Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-08-03
COMMENT AND CRITI-
CISM ABOUT THINGS
DOING IN THE WORLD

big majority.
Long a staunch Republican state,
Minnesota is no longer bound by pre-
cedent. Her people demand progress
sive legislation. As President Com
pers of the American Federation of
Labor said in a telegram of con-
graduation to johnson:
"To have won so agnfcently
against all the power of high finance
is not only a personal tribute to you
and the fundamental principles for
which you stand but. also a demon
stration that the people are tired with
mere word-mongers and insist upon
progressive, constructive legislation
for all the people, for the wealth
producers on farms and in factories.
The people of Minnesota are to be
congratulated in their choice"
Now watch the attitude of the re-
dictionary newspapers toward Mime
sofas new Senator. They will make
desperate efforts to be humorous at
Johnson's expense and their funny
men will work overtime grinding out
comments on the power of his voice
and on remarks he may or may not
have made on books and other sub
jects.
They will do their best to convince
the public that the most striking thing
about johnson is his voice, thereby
seeking to convey the impression that
the Senator-elect is more noted for
noise than brains.
But it's not likely that the reac-
tionary press will worry Minnesota.
With two Farmer-Labor representa-
tives in the United States Senate, DR..
Hendrix Shipstead having been elect
ed on the Farmer Labor ticket last
fall, Minnesota will most emphatical-
ly be "on the map" and can afford
to loftily ignore the press "humor-
lists"
Illinois does not seem ashamed of
permitting employers to work women
ten hours day, as the l0-hour day
for women toilers remains the legal
standard of the state despite attempts
to get more progressive legislation.
An 8-hour day bill passed the ILL
nois House but in the Senate this
bill met with the Hicks amendment
which removed the 8-hour provision
and authorized the State Industrial
Commission to make rules concerning
the working day for the principal in
dustries. The amendment proposed
that until ruling should be made by
the commission, women were not to
be employed more than 8 hours in
any one day nor more than So hours
a week. Even with these changes the
bill failed to pass, being beaten in the
Senate, % to Is. 1t was reported
that the chief opposition was due to
the fact that the bill did not take
care of possible emergencies"
One of hese days the women
workers of Illinois will organize and
then they won't have to depend on
the Legislature to save them from ex-
cessive toll. They'll be in a position
to fix their own hours of work.
***
Wage increases don't help the work
er when he can't get work. Thous-
ands of toilers in the textile mills of
New England. including those of the
American Wooden Company (the
Wooden TrusD are finding this out.
They are now being employed only
part of the time and are receiving
only a fraction of their former
weekly wage. The corporations which
| have adopted this policy of intermit-
stent operation are among the biggest
beneficianes of the Firdney-McCum-
Der profteers' tariff, which they urged
| Congress to enact as a means of
safeguarding American standards of
wages and living"
While the mills are reducing their
output, the prices of woolens and
other fabricis remain at the high level
to which they were raised by the
tariff. AT the same time raw wool is
falling in price and the increase of
1212 per cent in wages given to the
workers of the Wool Trust and other
concerns in April has in reality left
them with less pay than they had be-
fore, since they are now on the pay
roll only two or three days week,
if at all.
Heartening news from New Mexico.
Gov. Hinkle issues a full pardon for
Carl c. Magee. editor of the New
Mexico State Tribune, who was con-
victed of libel and contempt of court
for fighting a policital machine in San
Miguel County.
The Governor didn't mince words
in pardoning Magee, who seems to
haze been a victim of that judicial
usurpation which frequently disgraces
the courts of the United States. He
declared that the indictment for libel
on which Magee was tried seemed
to be Conspiracy and more of
persecution than a prosecution"
In the pardon in the contempt SEN
tence, Gov. Hinkle said he believed
the contempt cases also were a perse-
cution, that the sentences ARE harsh
and beyond reason and that this
whole procedure is a disgrace and
blot upon the name of New Mexico"
Magee was sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary for one year to eighteen
months on the libel charge and to
300 days in the county jail on the
contempt charge by Judge d. j.
Leahy, who is said to be a political
leader of Las Vegas. 1t is charged
that the political ring of which the
Judge is a member is determined to
prevent any criticism Of its methods
and Is using the courts in an en-
deavor to silence its opponents. The
ring cought Tartar when it tackled
Magee, however, and it is likely that
Judge Leahy will be impeached.