The erstwhile Banker SpaMing is' now hon...

The erstwhile Banker SpaMing is' now honest Farmer Spalding. It ! s alleged that he claims farming as ' lis principal occupation and that ■ janking is merely his incident. His i natural inclinations are all in the j direction of farm life and labor 'tis Í , said. He is never so happy as ' when in the company of his brother illers of the soil. He loves to meet, greet and shake the horny land of his farmer neighbors and as he sweat of honest labor courses down Jhe furrows of bis anatomy to alk of his fine cabbages and ] dns. He is no doubt as near an ' approach to the ideal farmer as can ! je found in the second district. The Pontiac Post comments upon he growing evils resulting from the practice of members of the legislature traveling on passes and the neglect of duty and waste of time resulting therefrom. It then suggests the following remedy for the evil: "There is, however, a possible and logical remedy for this evil. Change the pay of members of the legislature from a per diem to a flxed salary for their term of office and provide that absence from one's post, except for sickness or other sufScient cause, shall work forfeiture of salary pro rata. There will then be no inducement to prolong the legislative sessions till the flies drive the members out of the Capitol. On the contrary there will be an incentive to do the work as quickly as possible. If members had to be docked for their absence on Saturday and Monday the free pass would have few channs. Now members return to their homes at the end of every week. At least the first and last day of the week are lost, the week reduced to four working days, the session correspondingly prolonged and the expense to the taxpayers correspondingly increased. The unaniousm report of the congressional committee which investigated the armor plate frauds of the Carnegie company shows the guilt of the company beyond any question. It is a piece of infamy that we have no adequate laws to punish. The report shows that specifications were not followed, government inspectors were wooled, the testing machine was made to show false results, specimens were tampered with, and all this with the knowledge of the superintendents. That these men should go to work and deliberately put up frauds not only against the people but against the lives of our seamen and the nation's honor, is infamous and shows the depths of crookedness and fraud which such concerns are given to practicing upon Uncle Sam. It is but one more indication of the low moral tone which exists in business matters with the government. The severest penalty of the law should be visited upon the campany for such villainy. Republicans claim that protection is chiefly or largely for the benefit of the laboring man. But who ever heard of republicans howling for a raise in wages when tariffs were increased? If it be logical and necessary for wages to come down when tariff rates are reduced, it is logical and mere justice to raise wages when duties are put up. Employers consider themselves under no obligations to raise wages, however, when duties are increased. For instance, the New Bedford, Mass., cotton milis, whose operatives have gone on a strike because of the reduction of wages announced as a result of the passage of the new tariff, did not raise wages when the McKinley bill passed. Why did they not raise wages? Simply because they wished to pocket the entire profits flowing from the increased duties. And now they propose to continue those unjust profits by taking the amount out of the wages of their workmen. There is as rank injustice in this on the part of the mili owners as there is in a resort to violence on the part of strikers. There is nothing in the new tariff which warrants such action by the mili owners. Secretary Blaine is authority for the statement that the labor cost in American cottons is less than those in England. There the raw material is produced at home and there is therefore no cost of transportation and there can be ! no reason whatever why any 1 tion should be given those manufacturers. It is a steal and the mili owners alone are the beneficiaries.