The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-07-08
REILLY WRITES OPEN
 LETTER TO NESBITI
Tells About Child Labor Bill In the Leplslature-Mr. Conner and
 MT. Flynn.

A. J. Reilly, the well known engineer and coal operator and ex-member of the legislature submits the following open let ter:
 w. D. Nesbitt, Esq, City.
 Dear Sir-In a conversation l had some time ago in the city of Mobile with Mr Max Hamburger, he stated that MT. B. B. Conner had been publicly posing as an advocate of organized labor. In re- ply l made the statement that he was no more a friend of organized labor than was, that l considered it rather hypo- critical for any one who employed labor extensively to claim that they were friendly to organized labor unless they saw their way clear of deriving some personal good from it and that when introduced the child labor bill In the leg islature of 1900 that all the cotton mill men of the state, of which MT. Conner was one, formed and paid a lobby of lawyers of which Wilson Brown was at the head, to defeat it.
 MT. Conner has since written me let ter in which he denied being present or of having contributed a cent towards de- feating the bill, and MT. Wilson Brown in letter to the Evening News has reiter- ated his statement. One part .of,~-+1Te srss Alrf + Conner I can vouch for
 myself. He was not present, and as to
 his not contributing financially to its de- feat l am perfectly willing to believe MT. Corners statement and that of MT.
 Browns. That he was not opposed to the passage of the child labor bill at that time l won't believe unless Mir Conner is willing to come out and say so. 1 hhave already written MT. Conner a letter to this effect, and said that he could pub- fish it if he wished to.
 Mr. Flynn's letter. which accompanies your statements, does me an injustice don't deserve, and in answer to 1t would like to ask MT. Flynn series of ques- ] tions Did not he, amongst others in their
 talks before my committee, make refer ! ence to MT. Comers mill as being par
 ticulary objectionable on account of the employment of child labor?
 Does he believe that at that time MT
 Conner was in favor of the passage of
 the child labor bill?
 Does he believe that ar any time MT. l, Conner favored organized labor.
 Does he not know that the bill he re-
 fers to in his letter opposed, that l opposed it only on account of two clauses and that when these were eliminated that I called up the bill myself, that
 voted for it and that it passed the house and was afterwards defeated in the sen ate?
 DOeS ne HOl kflOWl ftiittb -tlo Noig pii
 he speaks about was passed over my head in my committees with the two
 clause that I objected to by the lobby
 in order to punish me for my advocacy of the 'child labor bill? yAse am not friend, of the United Mine Workers in this district as they are al present conducted and have never pre- | tended to be- and neither is any man 1T the district that works them and Mir Ir, ha I llndaF cir cumstances cared to hide my record. I have decided objection to newspaper
 notoriety and I am very. sorry that my
 remarks In Mobile have stirred up such
 remarkable number of newspaper ar
 ticles. but any man can be pushed until
 he has to defend himself and If you want to keen the matter up why I will have to help you out. Yours very truly, A. J. REILLY. ! Birmingham, July 7 1906.