Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-06-09
MINIMUM WAGE BILL

affair.
MINIMUM WAGE BILL
McCumber of North Dakota, speak
Ing for the steering committee in the
senate the other day, reproved Hiram
johnson for his heated demand that
the senate leaders permit the Nolan
johnson minimum wage bill for fed
eral employees to come to a VOTE In
his most irritating drawl, McCumber
suggested that If Johnson had not
been so busy elsewhere during the
past few months he would have found
abundant opportunity to have his pet
bill taken Up. However, he added, he
felt that after the Republican ronven-
ton had completed it's labors the sena-
tor from California would again have
leisure to devote to the work of the
senate!
PALMER TO TESTIFY
Attorney General Palmer has once
more agreed to come before the house
rules committee and explain his auto
cratic course in the January "red
raids" which has been so severely ar
raigned by Assistant Secretary Of
Labor Post, When the peace-time
sedltion bills were up. some months
ago, Palmer asked for a chance to
talk, but ran away with four conflict
ing excuses for his absence when the
day for the hearing arrived. The tes-
timony offered at that time by labor
and liberal spokesmeh killed the sedi-
ton bill which Palmer favored.
Later on he slipped in before the
judiciary committee and testified that
he was opposed to the more promi-
nently mentioned sedition measures,
but favored another bill which was
even more oppressive in it's terms.
This time he comes in answer to
charges by Mr.. Post that Palmer
usurped authority which never belong
ed to the department of justice and
arrested and held in secret detention
for months certain men whom he
merely suspected of being deportable
aliens. One Of the men held by Pal
mer committed suicide.
=
THE sWlTCHMEN's STRIKE
PAY the switchmen enough money
so that they can support their families
decently and I believe they will go
back to work and handle the freight"
That was the advice given by Rep
resentative Baer of North Dakota to
the emergency conference Of bankers,
grain gamblers, railroad executives
and others who met here this week to
urge the federal reserve board and
the interstate commerce commission
to untangle the freight tieup.
The big business magnates did not
accept the suggestion.
TRADE WITH RUSSIA ASKED.
Senator Borah has taken up the
Russian trade question once more,
with view to making congress real
lie that peace and trade with the
Soviet republic is the only possible
road to world reconstruction and a re-
newal Of security on the earth.
II know that it will be said that
am in favor Of the Soviet form of gov
ernment," he remarked, because I
favor restoration of trade relations
with Russia. I am in favor of restor-
ing trade, both upon humanitarian
grounds and upon business principles.
do not believe it would require rec
ognition Of the Soviet government.
But repeat that the people of Russia
have a right to establish their own
form of government, and if they are
going to have that form of govern
ment we have got to trade with them
at some time.
"This is first step toward redeem
ing Russia. 1t is a step in favor Of
common sense and Christian decency."
Later he said: II repeat that
would establish trade relations with
Russia. If this involves a recognition
Of the Soviet government, to that ex.
tent would recognize it. l would do
it upon the theory and hope that that
would be one way by which to uproot
and destroy bolshevism in Russia, and
secondly, that the Russian people have
a right to establish their own form of
government, whatever it may be-"
He argued that the Russian people
have shown that they prefer the Top
pressfve" government of the Lenine
regime to that Of the cars, and that
they 'seem unwilling to take one step
back to the old SYSTEM for-which he
could not blame them.