Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-03-12

stricting the hours of labor fol-
railroad employees to sixteen out of
twenty-four. When the La Toilette bill
reached the house the Republican ma
jority on the committee on interstate
and foreign commerce cooked up a
substitute which was full of blow
holes. The house Republican machine
tried to force it through under whip
and spur, thinking the Democrats would
be afraid to fight their miserably weak
substitute because it seemed to be 4
good measure, having the appearance,
but not the substance. But the Dem
ocrats, to the utter disgust of the Re-
publican sleight of hand performers,
lined up solidly against the humbug
and beat it on roll CALL thing always
dreaded by towards. AS it required
two-thirds to pass it, we knocked it
high as a kite, taking the sensible po-
sition that no bill on the subject was
better than this make believe bill.
Something happened suddenly. In less
than a week the Republican >bigwigs
came down off their high perch and re-
ported to the house substantially every
thing the Democrats clamored for, and,
mirabile dictu, the bill containing what
the Democrats had contended for pass
ed on roll call without even one vote
against it, though two voted present.
Twas a famous victory, sure as you
live.
Stranger yet, the Republican machin-
lists became so alarmed by their effort
to knock out the La Toilette bill in the
first instance that they made haste to
bring in rule to pass what amounted
really to a Democratic substitute for
the La Toilette bill, which substitute is
much stronger than the La Toilette bill,
because the substitute provides that
railroad telegraphers shall not be COM
PEELED or permitted to work more than
nine hours out of twentyfour, while
the La Toilette bill did not touch the
subject of telegraphers at ALL That
provision ought to save thousands Of
lives annually. AS Messrs. John Sharp
| Williams of Mississippi and David AL
baugh De Almond of Missouri are rival
candidates for the minority leadership
| and are now the Democratic members
| of the committee on rules, l set forth
| their remarks in full for the double
purpose of showing their styles of
speaking and of demonstrating by their
remarks the fact that we did win
superb victory for right and justice. If
the house Democrats had done no 9th
err thing in this congress, this one vic
10, 81 ~ To ho hnr
Mr.. Williams said:
Mr.. Speaker, I was glad to hear the
gentleman from Pennsylvania justify the
action of those of us who voted against
the suspension of the rules and thus
passed this bill the other day without
giving the house any power of amend
ment. The manner in which he JUSTIFIED
us was as broad could be, though not
In express words. He showed how much
the bill has been improved from Its then
condition in order to reach its present
condition, and that statement ia of itself
justification of our conduct. Further
| more, Mr.. Speaker that conduct was ap-
| plauded by the men who are chiefly con-
cerned and interested in the pending leg
| islation. I hold in my hand telegram
addressed to the gentleman from New
York [Mr. Ryan,, member of the COM
| mittee on the minority side. from A. p.
| Garrettson, president of the Order Of
| Railway Conductors, saying that they
| objected to the bill as presented in the
| house the other day. I hold another tele-
| gram addressed to the same gentleman
| INF. Ryan, from w. S. Stone, grand
| chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
| Engineers, to the same effect and still
| another telegram addressed to the same
gentleman INr. Ryan, from the head of
| the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen
| to the same effect. l shall insert them
as part Of my remarks.
Shorter Hours For Railway Men.
| So much for the past, Mr.. Speaker.
| Now let us come to the present and see
| what the bill is as 1t now stands after
the notifications in accord with the de-
| mands of the Democratic minority on
the committee and in the house. Why,
in the first part of the bill, as 1t was
the other day, in line 8. page 4. and in
line of page Z. occurred the word
| knowingly" So we We're absolutely
about to pass legislation requiring cor
| poration to permit things knowingly"
| before 1t could be penalized-a corpora
| ton without ears, without eyes, without
individuality and, as 1t is sometimes said,
| without soul, that could not do anything
knowingly except through its author
| lied agents. If they have knowledge,
| that is the only sort of knowledge the
corporation could have. We We're about
| to pass law requiring corporation in
1 OTueT TO De NlSlteu WilIl punishment, W
| commit an offense knowingly" This
| bill as now reported and amended strikes
| out this word knowingly" on pages 4
and 5, to which we called attention.
Then, in lines 10 to II, on page 4, the
modification strikes out this language:
"Unless Immediately prior to said
twenty-four hour period such employee
had at least eight consecutive hours off
duty and during said period of twenty
four hours following had at least six
| consecutive hours off duty
This language constituted an extension
| Of the period OF employment. and 1t
seemed to us that 1t was unjust and that
| there was in II what is ordinarily called
''joker." We objected to that very Sc
riousy. The modification strikes that
| language out of the bill and leaves sub
stantially the provisions of the La Fol-
| lette bill as it left the senate with regard
| to this subject matter.
Then. Mr. Speaker, there occurred in
the proviso as regards telegraphers the
following language: THAT they were not
10 be on duty for a longer period than
nine consecutive hours in period Of
| twenty-four hours nor for a longer Pc
Rod than thirteen consecutive hours"
tapping over from one day to another
We objected very naturally to the ad-
jective consecutive" there, because it
would enable the railroad to work man
hine consecutive hours and then take
him off two hours, or two minutes, for
that matter. and then work him nine
| more consecutive hours and then take
him off for two more minutes and work
him for the balance Of the twenty four
.ours. The modification. as proposed by
the committee on rules this morning
strikes out tho word CONSECUTIVE wher,
1t occurs and cures that objection.
Then, Mr.. Speaker, as the bill was pre-