NEWS WORTH REMEMBERING
News Worth Remembering NEWSPAPER dispatches from Washington last week reflect grave fears on the part of the "regulars" that the Republican party is facing a crisis. President Taft, too, it is...
...Employees on the New York Central lines east of Buffalo have received an increase of seven per cent...
...Justice Brewer Dead The death on March 28, of David Brewer, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States caused a profound sensation...
...Speakers will be sent into Kansas, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado, in an attempt to turn the tide of popular feeling which seems to be in danger of rising until it has submerged the regular machine, composed of Democrats and Republicans alike, now dominating national politics...
...President Taft has publicly commended the bill...
...Drugs were found to contain poisons, not mentioned on the label, and various cure-alls were named as fakes...
...The grand jury recommended that cold storage plants be required to label food products they sell, as such, indicating also the date upon which the article was first placed in storage...
...Railroads Raise Wages The Pennsylvania and Reading railway companies have granted to employees earning less than three hundred dollars a month,—230,000 in number,— an advance in wages of six per cent...
...Recent events have been cited as contributing to this panicky feeling among the standpatters, such as the recent election of a Democratic congressman in the strongest Republican district of Massachusetts, the Chicago Tribune's poll of editors, and the reflection of popular feeling shown in the House fight on Cannon...
...In making these advances the railroad managements have given the increased cost of living as a reason for their action...
...News Notes Andrew Carnegie, speaking in Chicago before the Press Club on April 1, pointed out the importance of Mr...
...Technically there is no strike, but simply a suspension of work pending the signing of new agreements...
...The decision was written by Justice Barnes...
...Five banks will probably be indicted for bribing aldermen to secure for them part of the city's funds as deposits...
...A poll taken by the Chicago Tribune of editors of Democratic newspapers throughout the country gives William Jennings Bryan first place with 418 votes and Judson Harmon, Governor of Ohio, second with 414...
...coal miners in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Michi-gan, Kansas, ArkansaB, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kentucky, laid down their tools and suspended work pending a settlement of differences with the operators in regard to wages...
...President Taft, too, it is reported, is deeply concerned over the possibility of the next House of Representatives going Democratic...
...Coal Miners Out On March 81, three hundred thousand...
...The miners claim that they have a union fund large enough to enable them to stay out until next winter, and it is said that enough coal has been stored to meet the demand for only two months...
...Justice Brewer after serving for many years on the bench of the Kansas Supreme Court, and other courts of the state, was made judge of the Circuit court of the United States for the eighth district, and was appointed by President Harrison to the Supreme Court...
...The rates are the same as those given to France, thus eliminating the danger of unequal competition with the French...
...On March 31 Senator Root discussed the measure, defending provisions which the progressives of Congress do not approve.—The Postal Bank bill, passed by the Senate, is in the hands of a sub-committee of the House committee on Postoffices and post roads...
...Tariff Agreement with Canada On March 30 the terms of the tariff agreement, which has been reached by the United States and Canada, were made public...
...A state engineer cooperating with an elective county official to have charge of all road construction, is recommended...
...In Chicago four thousand painters and paper hangers have struck.—The Chicago Federation of Labor on April 3 passed a resolution asking Senator La Follette to use his influence to defeat an amendment to the corporation tax bill passed by the House on April 1, which provides that returns made by the corporations under the law shall be made public only on the order of the President...
...On April 5 the Supreme Court of Wisconsin decided that the primary election law of the state is constitutional...
...Throughout the coal fields conferences are being held to settle the disputes...
...Taft Discusses Labor Unions President Taft at Rochester, Mass., on April 3, spoke before 2,000 railroad employees, at a joint meeting of the brotherhoods of trainmen...
...The introduction of a resolution by Representative Sabath of Illinois asking for an investigation of federal court officers' fees is said to be the opening wedge in a fight which labor will make for the impeachment of United States Circuit Judge Peter S. Grosscup, who is regarded by labor men as unfair in his decisions affecting them...
...The United States Steel corporation is said to be contemplating a general advance of wages...
...No attempt have thus far been made by the operators to secure strike breakers to work the mines...
...Speaking before the Ohio Society of Washington on March 31 President Taft said that the domination of the East in national politics is due to the fact that representatives are kept in office for many terms...
...Wickersham Denies Charge The charges made by Representative Martin of Colorado in the House last week concerning the sugar trust and the friar lands of the Philippines brought a response from Attorney General Wickersham who was charged as having acted for the Sugar Trust...
...1,000,000 is the sum which the committee will need, it is estimated...
...A special committee of the Illinois legislature is working on the question of how to secure good roads...
...The state senate of Mississippi is investigating charges that state senator Theodore Bilbo was paid a bribe of $645 to change his vote from former Governor Vardaman to Leroy Percy, the successful candidate in the recent contest in Mississippi...
...The President again took occasion to defend his attitude in consulting with railroad interests when preparing the bills now before congress, amending the interstate commerce act...
...Regulars" to be Assisted Meanwhile the Republican congressional committee is collecting funds with which to support "regular" congressmen who come up for re-election next fall...
...President Taft in Washington and Attorney General Wickersham in Chicago will on April 9 deliver addresses defending the administration's course thus far...
...He declared, howev r, that the issuance and use of injunctions ought to be defined and limited in such a way that the evils of the present system would be done away with, and commended the Moon bill, now in the House, as a good piece of legislation...
...The Senators from Illinois were ignored by the Federation, President Fitzpatrick declaring that it was "useless to request anything of Lorimer and Cullom in the interest of organized labor...
...The danger to public health of selling products that have been frozen for long periods of time, thawed and then frozen again, was also pointed out, and it was stated that a purchaser paid for nine to fourteen per cent, of water at the price of poultry when buying cold storage fowls...
...Storage Methods Condemned The Hudson County, New Jersey, grand jury which indicted six packing companies and twenty-one of their directors a few weeks ago for conspiring to increase the price of meats, on April 1 recommended that a more thorough investigation be made of cold storage methods and pointed out how these plants are able to control the price of poultry, meats and eggs throughout the year...
...Though the bill was favorably acted upon almost a month ago by the House committee, Representative Gaines, (Republican) of West Virginia, chairman of the committee, has not yet reported it to the House for action...
...Legislation in Congress The Senate is still debating the railroad rate regulation bill...
...He said: "I believe in labor organizations, and if I were skilled enough to become a member I should apply for membership...
...At the same time Republican' journals such as The Outlook are pointing out that President Taft is faced with the alternative of a growing popular disappointment with his administration or a complete repudiation of Cannon and Aldrich...
...The committee is hostile to the measure and it is believed that friends of the bill will have difficulty in recognizing it when reported back to the House...
...Publicity Bill Hanging Fire While the Congressional Committee is striving to secure a large campaign fund, soliciting corporations and their officials, the campaign fund publicity measure is making little progress...
...He announced that he would sign the bills amending the employers' liability act, which were passed by Congress during the last week, and advocated the passage of a workmen's compensation act such as has been adopted by European nations...
...The department of agriculture has issued a series of reports, as required by the pure food law, on drugs and foods sold to the public...
...Some reports even went to the extent of intimating that there was soon to be a shake-up in the cabinet, the most unpopular members to be sacrificed in the interests of the party...
...It is stated that no help will be given to Insurgents, but that on the contrary their "regular" Republican opponents will be assisted by orators and funds...
...But in spite of that, and in spite of my sympathy with organized labor, I put above everything the right of every man to labor as he will, to earn the wages that he will, and, if he chooses, to stay out of labor organizations...
...It is expected that a conference will soon be held for the purpose of arranging a reciprocity agreement between the two countries, to foster greater and freer exchange of commodities...
...In exchange for the minimum rates accorded to Canadian goods imported into this country, the United States is given the lowest rates on all goods coming under the miscellaneous section of Canada's tariff law, which constitute about $5,000,000 of the $180,000,-000 of U. S. exports to Canada...
...The main point at issue is that of wages, the miners almost uniformly demanding an increase of five cents per ton mined, but there are minor differences, over the installation of safety devices, etc...
...It is stated that most of the taxes now collected in Illinois for road construction and maintenance are wasted, and the present system can show little in the way of satisfactory work accomplished...
...Certain brands of "Java and Mocha coffee," were found to contain not a trace of either, and many articles are listed as being misbranded as to weight...
...The official conduct of the judge in appointing officers of the court as receivers is challenged as a violation of the law...
...Taft's recent utterance advocating the establishment of an arbitral court to settle all international quarrels no matter of what character...
...Operators and union leaders unite in saying that peace will be restored in less than a month's time in all the fields, and so far there has appeared little apparent bitterness between the strikers and their former employers...
...Securing a corner on eggs when they are cheap and sending them out in limited quantities when prices are high was condemned...
...Wickersham, in a letter which was read in the House by Congressman Bennett, denied that he had ever acted as counsel for the American Sugar Refining Company, but said that his former partner, Henry Taft, has been engaged by that company...
...He said labor must organize to be on an equality with capital when dealing with it, and defended the injunction as a means of preventing injustice in disputes between employers and employees...
...Carnegie declared that preparation for war, far from being a guaranty of peace, was a constant menace...
...The Committee probably will greatly limit the scope of the postal banking system and change the provision regarding the purchase of government bonds with postal deposits.—The Senate committee on commerce has approved Senator Lorimer's bill appropriating $1,000,000 of government' funds to aid Illinois in building a waterway to connect the Great Lakes with the Mississippi and the Gulf...
...Shippers, generally, expect an increase in freight ratesi the railroads asserting that they too must receive more for their service on account of the increased price of labor and materials...
...In the Senate, Senator Burrows of Michigan, who framed the last Republican national platform, has refused to introduce a like bill, claiming that he wishes to learn the views of the President on the measure...
...He advised the West, and Ohio, to follow the example of eastern states...
...The mayor was hooted off the platform at a Pittsburg massmeeting last week when he attempted to explain his actions and connection with the graft existing in the city administration...
...He made no answer to the other charges brought by Representative Martin...
Vol. 2 • April 1910 • No. 14
