Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-08
RUTLEpGE CITIZENS TURN OUT
m LARGE NUMBERS AT RE-
ss.5 PUBLICAN MEETING.
SCHOOL HOUSE TOO SMALL
Small Building In Mining Town Was
Filled to Overlooking by Men
Who Desire to Know OF Can.
didates on Ticket.

!. gathered and listened with intense IN
terest to the gospel of republicanlsn
. 40 preached by three speakers. G. w
!, Whitmore republican candidate To-
state SENATOR was the principa
/. speaker OF the evening, and Franz
I Shane, candidate for state representa-
tive and L. l.. Duke, candidate fol
county attorney made brief addresses
The meeting was attended by a mum
Der OF the republican candidates and
Aiby "A. r. Swartz, who :; acting county
4 chairman in the absence OF Lew H
. Young, who is confined to his home BY
Illness. George A. Wilson, H. J
4 Chemer, r., T. Lynch, A. w. Roberts
& l.. L. Swenson, J. r. Stodghill and w
ia. Derby were the republican candt
/. dates present with Mr.. Whitmore, Mr.
Shane and Mr.. Duke.
q kendaIPs Record.
The record Of Congressman Kendall
u In matters of legislation affecting the
4 laboring classes, in both the house OF
Z! representatives of the Iowa legls-
I. Elature, and as member of congress
from the sixth district of Iowa in the
4 sixty-frst session, was given by Mr..
4, Whitmore.
I "Mr. Kendall" said the speaker,
d was returned from Monroe county as
|! a member Of the Iowa legislature in
4 the twenty-eighth general assembly,
4 1900 and to the twenty-ninth, thirtieth,
4 thirty-hrst, and thirty-second general
9 and special sessions thereafter. His
experience, keenness Of perception,
elouuence and esteem for uprightness
brought him the highest honor pos
sible to be conferred by the house,
that Of the speakership. From the
speakership OF the house of represen-
tatives OF the Iowa legislature 1t was
only. natural that he should succeed to
the next higher political step within
the gift Of the people, congressman
in 1908.
Thoughtful Of Miners.
"As q member Of the Iowa house OF
representatives he introduced a bill
which was subsequently enacted Into
section 2489 "A. Of the 1907 supplement
to the code Of Iowa, providing in sub
stance that 1t should be unlawful for
any person employed about coal
mine to act as hosting engineer, pit
boss or mine foreman until such per-
eon had first passed an examination
and obtained certificate as to his
competency. This was to guard the
miners from danger caused by In
experienced persons in such positions.
Another section of the same law In
troduced by him and finally enacted
puts a stop to the practice of paying
miners in script or store orders, by
means OF which they had been com
PEELED to, purchase their groceries,
etc. from company mines at inflated
prices, and requires that payment
must be made in money. 1t provides
further that the wages must be PAID
twice q month, thus putting a stop to
the practice Of holding the wages for
q month or more. And further 1t &C
corded the miners the right to have
check weigher to supervise the mine
weights and assure the miner ne
should be paid for the coal he actually
dug and should not be short weighted.
Following the Lost Creek mine ex-
plosiou in Mahaska county but few
years ago, in which the lives of many
miners were lost, Mr.. Kendall intro
duced resolution, which was adopted
providing for commission to investi-
cato the cause Of the disaster and
make recommendations The commits
sion made an exhaustive investiga-
tion and an extensive report addressed
to the subject of suggested precau-
lions to guard against mine fatalities.
This report Of the committee led to
&he enactment of several laws for
the Improvement Of mine conditions,
one OF them being the shot firers' law,
a. shot examiners law, the substance
az which is to assure that blasting,
ieopardizing the lives of many men
nnder ground shall not be exploded
until competent man has first ex-
amined the charge and pronounced II
proper to explode.
.The foregoing is not careful sum-
mary Of his work in the Iowa leg1s-
lature. It is taken from but a hur-
ried examination Of the laws. There
are many other comemndable ollls
And acts he was connected with, but
many OF them are not applicable alone
70 labor questions His record, as
understand, was that of fair, safe
and sane man, fair to capital as we'll
rs labor.
kendalPs Work In Congress.
'sIn his single term In congress NO"
closing at the end of but two years he
has been very active in matters Of cur
rent legislation of import to us all.
Congress voted to and did estab-
Nsh a bureau of mines. Mr.. Kendall
voted for the bill. This bill provides
for a board of experts, independent OF
the states, to investigate the causes
of mine explosions bringing death to
ten thousand Of our workmen each
year. The bill requires the bureau to
devise means of lessening the liability
to accident. It Increased the number
of federal rescue stations from five
to nine, the appropriation for same
from $3.50, 900 to 100000. These res
cue' stations are to the imprisoned
miner what the life saving service OF
the national government is to the
shin wrecked mariner en- our coasts.
with their helmets and oxygen tanks
these rescue men are subject at
moments call to hurry, for illustra-
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