Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-12-06

break The one hope for success for
our people lies ia 4 resolute and fear
less but sane and cool headed advance
along the path marked out last year
by this very congress There must be
a stern refusal 10 be misled into fol
lowing either that base creature who
appeals and panders to the lowest In
stincis and passions in order to arouse
one set Of Americans against their fell
lows or that other creature, equally
base. but no baser, who in spirit of
greed or 10 accumulate or add to an
already huge fortune seeks TO exploit
his fellow Americans with Callous dis
regard to their welfare of soul and
body. The man who debauches others
in order TO obtain Il high Office stands
on an evil equality OF corruption with
the man who debauches others for
financial profit and when hatred Is
sown the crop which springs up can
only be evil.
The plain people who think-the me-
chanics, farmers, merchants, workers
with head or hand, the men to whom
American traditions are dear, who love
their country and try to act decently
by their neighbors-owe ii to them
selves to remember that the most dam
aging blow that can be given popular
government is to elect an unworthy
and sinister agitator on a platform OF
violence and hypocrisy.
Railroad Employer Hours.
| call your attention to the need Of
passing the bill limiting the number Of
hours of employment Of railroad en-
ployees. The measure is very moder-
ate one, and can conceive of no seri-
Gus objection TO it, Indeed, so far as
it Is in our power, it should be our aim
steadily to reduce the number of hours
OF labor, with as a goal the general in
PRODUCTION Of an eight hour day. There
are industries in which il Is not pos
sible that the hours OF labor should
be reduced, just as there are communi-
ties not far enough advanced for such
a movement TO be for their good, or, IL
in the tropics. so situated that there Is
no analogy between their needs and
ours In this matter. On the iSthmus
of Panama. for instance, the condi-
tons are i'll every way so different
from what they are here that an eight
hour day would be absurd, just as it
is absurd, 50 far as the isthmus is con-
cerned. where white labor cannot be
employed. to bother as to whether the
necessary work is done by alien black
men or by alien yellow men. But the
wageworkers of the United States are
OF so high grade that alike from the
merely industrial standpoint and from
the civic standpoint 1t should be our
object to do what we can in the direc-
ton Of securing the general observance
of an eight hour day.
Let me again urge that the congress
provide for thorough investigation
Of the conditions of child labor and Of
the labor of women In the United
States. The horrors incident to the
employment Of young children In fac
tories or at work anywhere are n blot
on our civilization.
In spite Of all precautions exercised
by employers there are unavoidable ac-
cidents and even deaths involved in
nearly every line of business connect
ed with the mechanic arts. 1t is
great social injustice to compel the en-
ployee, or. rather, the family of the
killed or disabled victim, to bear the
entire burden of such an inevitable
sacrifice In other words, society shirks
Its duty by laying the whole cost on
the victim, whereas the injury comes
from what may be called the legiti-
mate risks of the trade. Compensation
for accidents or deaths due in any line
Of industry to the actual conditions un-
der which that industry is carried on
should be paid by that portion of the
community for the benefit Of which
the industry is carried on-that is. by
those who profit by the industry. II
the entire trade risk is placed upon the
employer, he will promptly and prop
erly add it to the legitimate cost of pro-
duction and assess it proportionately
upon the consumers Of his commodity
1t Is therefore clear 10 my nina tnat
the law should place this entire "risk
Of trade" upon the employer.
Capital and Labor Disputes.
Records show that during the twen-
ty years from Jan. /, 1881, to Dec. 81,
500 establishments. and G10j,694 EN-
ployees were thrown out of employ
ment During the same period there
were 1905 lockOuts, involving nearly
10000 establishments. throwing over
100000 people out of employment.
These strikes and lockouts involved an
estimated loss to employees of S307,-
100000 and to employers of $143,000,-
600, a total of S45O,OOO,O0O. The public
suffered directly and indirectly prob
ably as great additional loss.
Many of these strikes and lockout.
would not have occurred had the par
ties to the dispute been required to
appear before an unprejudiced body
representing the nation and, face to
face, state the reasons for their con
tention. The exercise Of judicial
spirit by a disinterested body repre-
senting the fec eral government, such
as would be provided by commission
on conciliation and arbitration, would
tend to create an atmosphere Of friend
illness and concilation between con-
tending parties.
Control of Corporations.
1t cannot too often be repeated that
experience has conclusively shown the
impossibility of securing by the actions
of nearly half hundred different state
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos i'll the way Of dealing with the
great corporations which do not oper-
ate exclusively within the limits OF
any one state. In some method, wheth-
er by national license law or in other
fashion, we must exercise, and that at
an early date. far more complete
control than at present over these great
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