Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-05-14
LABOR AT HARRISBURG.
Corporation Members Run the Legisla-
ture to Suit Their Masters.

ture to Suit Their Masters.
P. F. Caffrey, of the Legislative Com
mittee, in his report of the doings of
that body says:
Edward Williams, of Luzerne County,
P. F. Dever, P. F. Brennan and VIM
b. Bowling, of Schuylkill County, four
miners who were appointed on the COM
mittee to revise the anthracite mine laws,
deserted their post of duty and the inter-
ests OF their brother miners and joined
with the coal operators in defeating, or
striking out, the liability section, which
was the most important section of the
proposed bill. Words cannot express
the humiliation which every advocate of
human rights fees when he views such
infamous and reasonable conduct, per-
petrated by men who were selected "on
the recommendation of organized labor"
by friendly executive. All honest men
should refuse to ever associate with them.
Senator Hines made an able speech in
favor of the Dockage Bill, but Senator
Thompson came to the rescue of the coal
companies, abused Senator Hines, de-
Tended the iniquitous dockage system,
and appealed to the Republican side of
the Senate to defeat the bill. Eleven
Democrats voted aye and sixteen Repub-
Senator Upperman, of Allegheny County,
still holds in his pocket the Company
Store and Checkweighman Bills, which
passed the House over three months ago.
If labor in Pennsylvania ever hopes to
gain its rights and receive consideration
in the Legislative halls of the State, it
must all unite and select its nominees
right from the mills, mines, factories
and workshops. 1t must educate and
organize.
JEFFREY's AMENDMENTS KNOCKED OUT.
Jim Sweeney, in his letter to the
Speaker, tells how the corporation mem
bers rule at Harrisburg. The following
is an instance
The bill drawn up for the revision of
the mine laws for the anthracite coal
fields is now before the Legislature.
Last Thursday Representative Jeffrey
offered a resolution for the purpose of
advancing the BILL by giving it a special
order. The resolution was agreed to,
and the bill was read second time and
passed, but was considerably amended
in the meantime. Mr.. Jeffrey made an
effort to insert in the bill the liability
clause which was at one time put in
similar bill by the commission that was
appointed by the Governor to frame
mine law, but which was afterwards
struck out at Scranton, at the request
of the coal operators. The corporation
members of the House raised howl
against Mr.. Jeffrey's amendment and
threatened to defeat the bill in its en-
tirety if the amendment was not with
drawn. The amendment was finally
withdrawn. Now the members from
the anthracite region are discussing
among themselves if it would not have
been better to allow the corporation men
to carry out their threat and defeat the
bill, for the simple reason that it will
not make the mine law any better than
those that are in operation at present.
PASSES THE HOUSE FINALLY.
This bill was called up on Tuesday
and on vote of 149 to l passed third
reading. 1t is piece of useless legisla-
ton, though its high-sounding title says
it is bill to provide for the health and
safety of persons employed in and about
the anthracite coal mines, and for the
protection and preservation of property
connected Herewith. The bill practi-
cally allows the Board of Examiners to
make appointments of inspectors. The
provision that inspectors shall be miners
was stricken out. Any person expert
enced in mine workings can become an
inspector upon passing examination.
WHAT AN OPERATOR EDITOR SAYS.
The Philadelphia Ledger yesterday
made the remarkable editorial announce
ment that "the new anthracite mine law
which passed the House of Representa-
tives meets with general approval as af-
fording greater safety to the men," The
bill has been condemned as worthless by
every man that it is supposed to benefit,
and the less the Ledger has to say about
mining laws the better for miners. The
new law meets the general approval of
operators, and those are the "men" who
inspire these peculiar comments in the
Ledger.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION BILL.
Tuesday afternoon Representative
Wherry moved to take up his Constitu-
tional Convention bill, which had been
postponed at the morning session. Mr..
Wherry replied that the House could
consider his bill and do as it saw fit with
it. On the motion to take up the bill
the yeas and nays were called, resulting
yeas, 63; nays, 80. The motion was
defeated by strictly party vote, the
Republicans again emphasizing their OPP
position to everything that savors of re-
form.