St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-17
But It Looks as Though They
Would Have to Grin and
Bear It.
The Legislature Petitioned,
and the Courts Get a Caus-
tic Setting Out. f
A State Meeting Called to
Further the Short Day
Movement.

assembly met on Friday evening at the
Labor temple and transacted an unusual
amount of business. Ambrose l.. Len
non was reelected president for the en-
suing six months. The following is
tull report of the proceedings:
After a discussion of the recent SUI
preme and lower court decisions in re-
gard to the lien law, the garnishee law
and the cigarmakers' label, the assem-
bly, paid its respects to the courts in the
following resolutions:
Whereas, Misguided workingmen and
labor organizations, in their ignorance
on matters pertaining to right aud
wrong, have been wont to claim that
many privileges enjoyed by rich indi-
viduals and wealthy corporations are
the indirect result of class legislation:
but state and district courts have seldom
confirmed our opinions in that direction
it cannot be that national banks enjoy
any special privileges-it must be that
great corporations are morally as we'll
as legally entitled to tax the people in
terest on watered stocks, and that law
yers are worthy of far more considera-
ton than actual producers OF wealth,
and that the minimum days pay tor
lawyers should be fixed by statute at $40
per day; therefore. be it
Resolved. That wOrkingmen and labor
organizations shall evermOre respect the
mortalS who have donned the ermine,
unrayeled knotty points and laid bare
the fact that legislation protecting labor.
and that only-is class legislation;
showing that statute to protect the
mechanics wages, ''unleSs it gives capt.
tai the priority of claim" is unconstitu-
tional; that the statute to prevent the
punishment of an amount equal to one
tenth of the laborer's wages as conf
puted by Statisticians is class legisla-
ton; that the cigarmakerS' and other
cooperative institutions have no right
to protection by label or trademark.
Resolved, That in view of these facts
this body, composed as it is of delegates
from all labor organizations in this city,
acknowledge itself under deep obliga-
tons to the eminent jurists of this
county and state. Thanks, awfully,
gentlemen.
LOCAL. MATTERS.
The council committee reported that
they had attended the meeting of the
city council in the afternoon and re-
ported the councils decision in regard
to the hours Of labor and rate of pay.
Also several minor matters. After a
discussion of the action of the council.
the following resolutions were passed
and ordered sent to the council:
To the Honorable Common Council of
the City of Minneapolis: We respect
fully protest against the ordinance per
hitting the storage of pine fireWood
within the fire limits Of the CITY as a
dangerous measure to life and property.
A chance spark in time of high wind
applied to any of the large piles of dry
wood now stored in the center of the
city would almost insure the destruc-
ton of the entire business portion of
the city, and is far more dangerous than
the erection of frame buildings, as
small pieces of wood on fire would be
carried miles in high wind.
Whereas, The obiectof granting city
franchise is for the purpose of better,
government and to better protect the :
equal right of all citizens, we therefore
protest that the proposed ordinance
prohibiting heavy teams from using
some of our best paved streets is a dis
elimination against the citizen team
SterS of Minneapolis and a cruelty to
beasts, making the law against cruelty
to animals mOckery and giving light
carriage horses the preference over
heavy draft horses, creating an aris-
tocracy among beasts of burden as well
as among men.
No action was taken in regard to the
hours of labor, although the records
of the municipal reform association
were looked up and the number of al
dermen ascertained who pledged them
selves in favor of the eight-hour day.
But it was decided to defer action until
another meeting. The council commit
tee was directed to look up the condi-
tiOns under which the conduits for wires
are being laid and report next meeting,
LEGISLATIVE WORK.
The legislative committee reported
that the bill amending and extending
the duties of the bureau of labor statiS-
tics has passed the house and is likely
tOpass the senate.
seats for clerks also passed. So that
now there is penalty attached for its
violation, but the clause in regard to the
physicians certificate was left in, so
that the law is practically useless.
The cigar label and weekly payment
bills are still in the hands of the labor
legislation committee and have not
come up for action.
The anti-Pinkerton bill is in the hands
of the judiciary committee.
The bill providing for damages for
loss of life or limb by employees is said
to be mislaid, but will probably be
found.
The legislative committee were in
structed to forward the following reso-
lutions:
Resolved, That we hereby direct our
legislative committee, in the interest of
honest elections and purity of the bal
lot box, to urge upon the legislature the
necessity of Immediate action toward
the enactment into law of the bill now
pending before that body in regard to
the Australian system of voting.
To bon. Freeman Lane, of Hennepin
Delegation:
This assembly suggests, in the inter-
est of retrenchment and reform. that
the fOur-year aldermen be legislated
out of existence. and that wards con-
tanning less than 10000 inhabitants
shall be represented by but one alder
man, and all over that number shall
have but two.
Also, that the alderman's salary be
reduced to $500 per year, and in order |
to compel them to attend their duties
the penalty for noD-attendance at reas
ular meetings shall be forfeit of tive |
weeks salary. For neglecting to attend i
committee meeting one weeks salary |
shall be forfeited. This course. if |
adopted, will save the city from SIS, 600 ]
to $4,000 per year. i
A SHOT AT THE RAILROADS. 4
The Railroad Employees club, and its Il
reported action during the early part of |
the week, was discussed. at some leggth 4
and the following resolutions passed 1