St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-11
LABOR LEGISLATORS.
The Workmen'S Parliame nt
Expresses It's Opinion on
Reforms.
Child Labor and Payment of
Members Of Parliament
Acted On.
III. De Fpeycinet Claims the
Intentions of France Are
Peaceful,
While on All Hands Prepare
tionS for War Are Under
Way.

NEWCASTLE, Sept. 10.-Among the
subjects brought before the trades union
congress this morning was that of the
age at which children should be allowed
to work in factories. The subject was
an interesting one to all present. The
great majority of the delegates were in
favor of raising the limit of the age; a
minority were opposed to it. The ma
jority based their arguments upon hui
name and moral principles; the minor
ity claimed that the raising of the limit
would be the means of taking a certain
portion of the daily bread out of the
mouths of many poor families who
could not afford such loss.
The delegates were reminded that
many boys and girls were, in cases of
sickness, the support of their parents
and younger brothers and sisters.
These arguments, however, had little
weight against the views expressed by
those who set forth in cutting words
the evils attendant upon allowing chill
dren of tender years to labor in
Unhealthy Factories,
while exposed 10 hearing and seeing
much that they should neither hear or
see. Finally motion to raise the age
limit to thirteen years was passed by
vote OF 265 to 1913. To-day one of the
political features of the work before
the congress was developed 1t arose
when the question of paying members
OF parliament came up for discussion.
AS is well known, members of the Brit
ish parliament receive no pay, and con-
&c ~ ns,lf fs...
for poor man to get into parliament,
and still more difficult matter for him
to stay there if he succeeds in being
elected
Thus it is that the Irish members of
parliament have, as rule. not being
men OF wealth, been assisted by allow
anceS from sums subscribed by we'll
wish2rs for lreland's prosperity and in
the same way several of the few Eng
lish members of parliament elected
from the working classes and by the
working classes, have had to rely upon
their friends for pecuniary assistance
in order to enable them to give up their
usual daily work TO attend to the affairs
OF their constituents. 1t was announced
in the congress to-day that this ques-
ton, as well as kindred questions, those
of the
Payment of Members
of county councils and school boards,
would come up prominently at the next
session of parliament, aud that the
willingness of candidate for parlia-
ment at the coming general election to
vote for these payments would be made
one of the tests upon which the trades
uniGnistS would decide whether or not
to support such a candidate. 1t will
thus be seen that the Labor party seems
Inclined to ignore the old political par
ties, on the whole, and to support those
who will support measures advocated
by the trades union congress.
During the course of the business
transacted by the congress today, the
delegates passed resolutions condemn
ing the sub-ietting of government con-
tracts, and holding that public bodies
ought not to enter into contracts with
hrms refusing to conform to the Gus
toms. hours and wages decreed as be-
ing Just by the trades unions. Later i'm
the day Charles Fenwick, NJ. p, was
reelected parliamentary secretary, or
secretary to the parliamentary COM
mlttee of the trades union congress.
which committee carries out the work
laid out for it each year at the sessions
of this labor parliament. The principle
of cooperation. so far as cooperative
stores, workshops, factories, etc., are
concerned, was freely discussed and
approved by the delegates.
A veteran parliamentarian. speaking
of the labor movement, said: IF no
other good comes out of this labor move
ment i'll this country, it will have ac-
complished an immense task in having
made the voice of labor respected and
the demands of labor listened to with
consideration