he out of the way early
in the congressional session and then
the president will send to congress a
strong special message on the revision
which has already been
written and which has been seen by
some. For this reason the committee
which. is working in harmony and with
the knowledge of the president hopes
that the tariff question will be taken
up at this session of congress.
The child labor legislation that is to be
asked of the legislature at the coming
session will be only such legislation
as is required by the conditions in this
state. 1t is argued by those support
ing the movement that unless there is
legislation that will protect the child
rem of the state from employment in
dangerous occupations and under un-
healthful conditions this state will be-
come dumping ground for factories
that make a business of employing
cheap labor the same as 1t Is now for
cheap and atulterated foods, because
there is no food law. 1t is proposed
to recommend in the bill to be present.
ed to the legislature that the law limit
the hours during which children can
be employed in factories and to pro-
hibit the employment of children at
some occupations There is no inten-
ton to place any restriction on the en-
nloyment of children on farms and at
out door work in the fresh air where
there can be no detriment to the child
At the present time in this state child
rem can be employed in powder rae
tories. They can be employed IN all
sorts of dangerous and hazardous oc-
cupations that any reasonable person
will admit they should not be employed.
There are practically no restrictions
on the employment of children In the
state. Those familiar with the condf-
tions in factories state that as sure as
the state remains without child Ia
bor law there will come to the state
factories that employ children, and II
for one or two decades the state re-
mains without an adequate child Ia
bor law the percentage of illiteracy
will be greatly increased in the state
and the standard Of citizenship will be
greatly lowered.
According to the federal census
about half the factories of the state
report the employment of 1,os5 chill
dren. The number of factories re-
porting that number is 4,7SS. OF that
number 81 button factories along the
Mississippi report the employment OF
81 children AS a matter Of fact 1t Is
definitely known that the button fac.