The substitute providing for a reference of the subject to a commission was offered by Representative C. H. Grosvenor, of Ohio, the Speaker's right-hand man, and second in command of the House leadership. A division was had on this substitute, and it was declared defeated by a vote of 136 to 123, a majority of 13. This showed that, notwithstanding all the coercion and unfair means resorted to by Mr. Cannon, still the majority of the House was in favor of the educational test provision, and against the cowardly, underhanded way by which it was proposed to defeat it; but such a defeat to the Speaker could not be allowed to stand; his friends demanded tellers, and among the first to go

between the tellers and be counted in favor of the substitute was Mr. Cannon himself. As soon as he had passed the tellers his piercing eye ran rapidly over the Republican side of the chamber and a frown took possession of his face as he beheld many members of his party quietly sitting in their seats waiting for the other side of the question to be taken, so that they could cast their votes in favor of the educational test. He then became desperate. Shaking his head vigorously and gesticulating with his arms he worked rapidly from one desk to another urging them to vote with him. for the Grosvenor substitute and against the educational test. No one will ever know all the Speaker may have said to those members or what argument he may have advanced, but many of them who had intended to vote their own sentiments and thereby represent the wishes of the constituents of their respective districts were ordered about and sent down the aisles almost shamefacedly to get in line and follow their leader. In two instances Speaker Cannon was seen to grab members by the coat collars and attempt to pull them out of their seats in his effort to force them to pass between the tellers and defeat the educational test. The result of this shameful affair was that when the vote was announced by tellers the substitute carried by a vote of 128 to 116, a majority of 12, thus showing that out of the 136 members who on the first vote voted against the substitute twenty were either driven between the tellers like dumb brutes into a car, or lacked sufficient moral courage to walk down the line and vote their convictions when the eyes of their chief were upon them.

Thus closeth another dark page in congressional history.

The Magazine submits this together with the history of Mr. Cannon's jug. gling of our Employers' Liability Billan account of which was published in the May issue-to our members and railroad men generally in the Eighteenth Illinois Congressional District, which district Mr. Cannon at present represents in Congress, and to represent which for another term he is a candidate. It is for them to decide whether or not such a record as his is entitled to the endorsement of their support at the polls.

Immigration from Two View-Points.

The Banker. The country's citizens are its best assets; even if untutored and possessing nothing but their strength, the greater the population the more are there to work. It is not essential that they be educated, in fact the less so the better, as they are then more easily subdued and become more docile and amenable to their employers' instructions and regulations.

The Labor Unionist.-The greatest assets of a country are its educated citizens. It is to them we look to create the wealth of the nation. The country whose masses are educated is the foremost in social elevation. The country whose workingmen are given opportunity to study and know themselves is the most progressive of nations; hence America today stands pre-eminent as a producing country. Unlimited, unrestricted immigration is a menace to the welfare of the majority of its citizens. It is the curse of the American workingman. It permits of the worst elements of the ignorant masses of other nations being emptied into the labor market of America to compete with American labor and operate to reduce the general standard of American citizenship. The influx to the United States of cheap labor has devastated the homes of thousands of honest workingmen and greatly improved the opportunity for the few to exploit the many. It has had a tendency to create unrest in the field of labor and to discourage many who, ambitious to save a competency or secure a home of their own, find themselves displaced or accepting undesirable conditions by the presence of unlimited competition in their chosen field. No more unpatriotic act can be imagined than to reduce the standard of the wage

earning masses of a country-to cut down the earning capacity of the bread-winner and uproot his comfortable home. The uneducated citizens may add to the nation's wealth, but they more than offset their good works in those channels by the undermining of the wage schedules of honest, industrious, competent and wellpaid labor. Many of them never enjoyed the real comforts of a home in Europe, and they are consequently easily pleased, the refuse of the average American kitchen being to them a banquet in comparison to what they have been accustomed to in their native countries.

Gompers vs. Cannon.

The American Federation of Labor has picked up the gauntlet thrown down by the political bosses of the last session of Congress, and, having accepted the gage of battle, has entered the political arena equipped with the lance of American freedom to try issues with the champions of plutocracy. President Gompers has called upon the organized workingmen throughout the country to oppose the re-election to Congress of those who, as members of that body, have opposed the legislative interests of wage-earners. He has entered the district of Representative Littlefield, of Maine, and made several speeches against the re-election of that gentleman. Speaker Cannon, the boss of political bosses, has been called into service, and in a desperate atempt to overcome the effects of Mr. Gompers' work against his accomplice Littlefield has indulged in a personal attack upon him, in which he resorted to the usual word-jugglery and speech-distortion in order to mislead and misguide his hearers. He said: "Mr. Gompers has come into your district and demanded the defeat of Mr. Charles E. Littlefield, your representative in Congress, not because he has failed properly to represent the people of the district, but because he has failed to comply with the demands of Mr. Gompers," etc. Such was the tenor of his speech, a distortion of facts and succession of false statements.

All through it he ignored the fact that the president of the American Federation of Labor is merely acting in the capacity of the representative of over a million American workingmen and not, as Cannon would have his hearers believe, for himself individually. Cannon de

clares he "does not believe in proscription in politics," a thing he has practiced, advocated and fostered ever since he entered the political field. Mr. Cannon predicts that Mr. Gompers will fail because "such methods have never succeeded in this country." In such a statement Cannon, if he believes himself, certainly can not be guided by his own experience.

Characteristic of the person whose every effort has been bent towards defeating legislation which organized labor (not Mr. Gompers individually) deemed necessary, is the attack made upon the presiIdent of the American Federation of Labor by one of the bitterest, most virulent and contemptible enemies organized workingmen have ever had in the National House of Representatives.

Referring to Cannon's attack on President Gompers the Indianapolis Evening News sarcastically suggests that "what Mr. Cannon would have Mr. Gompers understand is that he is sorry the labor leader has made such an egregious political mistake. The wise policy, of course, from the practical point of view, is to keep in line, or at least to make it ap pear that you are keeping in line."

A True Prophecy.

One of the leading dailies, in speaking of the Tug Firemen's strike in New York, says:

"The strike of the New York tugboat firemen shows how readily the people of any city may be put in want by a strike on the part of men engaged in the business of transportation. Within two days, vegetables, fresh meat and food of all sorts began to be hard to get, and high priced. The public will insist some day that such vastly important work be not hindered by any dispute concerning wages, but shall proceed pending settlement."

Quite true. The public is a tolerant and long suffering one, and is beginning to think. Those exploiters of the labor of the classes will be surprised when the public does "insist" that such "vastly important work" be not hindered because of the avarice of a few unscrupulous speculators, whose thoughts center upon the Almighty Dollar at all hours of the day and night, their slumbers even being characterized by the fitful emotions of money getting. Quite right, brother; the public will "insist" that the working

man be given fair and courteous treatment and thus obviate the possibility of hinderance to the supply channel of the great metropolis. When making predictions, Mr. Editor, please do not overlook the one absolute essential-labor.

Railroad Accidents.

In

Interesting statistics are contained in Accident Bulletin No. 19, issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D. C. These statistics, which are compiled from reports made to the commission by the various railroad companies, show an aggregate of 1,126 killed and 17,170 injured, including passengers and employes in various capacities. perusing the tabulated matter it is refreshing to learn that there are some totals which are smaller than those covering the same class of accidents in preceding reports, but the decrease is not of sufficient magnitude to warrant special attention. The following table of collisions and derailments will be interesting:

north on south-bound track failed to arrange for protection; flagman mismanaged when conductor was absent; engineman failed to test air brakes; block signal operator gave false clear signal.

No. 3, passenger and freight; no one killed or injured, but damage amounted to $2.700. It was the case of a milk train disregarding block signal; engineman discharged; conductor of standing freight train discharged for not flagging; fireman suspended for failing to observe fixed signal indication.

No. 4, passenger and freight; eleven injured; none killed. Men in charge of passenger train failed to correctly identify freight standing on side track; occurred in daylight.

No. 5, passenger and freight; one killed; none reported injured. This accident occurred at 4 a. m. during a severe blizzard. Communication had been cut off and the accident was due to a telephone order. The trainmaster, a person of twenty-five years' experience as a dispatcher, telephoned to the engineer of the passenger train to stop at a certain point for orders, but the engineman did not understand the message and proceeded

An elaborate tabulated detailed statement is made of the causes for fortysix prominent accidents, and some of special interest are given herewith.

No. 1 was a collision between a freight and passenger train, wherein one person was killed and thirty-six injured, and was caused as follows: Freight stalled in snow: terrible wind and storm. Flags and torpedoes failed to attract attention of engineman of passenger train.

No. 2 was between two freight trains, and three persons were killed and six in jured. The conductor of train running

beyond the point where the orders were to be delivered, and which was the station where he was to have met the opposing train. The trainmaster asserts that the engineman answered "all right," and that it was spoken twice; but he failed in that he did not cause the order to be written down by the engineman and have the conductor made acquainted with the provisions thereof, and as the order was sent in regular form to the inferior train the collision resulted from the misunderstanding on the part of the engineman.

No. 6, between two freight trains; one person killed, none reported injured; causes leading up to this collision being practically the same as are hereafter given for collision No. 29.

No. 7, freight trains; six persons injured. The engineer was asleep; other members of the crew failed to notice that he was approaching a meeting point at too great a speed; all of the crew had been on duty 151⁄2 hours.

No. 7a, two passenger trains; none killed, forty-nine injured. This appears to have been due to a confusion of orders on the part of one of the engineers, and is a good argument in favor of requiring a conductor to notify an engineer when he is approaching a meeting point. In this instance the rights of the two trains had been reversed for a distance of about 58 miles. They were at the point where the order giving the right

to the train of inferior direction expired, and the east-bound train, overlook ing the fact that the west-bound passenger train had the right of track to that point and was not yet into clear, proceeded, with the result that it found the west-bound train standing about six hundred feet east of the east switch, and the collision occurred. The conductor had notified the engineer by air whistle, and it was by him acknowledged in the usual manner. but it is believed he took this as applying to a meet with a freight train and did not make the necessary reduction in speed. The fact that the sig nal of the conductor conveyed no intimation as to the number of trains to be met proves one of the shortcomings of the signal system which is devised to provide against just such contingencies and possibilities of the enginemen overlooking meeting points. This engineer had been in service for twenty years.

7b, passenger and freight: none killed. but forty injured, most of them not seriously. This is a case where a combination of neglects and failures proved unfortunate. One of the trains was a special occupied by a company of firemen being taken home after a fire. The train was being pushed from a side track to the main line when it was struck by a through freight train. The conductor of the special had instructed a block signalman to protect him, as he was going to do some switching: in the meantime the signalman went off duty and did not inform the man relieving him that he was protecting the work of the special, and he allowed the through freight train to

proceed. The conductor endeavored to throw a stop signal into position, but the semaphore failed to work on account of defective apparatus, and the consequence was the through freight struck the passenger train. The conductor of the passenger train did not take steps to protect his train with a flag while working. We are not informed as to the number of the brakemen assisting the conductor, but presume that only one was on duty, and he was working with the conductor in executing the switching movements. Had the conductor made a written request for the signalman to protect his train it may have possibly averted the collision, or even had the signalman reduced the request to writing. This is a very forcible argument against the permitting of verbal orders and understandings to be used in the movement of trains. It looks as

though this was a clear case of "taking chances" and relying upon others to do what one should perform oneself, and, like many other instances of a like nature, resulted disastrously.

dent shows:

No. 8, two freight trains; none killed, three injured, and was due to freight train running away on a grade owing to the engineer and fireman being both asleep and its getting beyond their control. The fireman was in the service one month only before the runaway, but the engineer was a man of considerable exThis engine crew had been perience. very much overworked. The engineer's record for three days prior to the acciOff duty 13 hours, on 141⁄2 hours off 4 hours, on 14 hours; off 41⁄2 hours, on 22 hours; off 4 hours and on 101⁄2 hours at the time of the collision. This record is shown by the call books. Considering that he could not avail himself of the intervals off duty to get sufficient sleep, the effect upon this man was equally as bad as continuous service. The engineer was, however, responsible to a certain extent for the accident, as he requested that he be called for a certain train to enable him to reach home more quickly than if he had taken his regular turn, his wishes being complied

with.

No. 9, two freight trains; two killed. three injured. A dispatcher, eighteen months' experience, on duty five hours, gave meeting order first to inferior train and forgot to hold the superior.

No. 10, two passenger trains; one killed, twelve injured. A train of empty passenger cars in yard disregarded stop signal; crossing collision; one passenger in smoking car killed.

No. 11, two passenger trains; five killed and four injured. Train got beyond control of the engine crew, which had been driven from the cab by steam from burst injector pipe; the brakeman tried to stop train with conductor's valve, but too late.

No. 12, two passenger trains; three killed, twenty-nine injured. A northbound train running fifteen minutes late by dispatcher's order failed to wait three minutes at meeting station, as per rule.

No. 13, two passenger trains; one killed and eighteen injured. A conductor and engineman south bound, reading register, failed to note that opposing north-bound train had carried green signals.

No. 14, passenger and freight trains; three killed and twenty injured. Engineman of a light engine overlooked a regularly scheduled passenger train and caused head-on collision.

No. 15, passenger and freight trains; three killed and twelve injured. Crew of freight train neglected to identify passenger train at meeting point.

No. 16, freight and passenger trains; five killed and five injured. Collision was occasioned by leaving a cut of cars on a steep grade with only air brakes to hold them. The crew of this train had been on duty about 15%1⁄2 hours and were evidently so tired they had become careless in the performance of their duties.

No. 17, passenger and freight trains. Cars of freight train left standing on siding run out on to main line, colliding with passenger train.

No. 18, two passenger trains. Engineer of light passenger engine overlooked his orders and meeting place with opposing passenger train, resulting in collision. Two persons killed and thirty-six injured.

No. 19, passenger and freight trains; four killed, eighteen injured. Due to the gross carelessness of a block signalman, an engineer and a conductor, and of several other employes, all combining and contributing to the cause of this disastrous wreck. Both trains were running at a good rate of speed when they came in contact with each other. Both trains had been ordered to meet at C, but the passenger train passed C, and the wreck occurred between C and B. The opposing train was allowed to pass B, the signalman at that point having set his semaphore in the "proceed" position, subsequently falling asleep. The crew of the east-bound train (passenger) carelessly

assumed that another freight train standing in the siding was the one for which they had meet orders. The engineer of the east-bound train was among those killed. The signal for east-bound trains at C was in the proceed position because no communication was received from B, and because the meeting order for the trains had not been sent to C. The signalman at B had been employed as brakeman five years ago and was subsequently employed as signalman. Communication between stations was by telephone. Had the engineer of the westbound train lived up to the rule requiring that the signal must be seen moving from the stop to the clear position doubtlessly the collision would have been averted.

The derailments worthy of note were occasioned by unavoidable causes, such as "washout," broken rail, train getting beyond control of engineer, etc.

A long list of causes of injuries to employes is given, also the nature of the injuries.

A study of the bulletin and the causes leading up to collisions demonstrates that employes of railroad companies in the matter of failing to insist on having proper rest are not as careful of their own interests as their safety and that of the traveling public demands. They apparently overlook the fact that there is a limit to human endurance, and that a lapse of attention to duty through yielding to the demands of nature frequently results in disaster. While it is true that those infected with an abnormal greed for large pay checks are few and far between, the fact remains that some employes permit themselves to remain on duty when they ought to have already been in bed for hours.

It often happens that in some instances the subordinate railroad officials require men to strain themselves to the breaking point, and urge them to remain on duty for excessively long periods, although knowing full well that it is extremely dangerous for men in an exhausted condition to be in charge of a train. Long continuous hours of hard toil lead to carelessness, with its frequently disastrous consequences.

While the bulletin as a whole shows fewer casualties in some lines, still the improvement is so slight that there is not much occasion for congratulations. When employer and employe refrain from violating the laws of nature and cease their efforts to accomplish more than the hu