The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-03-10
SCEIWAB
Coins Gold from Ellis Is
land-Congressrraan
,Rainey Charges
Bethlehem
Company with Employ.
ing Poorest Paid Labor
in Arr1erica--Me11 Driv-
en- Like Slaves.

THE poorest paid skilled laborers in
the country are employed in the works
OF the Bethlehem Steel Company. -
Representative Rainey Is words startled
the House of Representatives. into atten.
ton Was it possible that the in Industrial
strife raging in Pennsylvania was to be
reflected on the floor of the Housef
Dist-ust and hate cleaned from the ewes
OF the majority. Approval and covert
applause came from the more radical as
the speaker continued
They make tho guns for the armys
they make the guns for the navy. They
make armor plate for our great men Of
war. 1t is claimed that guns are made at
Watervliet, in the Government s plant,
but 1t is not so. The orders for all the
castings and all the forgings for all the
guns IN the army, and, practically, for
all the guns in the navy, are, diverted. by
officers in charge to Midvalc and Bethle-
hem, and there the castings are made by
the poorest paid skilled labor in the
country
Like a lot of school boys caught steal;
ing apples, the Cannonized Republicans
and Democrats dropped their heads
they knew what was coming and it was
an attempt, through an amendment offer.
ed by Hughes of New Jersey, to compel
a recard vote on the ".eight-hour law,''
and the facts the speaker were relating
have been the hidden scandals Of the gov
ernment.
Turning to Mann from Illinois, whose
motion to construct some revenue cutters
had been amended to include an eight.
hour workday, Rainey fayed him with
stream of sarcasmsrand facts; did Mann
dare assert that if these ships were built
In government yards that they would not
need the eighthour law, as the existing
law already provides for it, Well Mann
knew these ships would never be built in
government yards. Parts of them would
be let to Bethlehem. Not long ago, on
account OIL the. failure of the government
TO furnish in time to the Cramp Ship
building Company armor plate and other
apparatus which was manufactured .bys
some of these private companies, the
Cramp & Sons Company sustained loss.
They brough suit against this govern
nent in the courts for 900 and won.
These are little revenue cutters that YOU
desire built-is it not possible that we
can build them in our government yards3
Over in Japan they build great Dread
noughts' in their government yards.
81 submit that the time has come in
this country when our shipyards, at least
we should have an eight hour day. They
are doing it in Germany. Over there
they have established almost universal
eight hour day, working men in three
shifts in their factories, keeping these
great plants that costs millions of dol
lars in use for all of the twenty-four
hours during the day
At bethlehem they are not organ.
led You cannot charge that str.ae
against organized labor. Up there they
are compelling men to work twelve and
fourteen hours day. They are com
pelling men to work on Sunday. When
a committee of workmep was appointed
to protest against working two hours
overtime without time and a half nav.
the committee was at once discharged by
Charles NJ. Schwab, and in this wav the
strike at Bethlehem commenced where
10000 men are out of work and govern.
ment contracts are delayed.''
StuhS 10 Il reply, faSSeet, whose work
ing alliance with New York corporations
has made him notorious, jumped to his
feet and handed that Rainey retract
his accusations against the employment
of cheap labor by Schwab But this
only brought a reply from Rainey that
Schwab had an endless chain arrange
ment with Ellis Island whereby he was
able to establish the lowest rate Of wages
paid in the United States for skilled
labor.
Forced to record their votes for or
against the eight-hour amendment, a ma
jority voted faye but Immediately re-
versed the effects of their ballots by
tabling the measure in lump with three
other bills.
By this trick, like ostriches hiding
their heads in the sand, the corporation
representatives in the House thought to
deceive the public.
President Lewis says that the miners in.
tend hereafter to adopt the methods of
corporations and business ;ntar,,+, -