The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-10-24

the senate calling for an investigation
OF the conditions of labor in the steel
industry. You know that a few years
ago the United States steel corpora
ton was organized upon basis of
one billion four hundred million dollars
capital stock. At the time they organ
lied they had seven hundred million
dollars worth of property, the other
seven hundred million dollars worth
OF stock being based upon water -
that is, they had no property upon
which to base its Issue. and they have
been paying ITO to lis million dollars
year In dividends upon their total
| capitalization. And here / see that
paper published over there in Cotton
wood says that l voted to protect the
steel industry. There is another gentle
man whom / will do the honor to say
did not know what he was talking
about. l don't think he knew it was
misstatement. l voted in the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill for an amendment
to put iron ore on the free list. l am
thorough believer in protection when
ever the law of competition prevails,
but viii vote to put every product
on a tariff for revenue basis when
ever l believe that it is under the con-
troll of monopoly. That has been
my position all the way through. l
may have made some mistakes, be-
cause a man doesn't always know
what is under monopoly control, but
where l have been satisfied on that
point l have so voted, and so far as
the steel industry is concerned. you
will find when you turn to the vote
that our democratic friends In the south
voted for a higher duty upon the steel
industry on a basis of tariff for rev.
enue only than / voted for 1t on a pro-
tected basis when voting for the Payne
Aldrich bill on it's final passage.
don't know whether they were wrong.
don't know just what constitutes
prohibitive duty where there is a par
tial monopoly, but l voted to put iron
and steel the free list simply be-
cause | thought it was controlled by
monopoly. But as was going to
say. these laboring men came down
to ask me to introduce a resolution
providing for an investigation of lab
or conditions in the steel industry.
told them l wanted the proof of the
conditions which they revealed to me
so that l might have something to
work on in case the resolution was
opposed, they went back to Pitts
burg and got the proofs and brought
them to me. l introduced the resolu-
ton looking to the investigation of
the condition of labor in that industry.
They told me that for ten years they
had been endeavoring to get that reso-
luton passed through the senate of
the United States and that 1t had al
ways died in committee. When 1 in
troduced it of course 1t was objected
to. A great newspaper In New York
City, 1 presume partly owned II not
entirely owned by the same corporation.
wrote a very sarcastic editorial, some
thing like my editorial friend here
writes, and said that / was several
kinds of demagogue and some other
things which it is not necessary to
tell my constituents l replied that II
the labor in the steel industry was in
good condition and the best paid In the
United States that 1t would do no
harm to investigate 1t, and If those
facts were not true it would be well
to know 1t. They objected from day
to day to it's passage until we were
within four days of adjournment, and
l made up my mind that If l could
prevent adjournment l would do so
until that resolution was passed. Now
you know when a senator gets on his
off his feet; there is a rule there that
a man can talk just as long as he can
stand up and speak, and the only way
you can get even with him is TO go to
the cloak room and let him run down.
daughter) So when we got within
four days of the adjournment l went
to old Senator Frye. one of the best
men / have ever known, and a thor
ough patriot every day of his life. and
said, Senator Frye, is a Joint reso-
luton to adjourn to a day certain de-
batable?" 1 had been in the senate
long enough to know that an ordinary
motion to adjourn was not debatable.
but thought a motion to adjourn sine
die was debatable. So after studying
a few moments Senator Frye said yes,
it was debatable. So sent out for sew
eral volumes of the Congressional Rec
ord; that was my ammunition; was
going to read them to my colleagues;
you know there is nothing so soothing
to a colleague as to hear your old
speeches read. and 1 made up my mind
that was going to make that senate
stay there a month II necessary In
order to get my resolution passed. And
Senator Hale came to me-the matter
went over for day, and he came to
me the next day and he said. "Borah,
what ar e you going to do with those
books over thereg' "Well,'' I said, II
am, going to make few passing re-
marks on the subject of an investiga-
ton of labor conditions in the steel in
dustry." And he said. "Young mani
and you ought tc near Senator Hale
say "young man." you feel like you
had been hit on the head with a pile
driver. He said, young man. don't
you know that you can't debate mo-
ton to ADJOURN" "Well," 1 says,
Senator Hale, your colleague. Sena-
tor Frye, who is the president pro
tenn of the senate and has the last
guess at 1t, says I can debate It,"
Well, suffice 1t to say they passed the
resolution before congress adjourned,
and 1t went to the Department of Com
merce and Labor. and that is what Mr.
Gompers refers to.
Now. anyone who wants to see that
report can write to the secretary Of the
senate or to Mr.. Grant Lieuallen, who
ia a I,atah county bow and who is in