Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-26
LABOR BUREAU BILL
AN IMPORTANT MEASURE PENDING IN
THE HOUsE OF DELEGATES.
Proposed Appointment Of q Commissioner
Who Can Offer Arbitration IN
Strikes, Boycotts, &C.

Most OF the time OF the house OF
Delegates was yesterday occupied with
the discussion on the labsr bureau bill.
Last session Mr.. Ellyson in the Senate
and Mr.. Waddill in the House each Of
fered a bill having this purpose in view.
The same measures were again presented
this year, and for Mr.. Waddill's bill Mr..
Lyon CT. Tyler has offered a substitute,
which has been the cause of 4 good deal
of contention between these two men,
bers, Mr.. Waddill rather intimsting
that Mr.. Tyler was trying to - steal
his thunder; Mr.. Tyler answering
that Mr.. Waddill's bill is the sub
stance Of the laws as they exist in
a dozen States. and that he (Mr.
Tyler is exercising his undeniable right
to alter, amend, and improve it, and thus
reshaped to present it as a substitute,
and he explained to what length he had
gone in the way OF remedying defects,
supplying omissions, and extirpaiing re-
dundancies. Mr.. Waddill insisted, how
ever, that none of the amendments were
improvements with the single exception
Of section requiring the commissioner
to give bond.
TIE COMMISSIONER.
Both Of these bills propose that
commissioner shall be chosen by the State
TO gather information and statistics with
regard to labor with the view of adj
vancing the interests Of the working
classes, and to that end it seems that all
difficulties, strikes, boycotts, &C.. may
be the sooner harmonized and adjusted
and as amicably and peacefully as posi-
BILE.
The two measures differ in detail and
n powers given the commissioner, but
the main are as here stated.
MOTION TO DISMISS.
After the merits of the two bills had
been explained Mr.. Pedigo (Republican)
got up and stated that we had enough
officers at the Capitol now, and he
moved to dismiss.
The vote indicated that the PROPOSE
tion was carried, but it was soon ascer-
tanned that the question was improperly
put by the gentleman who was that mo-
ment in the chair-the Speaker being
on the floor-and the vote was invalid.
The question should have been on a mo-
ton of Mr.. Buford to recommit-hi
view being that while no doubt some
law of the sort could be made accepta-
BILE, neither bill was so successfully
shaped as to meet obvious objections.
STRIKES.
Mr.. Carter, of Richmond, made
lengthy speech in favor of the bill. He
seemed to prefer Mr.. Waddills, but he
desired the very best thing that could be
gotten. He said that if there had been
commissioner in Virginia the State would
have been saved the expense of sending
troops to Newport News and Pocahontas.
He claimed that the expenses incurred
for sending troops to these places
would have maintained the bureau
for years. A member objected that
the commissioner would have no
power to quell riot, but Mr.. Garter
insisted that the commissioner would be
able so to reconcile differences as to
pacify the employers and employee and
to avoid strikes and so riots. 1t is true
that referees and arbitrators can be ap-
pointed now, but they cannot have the
weight and official sanction of commits
siOner.
OTHER SPEAKERS.
Mr.. Elan (Republican) favored the
bill of Mr.. Waddill, and said that it was
not political but peoples measure.
Mr.. Pedigo (Republican) said if there
were no politics in it how was it that
they (the Republicans) "want to call us
'kickers' and kick us ont of the party
because we are opposed to it "
Mr.. Waddill spoke at great length.
Mr.. Harris (colored) once interrupted
him by asking if there wasn't labor
in Pennsylvania, and why
he didn't prevent the Reading strikes
or having failed to prevent them, why
he does not now reconcile employers
and employees.
Mr.. Waddill said that he didn't know
the Pennsylvania law and doubted if the
(Harris) did (; and was answer
ing this question and q dozen others
which were fred into him, when he gave
way to a motion to adjourn, and the
House adjourned.