The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-03-13

SENATOR KING SAYS IT'S UNFAIR.
Senator King of Polk, county was
the speaker at the Commercial Clubs
Saturday MONDAY nooday luncheon
last week. "The Trend of Legislation
was the general topic of Senator
Kings remarks, and they were full of
interest to wage earners, even If not
particularly pleasing to some others.
He gave facts and figures to show
that the trend of legislation was con-
stantly toward the protection of spe-
cial interests, and constantly away
from sentiment and from the inter-
ests of those who were needing pro-
lection
1--WE are listing too many things as
crimes when we should be devoting
our energies towards making condi-
tions such that men will not be i'm
PEELED to become criminals in order to
secure the necessaries of 1ife,'' said
Senator King. Eve have forgotten
sentiment in our mad rush for COM
mercial supremacy
The exemption law was cited by
Senator King as an instance of this
trend. 1t was an effort to make men
honest by law, to make men pay their
debts, when justice and right demand
ed that men should be paid enough
wages to make it possible for them
to pay their debts and remain honest
He instanced that farmers herds are
exempt up to $4,000 and SO is mans
personality up to $500, but working
mans wages are exempt only to sixty
days and lately a law has been passed
releasing ten per cent of that. A bill
is now pending to lop off still more of
his exemption.
The senator said that every page of
the statute books contains some law
that might better be cured by better
ing conditions that would do a way
with all such offenses.
Another instance of where the la
borer, the man who works for wages,
was Disseminated against, was to be
found in the appropriation bills. These
contained $4,000 for the game war
denis Office to enforce the "snowbird
law while but $4,000 was appropri-
ated for the labor bureau-and all but
few hundreds of this was expended
in gathering farm statistics. The state
spends $25, 900 for farmers Institutes.
where the farmer is shown what he
may do to improve himself, but not a
dollar is spent for labor meetings,
where workingmen may find out what
is good for them. Hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars are spent to teach
farmers in our agricultural schools
how they may better their conditions
in life, but nothing at all is appropri-
ated to teach the workers how they
may find more in life.
Property is held in too high, es-
teem," declared Senator King. I'VE
pay more attention to protecting the
dollar than we do to protecting the
man. We ought to get back nearer to
sentiment, for it is sentiment, not dol
the crises of war, and it is the main
spring of the great and good actions
of the nations
Senator King endeavored to secure
repeal of the ten per cent garnishee
law. but was defeated. He has at
tackled the appropriation for game
and fish and declared that the money
ought to be given to the department
of labor to be expended in looking
after the welfare of the toilers in
stead of providing recreation and
pleasure for the already well-to-do.
| The address, which was delivered
on short notice, held the close atten
ton of the business and professional
men present, and was freely compli
mented by them.
The Wageworker makes bold to
suggest to the Central Labor Union
that it secure Senator King for an ad
dress before the legislature adjourns