The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-02-20
WASHINGTON NEWS.
BY c. H. Tavenner.


men, women and children mil
workers at Lawrence, Mass,
were out of work because of &
strike to prevent a cut in their
Sc. 81 and So week wages, Mrs.
Evelyn Walsh Mclean, mother Of
the baby that is heir to $1O0,
600. 600, gave $35, 600 dinner t.
30 guests at Washington, the
nations capitol.
The hostess at this banquet
wore diamonds that actually cost
more than half a million dollars.
In her hair was displayed the
famous" Hope diamond, which
cost $3.50, 600, and at her throat
another widely celebrated gem,
Star of the East" which was
even larger than the Hope dia-
mond.
The cost per plate at the Nc
Lean dinner was $500. One item
in the expense was 1000 yellow
lilies imported from abroad at a
cost of So each.
One of the highest paid mill
workers at Lawrence would have
to work 81 years to receive the
cost of that banquet. The earn
ings of dozen Lawrence work
ers for half a century would not
have purchased the gems worn
by Mrs. Mclean. A Lawrence
worker would have to labor 20
years to pay for the yellow lilies
alone.
The strike of the men, women
and childred at Lawrence, and
the 500 plate dinner in Wash
ington, is striking example of
conditions existing under a sys-
tenn of excessive protection in the
year of our Lord 1912. Neither
the Lawrence strike nor the $685.
600 Mclean dinner are excep-
tons. They are but samples of
many similar illustrations which
could be cited if space permitted.
Only recently, VIM. M. Wood,
the head of the wooden trust,
whose employees are now on
strike at Lawrence, was arrested
for knocking down and running
over pedestrian with his auto
mobile. When arraigned in
court he was asked how many
automobiles he owned, and he
replied he didn't know. Imagine
man so rich he doesn't know
how many autos he has on hands.
Fortunes which make it posi-
BILE for one woman to wear a
half million dollars worth of
diamonds at one time, and which
enable man to possess so many
automobiles he cannot keep track
OF them, necessarily come
through the power to place a
price on the things which the
common people must have in
order to live.
1t is significant, in this con-
nection, that the tariff, the cost
of living, $500 a plate dinners
everything but the working
mans wages-have increased
hand in hand, revealing the init
mate relationship of one to the
other.
The Story Of the Extra Session.
Congressman Ebenezer ]. Hill
standpat protectioDist of Connec-
ticut, made a speech in the
House recently which he consid-
cred a gem. He extolled the
Payne-Aldrich law to the skies.
proclaiming in a loud voice it had
nothing to do with high prices.
Mr.. Hill thought so well of his
speech that he named it "the
Story of the Extra Session." and
sent it broadcast among his con-
stituents, asking them to read it
and to comment upon it. Some
of the comments, however, were
not what Mr.. Hill expected.
The following comment sent in
from a resident of Stratford.
Conn.,, for instance, must have
been a severe jolt to Mr.. HIPS
standpat nerves:
MY wife and / came to New
York by steamer, having with us
seven yards of serge cloth, which
was to be made into a dress for
my wife. This cloth cost in Lon