The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-02-11
UNION LEADER HITS
STRAUSS PET PLAN
SAYS It's Useless to Take
Idle Skilled Labor to the
Farming Districts.

Warren =. Stone. Grand Chief Of Lhe
brotherhood OF locomotive Engineers.
dropped q bomb into the meeting of Jae
Labor conference Al the Department of
Commerce and Labor today by declar-
ing that the work OF the division Of In-
formation is useless.
This branch of Secretary STaus' de-
partmeut is attempting to bring the job
less men and the menless jobs together,
and 1t was To discuss ways and means
for extending its usefulness that No.
SJraus called the meeting.
cit will be waste OF money and
trouble 90 take your men from the cities
out TO the agricultural districts, eN-
claimed Stone. for they'll not work IN
the fields when they get there. When
the man from town. who has been used
90 regular and limited hours. gets out
to the fields and finds that he is eN-
pected 10 work twelve or fourteen hours
a day half that time with the blazing
sun Ou the back of his neck ne ID
mighty soon throw up the Job was
brought up on a farm, and know what
I'm talking about. I've seen the rail-
roads bring Iaborers out TO the farming
districts 10y the hundreds, when the
fields were white with thousands or
acres of ripe grain, and I've seen those
platforms and refuse TO do stroke of
work even at 81 q day Ny opinion IS
that most of the men who are looking
for work are nightly afraid that they u
find it,.
Applies TO Engineers.
Does that apply TO the engineers
Air. Strauss asked.
ITO some Of them. said Stone
President Valentine, of the Iron
holders Union. created another sensa-
tom by deuouucing the immigration
laws and asserting that the business OF
the country, as reflected in The iron and
steel business. is worse right now than
it was ian the middle of the panic last
year.
Eyes. ne cried. "and il is worse thar
IL was ign 1888, and worse than it wa.
I'm 1873 Seventy per cent of our mem
beers Gre out of work this minute 60
MP to Detroit and yoUu find LOO mold
CTs walking the streets. Their places
are filled by foreigners Go into any
OF the big fOuudries of the North aul
yOuI not be able 20 find man tha
can talk the English language, not BOD
able 90 get an intelligent answer If yoJ
ask how the weather is. / think tl'
time H8s come when we ought 20 stoI
the flow of foreigners into the Unite
States Of America.
immigration Question,
Secretary Straus reminded the speak
er that the immigration question was
legislative one and Congress was
The proper place for IT'S discussion
I'VE are meeting 10 see If we cannot
devise some means Tor lettering the
condition of the man ont of work. hr
said and If we open mp the entire
z--.-=-.r nc Fr94r7-f u-r4rfrrI Veil UrBHa sIE
accomplish very little
Secretary Morrison. or Tie America
Federation or Labor. said be though
trat as immigration was at the bottom
af most of the labor troubles, HC be
EaVpd that a fuu and free discussion oI
/ the subject which would result lu the
passage of resolutions VOjciug the view.
10 the council would bc helpful and ei
fective.
mr. Sirau- said me would be glad "a
hear the views OF auy of the gentemei
present, whether ON immigration or any
other subject.