Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-22
Labor LG CiSlatiOn.
Ia Crosse Chronicle

We are not particularly desirous of pos
ing the democratic party as the only
friend of the workingman and the friend
of the workingman only. The democrat
ic party has wider mission than exclu-
sive devotion to the interests of any one
class of citizens. The statements made.
however, by some of its opponents that
the party which has been the poor mans
party since its inception is labor's enemy
are so far from truth and justice that we
feel constrained to cite few instances of
its friendliness to the toilers and con-
trast its record in this regard with that
of its pretentious and hypocritical adver
sary, the republican party. The policy
of the present administration regarding
labor questions was set forth in a specia
message to congress on April 22d, last,
wherein President Cleveland urged the
appointment of national board of arbi
tration for the settlement of disputes be-
tween capital and labor, and that steps
be taken to bring about better under
derstanding between the two. When Mr..
Springer moved to refer this message TO
the committee on labor, Mr.. Butterworth
(republican) antagonized it by moving
its reference to committee of the whole,
which if successful would have defeated
any legislative action whatever upon the
message. The motion was defeated, and
of the 14S members who voted with the
majority 116 were democrats; of those
voting to smother the message only five
were democrats and seventytwO were re-
publicans. The house committee on la
Dor of the last congress reported the fol-
lowing measures, which passed and all but
one remain hung up in the senate.
bill to legalize the incorporation of
national trades unions, declaring
the right of the workingmen to combine
for mutual protection and benefit, for
the regulation of their wages and for
other lawful purposes; q bill to protect
mechanics, laborers, and servants in
their wages, by providing that for all
personal services rendered by persons
acting in the capacities above mentioned
in the District of Columbia or any terri
tory of the United States, no property
shall be exempt from seizure and sale
under execution; a bill directing the
commissioner of labor to make full in
vestigation as to the kind and amount of
work done in the penal institutions of
the several states and territories as to
the methods under which convlcts are
or may be employed, and as to all of the
facts pertaining to convict labor and the
influence of the same upon the indus
tries of the country; bill prohibiting
any officer, agent or servant of the gov
ernment to hire or contract out the labor
of prisoners incarcerated for violating
the laws of the United States; bill to
prevent the employment of convict or
alien labor upon public buildings and
other public works of the Unite
States and to regulate the manner o
letting contracts therefor; a bill to
amend an act to prohibit the importation
of foreigners and aliens under contract
or agreement to perform labor in the
United States, all persons included in
the prohibition in this act upon arrival
to be sent back to the nations to which
they belong at the expense of the owners
of the vessel which brought them over
These seven distinct labor bills passed
the house and but two, being the bill to
incorporate trades unions and the bill re-
lating to convict labor managed to wig
ole thrOuyh the senate,