The workingman's advocate., 1874-05-23

California for the Last three years, my life
has been an increasing round of the Sc
vcrest toils and sir, think my experiences
has been sufficiently practical TO speak ON
this question, because ! speak of that
whereof know-"I speak by the card "
My whole life has been passed among those
who vigorously and religiously observed a
divine Injunction, for which Observance,
however, fear they can claim no merit, ~
they had no choice in the matter, and that
injunction is the command which God has
placed upon all men, that they should eat
the bread which they themselves earned,
and not that earned BY others. The con-
dition of these people being my own, am
practically conversant with their necessities
and wants, and TO meet these necessities
and relieve these wants has besn and il
now the great object of my life and it
was the accomplishment of something tan
gible in this direction, which induced me,
last summer, at Columbus, to introduce
the Constitution:
FIRST session after the adoption of its con-
stitution, shall, by suitable enactment, CO.
tablish Bureau of Statistics Of Labor,
the duties of which bureau shall be TO col
lect, collate, systematize and present in
annual reports to the Legislature ON or be-
fore the first day Of February in each year,
statistical details relating to al depart
ments of labor in the State of Ohio espe-
cially in it's relations to the commercial,
social, educational, industrial and sanitary
condition of the laboring classes, and to
the permanent prosperity of the productive
industry of the State.
This proposition was referred to the
Committee on Miscellaneous Subjects, to-
gether with the petition of some six or
seven thousand citizens praying for its
adoption. had the promise of the dis
tinguished chairman of the committee Mr..
Root that would have accorded me the
privilege Of going before the committee,
and giving ut length my reasons for its in
PRODUCTION, and what was expected to be
accomplished through its fundamentally.
| gave the subject no further serious
send for me when they were ready to con-
slider the matter. However, ON the last
day of the Columbus session, during my
absence, the committee presented this re-
port:
The Committee on Miscellaneous Sub
jects, to which was referred proposition
No. 1853, by Mr.. Foran, 70 amend Article
XIV. of the Constitution, with certain pc
titions upon the same subject, having had
the same under consideration, report that
in their opinion the present provisions of
the constitution, upon the subject specified
in said proposition, confers upon the Cen
eral Assembly full power to act upon that
subject to the entire extent proposed In
said proposition aud the details of such
action are properly matters to be left to the
control Of the General Assembly, for which
reason the committee sees no necessity for
the proposed amendment
The committee. therefore, recommend
that the proposed amendment to Article
XIV. be not made, and ask to be discharged
from the further consideration of said prop
osition and petitions.
j. ID. HORTON,
E. SCHULTZ,
JOHN X. MCBRIDE,
The report was adopted, though the con-
vention subsequently reconsidered the vote
upon the motion of the gentleman from
Richard Mr.. Burns), made the second day
of the adjournment session.
Now, Mr. Chairman, this report contains
two distinct proportional statements. 1t
ia first affirmed that the General Assembly
already has full power to act upon the sub
ject to the entire extent proposed in the
proposition, and it is next declared that
the proposition embraces details which
properly belong to the province Of legisla-
tion, and, for that reason, should not be
embodied in the organic law. The first
statement, | admit, is true the General
Assembly has full power to voluntarily
perform an act which this proposition
seeks to make mandatory upon it but,
sir, the General Assembly has never exer-
cised that power, and it is because of it's
continual failure to dc 80 that we request
this convention to leave the matter no
longer to the election or option of the leg
islature, but, by constitutional provision,
make it part of the imperative duties Of
that body. The legislature has power to
establish this bureau, but it has not done
it and if the past is any criterion by
which the future may be determined, there
il but little hope that it will ever do so.
Though the statutes of the State of Ohio
fill seventy large volumes, you cannot find
in all this plethoric multiplicity Of enact
ments single law passed in the interest
of those who seek the incorporation of this
amendment In the fundamental law. These
volumes are weighted and clogged with
special laws, granting special powers and
privileges to private corporations, whereby
they are enabled, under the forms of law,
under the very shadow Of blind Justice to
squeeze and extort forced contributions
he 10
flowing with statutes, which are either
subtle evasions Of constitutional obliga-
tions, or unwarranted and violent usurl,a-
tion of powers either forbidden or limited
by the organic Law of the State at every
session of the General Assembly the num-
Der of bills introduced for the better pro-
lection, or for greater extension of the
powers Of railroads, insurance companies,
and other private corporations, can be
numbered by hundreds. But the number
Of bills introduced for the better protection
Of workingmen can by counted by units,
and the number that pass and become laws
cannot be counted at all, a. there are none
to count. The miners in 1870 sought to
have enacted law giving them protection
of nature that monarchial countries in
Europe gave their miners without asking,
but the bill was killed, and another pro-
tecting, in effect, nobody but the owners
and. operators, was passed. OF the GAG
bills introduced in the House and Senate
during the session of 1872, but tsco were in
the interest of labor, and these were killed
by committee manipulation and parlia-
mentary stratagem before they reached
q final vote, and though any two members
could demand the ayes and nays, there
were no such demands made, though of
courss, ct some stage of their brief life, the
bills were killed and buried out of sight by
visa voce vote. Why, sir, the General
Assembly has not only refused to enact the
really and absolutely necessary laws de-
mandsd by workingmen, butt has actually
cost IN thousands Of dollars to lobby 70