Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-05

r me purreyorS OF SeuSa tional SANDER In
| newspaper or magazine are the worst
enemies of all men who are engaged in
an honest effort to better what Is bad
In our soclui aud governmental condi.
| tons.
Corruption Is never so rife us In com.
mnnlttcs where the dnmagogue and the
/ Lgi,a;or bear full sway. because in
such communities all moral bands be-
| come looscncd. and hysteria and seusu.
tonai!sm replace the spirit of sound
| Judgment and fair dealing us between
| man and man. In sheer revolt against
the squnlid anarchy thus produced men
are sure In the end 10 turn toward any
! leader who can restore order. aud then
! their relief at being free from the In.
toleiHbie burdens of class hatred, vo-
| renee ant denngOgy Is such that they
cannot for some time be aroused to In.
diSnation against m!stlccds by men OF
wealth. SO that they permit a new
! growth of the very abuses which were
In part responsible for the original out.
break. The one hope for success for
our people Hes In d rcsolute and fear
less but sane and cool headed advance
along the path marked out last year
Ivy this very congress. There must be
stern refusal 10 be mislcd into fol.
lowing either that base creature who
ippcals and pandcrs to the lowest In.
Stincts and passions in order to arouse
! one set of Americans against their fcl.
lows or that other creature, equally
base. but no bascr, who IN spirit OF
tn lntf N
already huge fortune seeks to exploit
his fellow Americans with callous dis
regard to their welfare of soul and
body. The man who dcbauchcs others
In order TO obtain n high office stands
on an evil equality of corruption with
the man who dcbauchcs others for
financial profit, and when hatred Is
sown the crop which springs up can
only be evil
The plain people who thnk-the me.
chanics, farmers, merchants. workers
with head or hand, the men TO whom
American traditions arc dear, who love
their country and try to act dccentIy
by their neighbors owe 1t to them.
selves to remember that the most dam
aging blow that can he given popular
government Is to elect nm unworthy
and sinister agitator on platform of
violence and hypocrisy.
Railroad Employces' Hours.
l call your attention to the need OF
passing the bill limiting the number of
hours OF employment of railroad en-
ployees. The measure Is II very moder-
ate one, and | can conceive Of no seri-
Gus objection to it. Indeed, so far rs
1t Is In our power. it should be our aim
steadily to reduce the number OF hours
or labor, with rs goal the general In
PRODUCTION of IN eight hour day. There
are industries In which 1t is not pos
slble that the hours OF labor should
be reduced, Just us there are communi.
ties not far enough advanced for such
movement to be for their good, or. If
In the tropics, so situated that there Is
no analogy between their needs and
ours in this matter. On the lsthmus
of Panama, for instance. the condi.
tons are IN every way so different
from what they are here that an eight
hour day would he absurd, just as 1t
is absurd, so far rs the isthmus Ia con-
cerncd, where white labor cannot be
employed to bother ms to whether the
necessary work Is done by alien black
men or by alien yellow men. But the
wngeworkcrs of the United States are
Of so high Il 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 dlrec-
ton Of securing the general observance
of an eight hour day
Let me again urge that the congress
provide for Il 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 mt work anywhere are 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 IL n
great soca! injustice to compel the en-
plOyee. or. rather, the family OF the
killed or disabled victim, to bear the
entire burden of such nm inevitable
sacrifice In other words. society shirks
its duty by laying the whole cost OH
the victim, whereas the injury comes
from what may he called the legiti-
mate risks Of the trade. Compensation
for accidents or deaths due in any line
of industry to the actual conditions IN.
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. ri
the entire trade risk Is placed upon the
employer, he will promptly and prop
nrla. all IL lao