The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-01-25
CONGRESSMAN

protectionist of the Aldrich school.
For example," said Mr.. Gardner
suppose l am Syrian conducting
Syrian boarding house in the city
of Lowell, Mass. Perhaps some mill
sends down to me for hands. l furn-
ish them at a somewhat lower rate of
wages than is expected by ordinary
citizen help l advance the money
for Syrian emigrants to come over
tell them that if they do not pay me
have them arrested; that they must
hand over the full wages that they
get in the mill. They are held in
terror Of the police. Meanwhile
take all their wages while | feed
them and keep them alive just as
would feed horse and keep a horse
alive that l had imported for use in
livery stable
Protecting American Labor.
Whenever the steel trust has ask
ed for a high tariff-tax it has based
it's plea on the benevolent excuse
that it's first wish was to protect"
the American workingman." AL
ways, when the republicans fixed a
high tariff-taX on steel their orators
and leaders shouted that it was done
to "protect the American working
man."
Louis D. Brandeis, citing figures
from Federal Bureau Statistics, says:
"Under the guise of protecting Amer
lean workingmen J. P. Morgan and
the owners of the steel trust have
subjected the laborer to grossly ex-
cessive toll, and deprive him of his
liberty. In England steel laborers
work only SIS hours week, while in
this country they average Y hours
week. About a third work more
than 70 hours, and a fourth work
twelve hours a day and seven days a
week, with an occasional "a hour
day when the shift is made. To work
men this way not only makes them
"old at forty" but necessarily de-
generates the race, mentally, morally
and physically"
Every republican who will ask for
votes next summer will base his re-
quest on the plea that he wants to
"protect the American workingman."
Andrew Carnegie.
Victor Murdoch, the Kansas In
surgent, has been rather quiet lately.
He was aroused, however, when An
drew Carnegie, at the Stanley steel
trust hearing, lodged every import
ant question, and sought to amuse
the committee with jokes and stories.
Says Murdock:
"Carnegie has offended the nation
al sense of justice, and no act would
meet with so general popular ap-
plause as one that would follow a
motion to take the Laird of Skibo
by the scruff of the neck and land
him squarely before the bar of con-
gress. 1t is not always easy to define
humor, but the American people are
pretty certain that paying interest
on three times the actual value of
the Carnegie properties is not highly
amusing. The jester should be made
to laugh out of the other corner of
his mouth. What we need is fewer
libraries and more justice"
The Philadelphia North American
says of Carnegie: whenever men
in the coming years see Carnegie's
sculptored name they will say: He
preached peace abroad, after having
helped to make hell at home.'"
Success Instead of Failure.
Operation of the bank deposits
guarantee law in Nebraska has failed
to result in panics, business chaos
and bank failures, as it's opponents
predicted. There were no bank fail
ures in Nebraska last year. What
the law did accomplish, on the other
hand, was more and better business
for the banks. The money on de-
post in the $50 state banks was in
creased last year over the year be-
fore by $2,209,674.35. The reserve
on hand is 27 per cent, or three per
cent more than a year ago. The law
accomplished an increase in the
banks opportunities for profit be-
cause of increased deposits Then it
made the banks more immune from,
invasion upon the legal reserve, due
to the fact that the depositors knew
their money was absolutely safe,
and weren't so anxious to draw it out
as heretofore. Last but not least, no
depositor ran the risk of losing a
penny of his savings!