The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-03-27

a, "ASh VIII DC 6uecQVe In
the District of Columbia and which
shall apply to women workers. Today
nearly all the senators and representa-.
yves are trying to curry favor with
woman-kind In order to offset the nos-
siole political results of majority of
lne members antagonism TO woman
suffrage. When the eight-hour law
LOT women was first introduced into
congress Senator La Toilette who was
us chief sponsor found little sympathy
with his efforts. change came re-
Gently In the attitude of those who
stood in opposition. The adoption of
the Constitutional amendment proyid.
Ing Tor the election of senators by
direct vote Of the people 1t is said had
much to do with the change. Women
can vote in good many states of the
Union.
IN the District of Columbia there ia
what is known as the Consumers
league. On the advisory board are
such well known men and women as
William G. Redfield, secretary OF com
merce; Judge Julian w. Mack, Miss
julia G. Lathrop and Mrs. Ellen Spen-
Ger Mussey. On it's executive commit
tee are Miss Constance D. Leupp and
Mrs. Harvey w. Wiley. 1t was due to
the efforts of the league that the bill
limiting women's work to eight hours.
SIX days In a week, was passed. The
league will now undertake to secure
the passage of a minimum wage law
and probably 1t will succeed In it's ef-
forts.
Talked Of Cutting Wages.
The eight-hour law has been in op-
Grafton only few days. Some of the
employers of the district took to the
new order Of things gracefully, ad-
1usted their establishments to meet its
requirements and said never a word
about cutting wages. Other employ
ers growled. talked about the invasion
of the field of private rights and talked
openly about cutting wages.
Are wages being cut in the District
OF Columbia because women are not to
be compelled to toll ten or twelve
many instances In the past? Not bit
of 1t. AS soon as the members of the
Consumers league heard from women
employees that they were in danger of
losing enough of their wages to make
proper living hard If not impossible
the members of the league became &C
tive. Word of active intention also
came from some of the leading mem
bers of congress, and the message was
that II wages were not maintained at
a proper level minimum wage law
would be passed at once, and there
was a sort of grim suggestion that
the minimum might not be too much
of minimum"
Some of the leading employers of
the district who had intended to cut
wages and had voiced this intention,
gave In at once and told their en-
ployes that their envelopes each week
would contain just as much money as
they had in the past. This action prob
ably will prevent congress from fixing
the minimum wage at as high figure
as otherwise would have been the
case, but having once thought on the
subject of passing the new law, the
leaders decided to stick to the original
intention. The Consumers league will
see that they do not give way to a
second thought on the subject.
Lawmakers Are Weary.
Congress is tired. 1t has been at
60 irfo 1c
rest for a good deal over year.
There are in the present congress
men who have served through many
congresses, and so it is that all
of the old members have been
hard at it in a legislative way with
few breaks, ever since the beginning
of the Taft administration. From that
time to this there has been an extra
session of congress every short SEES
sion year.
There is a noticeable listlessness In
both houses on all subjects, except
of course Mexico, which keeps men
keyed up to a high pitch while it is
under discussion. Antitrust legisla-
ton has failed to arouse much inter
est. 1t is evident that some members
of the dominant party think it is not
drastic enough and others think that
it is too drastic. They know nothing
definitely except that 1t will not be
possible to tell what the bills will do
to business until they have been tried
out in the form of law.
Here and there in unexpected places
in the senate the Democrats are find
ing opposition to this feature and that
feature of the administration anti
trust measures. The party leaders In
the senate are slowly and unwillingly
coming to the belief that If the "hve
brother bills are to be put through
in the form in which Mr.. Wilson
wishes, it will be necessary to pass
them under the dictation of caucus.
In Hands of Committees.
The bills have been separated and
have been given for consideration into
the care of two committees of the
house and two committees of the SEN
ate, judiciary and interstate COM
merce. The hearings are being con-