The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-12-04

J
actment OF n law which viii at the same
time bring federal legislation M TO the
standard nlrcaly established bv all the
European countries, and which win serve
NJ etlmuna TO tho various states 10
perfect their legislation in tals regard
Favors Extension Of
the Elsht,Rour Law
-che congress should consider the OK
tension Of the cight-honr lev, The con-
stitutonality Of the present law has re-
contly been called into question and the
supreme court has decided that the oy-
listing legislation Is unuucstionahly with
IN the pow crs of the congress. The prn-
cnle OF tho eight-hour day should as
rapidly and MS lnr rs practicable he OK
tended to the entire work carried on by
abe government; and the present law
should be amended to embrace contracts
on those public works which the present
wording OF the act has been construed 10
exclude Tho general Introduction Of tho
night hour daY should be tho goal toward
which we should eteldHy tend, ana the
government should sot tho example IN
This respect
Compulsory Investigation Of
Industrial Disputes
Strikes and lockoils. with their at
tcndant loss and suffering continue 10
increase. For tho fiye years ending De-
comhcr ~, 1905. the number Of strikes
was. greater than those IN auY previous
scn years and WAS double tho number
in the preceding dvc years. These tiS-
ures Indicate the increasing need or
providing some machinery TO deal with
this class of disturbances In the inter-
esq alike - tho employer THO employe
and the general public. | renew my
previous recommendation that the con
Eress favOrably consider the matter or
creating tho machinery for compulsory
Investigation Of guch INDUSTRIAL contro
versies as are ~ Sufficient magnitude
and of sufficient concern to tho people
of the country aa wholc to warrant
the federal government in taking ac-
tion,
The need FOR some provision for such
investigation was forcibiy ILLUSTRATED
during the past summer a strike nj
telegraph operators seriously interfered
with telcErap hic communication eaus-
ing great damage 10 business interests
and serious Inconvenience To the gem |
eral public. Appeals were made to mo
from MANY parts Of the country, from /
city councils, from boards of trade |
from chambers Of commerce. and from |
labor organizations orging that steps
he taken to tcrminate the strike /
EyerHthine That eonld with amy pro-
prety he done by Representative OF +
tho government was done without avail i
and for weeks tho public stood hv and /
suffered without recourse Of any kind
Had the machinery existed and had
there been authority fer compufsnry
Investigation Of the dispute the public
would have been placed in possession
or the merits Of the controYersy, ana +
public OPINION would probably have
brought about prompt adjustment
Each successive step creating ma
ehinefy for the adjustment Of labor
difficulties must be taken with caution.
bur we should endeaYor TO make prog
ress in this direction
The provisions Of the act Of 1923 Gre
ating the chairman Of the interstate
commerce commission and the commits
sioner of labor a board Of mediation In
controversies between interstate rail-
roads and their employes has, for the
first time, been subjected to serious
tests within the past year and the Wis
dom Of the experiment has been fully
demonstrated. Tho creation Of board
for compulsory Investigation or eases
where mediation fails and arbitration
is rejected is the nest logical step in a
progressive program
Calls Attention TO Problems
of Capital and Labor.
IT ia certain that for some time to
come there win he constant increase
absolutely and perhaps tflatfTely 81
those among otA i41eus no uwcil ia
cities or towns OF some size and who
work for wages This means that
there viii he an cyor5n7 reasing need
to consider tho Problems hsepa rable
from n great Industrial civilization ,
Where an immense ana complex bus-
ness. especially in those branches re-
lating to manufacture and transporta-
ton. is transacted nv a large number ~
ca pitalsts who SIMPLIFY q vorE much
larger number Of wagc~earners. the
former tcud more sind more to combine
into corporations and the latter into
unions. The relations OF the CAPITALIST g
and wage worker 30 one another and |
pf each IN the Ernrrel public, are not
a ways easy tC adjust; and TO put them
and keep them on satlafactosv basis =
Is one Of the most Important and one :
IF the most delicate tas'5s before our
whole civilization. Much Of the work '
FOR the accomplishment IF this end \
must be done by the individuals con :
rcrned themselyes. whether singly or y
IN combinations and tho one fundamen- I
tal fact that must never be lost track
# Is that the character Of the average :
nan. whether he be y man or means or Z
man who works with his hands. is =
he most important factor in solving !,
he problem Alright. But 1t is almost =
important to remember that [
without good laws it is also imposei =
BE to reach the pr""er eolutipn II rs "
die 10 hold that without good laws =
wills such as child labor as the over y
Working of women. ~ tho failure to ! q.
,rotect employees from loss % lire or +,
imb. can he efcct'velv reached rms
more than the evils % rebates and
took Watering can he reached without "
rood laws To fail - stop these prac r.
ices by legislation means to force IA
'onest men into them. because othcr- r.
wise the dishonest who surely viii v
axe advantage OF them viii have
verifying th,ir own way. II tho atates
will correct these evils. we'll and Eoc8 @
'ut the nation must stand ready to Gag
hem ~
question of Ctlj Labor ii
a Most Important One. il
No question growing ont Of our rapie b.
nd complex lndgetrisl development is III
iore important than that OF the employ th
lent Of women and children. The pres ca
nee of women in iudastry reacts with g..
Ntreme direciaeas upon the character co
Z the home AMI open family life. and 90
he conditions surrounding the employ or.
tent of children hear a vital relation 10 ou
UT future citizenship Oar legislation w h..
hose areas ader the control of the ID.
orrress IL rrf- riura behind he leg -