Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-05-23
ASSOCIATION SPEAKS OPENLY.
WOULD HAVE NEW TARIFF
Much Folly Written on Child Labor
ProbIem-Open Shop and no Boy
>tott Demanded-No Limitation of
Number of Appre ntices-New Per
lis and Issues.

a united states cnartGr TO corporations
doing interstate business and discussed
the pure food law from the standpoint
of one who believes that in these
days when hysteria and fanaticism
are running amuck through the coun-
ttry, and in many cases registering
themselves in the statutes. there is
IN especial reason for spirited,
! levelheaded men to use their intiu-
ence to check these tendencies. On
the food as we'll as on every other
question what the people want is sane
| legislation. We want laws to regu-
late and not to destroy industries"
He endorsed the proposed scheme OF
! inland waterways, declaring that not
only are the present railway facilities
of the country Inadequate, but there Is
neither labor Or capital sufficient t.
| build railways fast enough to meet
| the demand for transportation. There
! fore the rivers, so long displaced as
carriers by the railways, should again
| be pressed into service.
| Mr.. Van Cleave favored a revision Of
!
! by a non-plrtison commission. IN
| this way" he said, we could get q
tariff which business, and not the log
rolling of the politicians or the claTaOr
of the demagogues, would frame"
Mr.. Van Cleave declared that much
folly nad been written and spoken on
| the problem of child and woman labor
| He said. There has been an in
crease, OF course, since 1900, but most
of the lamentations on this subject are
eXtravagances or distortions and are
! based on ignorance Or mendacity.
For much of this child labor the
greedy ,shiftless, selfish parents are
as responsible as are the employers.
) If we'll conducted, and so long as it
does not interfere with their proper
educa tiOn, work benefits children, as
: it does adults favor the employ
ment of children of the proper age
land under proper sanitary conditions.
The latter restriction | would apply
also to the employment OF women"
In view Of the gradual adjustment
of the apprentice system in this coun-
! try, he strongly approved the extern
! tive for the maintenance of our indus
trial position. vi the general ques,
ton of the labor problem, Mr.. Van
Ceaye urged adherence TO the preVi-
uusly announced principles Of the as
sOciation:-
| The open shop.
| No boycott.
No limitation in the number of ap-
prentices.
No limitation in output.
No dictation by labor unions as to
the manner in which employers shall
manage their business
The newer issues" he s.l -, those
which are caused by a determination
of some of the labor union leaders to
tercorize the president, congress
judges and juries and make The labor
societies favored order in the CON-
munity-we must combat by educat-
ing employers and people in IKE
principles of good citizenship and by
a closer cooperation among the vari-
Gus societies of employers"
Mr.. Van Cleave reiterated his belief
in the value OF a great league of all
national organiza tons of employees
m order to concentrate energy and
effort for the accomplishment of the
ends toward which each of those or
carnations is now working independ-
emily.
| In conclusion he said:
New perils and issues confront us
in the industrial and social world to-
day which are larger than anytni lg
included in the creed of either of the
| great parties. They cover more than
| is comprised in tt designations re.
publican or democratic. They go down
to the fundamental principles on
which representative government aud
civilized society are based. By char
acteristic piece y. effrOntery the as
sailants of President Roosevelt pre-
tend to speak in the name Of labor
! Outside of the ranks of the labor So
cieties of all sorts there are 10000 600
persons in the United States who
work for wages. By their own esti
mates the members Of the American
federation of labor and those of al
the labor societies not affiliated with
that organization number little less
in the aggregate than 100000. But
President Roosevelts villifcrs do not
speak for even that small fragment OF
the wage workers of the United
States. Four-fifths of the members OF
the labor unions are law-abiding men
Many Of them are among our best
citizens. 1t is the ignoramuses and
the grafters who are at the head OF
many of these societies and who AFRO
gate to themselves the right to spea
in the name of their order, who are
bringing many of the labor unions into
disrepute, and who are making che
thames of some of the unions by-word
and a reproach among decent Amer.
cans and are the worst enemies OF
labor organizations"