Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-10-05
WE HAVE BETIERED
LABOR CONDITIONS
RALPH EASLEY, REPLIES TO FOR
EIGN CRITIC.
Tells Conservation Congress How and
Through What Agencies We Have
Secured the Betterment of Labor
Conditions Within 25 Years.
Associated Press.

Associated Press.
Indianapolis, Ind, Oct. Am a
survey of the progress made in this
country along social, industrial and
civic lines, during the past f:f Years
Ralph NJ. Easley, chairman If the
committee of civics, defended Areri-
can life, institutions and morals to-
day in an address before +he Fourth
National Conservation Congress.
Before preparing his address, Mr..
Easley said, that he had JUS read in
an English newspaper sweeping
and vitrolic criticism of our social
and civic conditions. He said:
Our unkind critic spoke OF s a;
a people so utterly bound up in the
WORSHIP of the Almighty Dollar that
we had lost whatever social vision
might have illumined the minds OF
our future That in short ours was
a dog-eat-dog civilization, and that
the only direction in which light
might be breaking was in the fact
that among the wisest and most far
seeing of American making headway
was the conviction that American in
stitutions were a failure"
Continuing Mr. Easley gave In
brief an outline of the progress made
through industrial organizations for
the betterment Of working condition,
during the last twenty-five years. he
cited the eight-hour work day and
arbitration for the settlement Of la
Dor disputes as refutation of the
English critics charge. Other remed-
ial laws mentione were the child
la Dor acts in practically every state
the tenement house laws Of New York
and the state factory inspection
Aside from the legislative features
Mr.. Easley declared that the hun
dreds of organizations for the aiC
of the needy, the protection of i'm
migrants, and the thousands Of non
sectarian institutions for the scien
tific cure of defective and delin
quents were marks Of progress. He al
so complimented the work being done
by the National Federation of Rem
edial Loan socities to protect small
borrowers from loan sharks" Tn
National Association for the Promo
tion of Industrial Education, and tht
United States Bureau of Mines, tn,
agriculture Department and tn
Children's bureau, all of which h
declared were working for the ad
vancement of civilization and tn
general welfare Of the people. Humid
reds Of other organizations, indivi
duals and societies came in for thei
share Of praise, including Andrew
Carnegie, John d. Rockefeller, Mrs
Edward H. Hartman and Mrs Rus
sell Sage for their generous encour
agement of educational and charit
able organizations
! In conclusion NJ. Easley said:
| 81 am happy to state that move
ment is now on foot to make a pain
stalking inquiry into the progres
made during the past fifty years il
/ the directions indicated with a viev
not only to discovering the good, bu
also TO ascertain what social an
economic ills remain to be eradicate
and TIN propose, as far as possible
practical remedies therefore.
I 1t is believed that a moyemen
which will recognize the good an
sincerely seek to remedy the wron
would be more effective in accom-
plishing reform than one designe
an1v ~ +aar down and destroy