Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-09-22

healthy condition. but because it demon
strated divers opportunities for the en-
ployment of labor.
He spoke word of encouragement to
the laborinp classes in their determine
ton to organize for self preservation and
seif-protection, commencing organized
labor because it teaches self-gov-
ernment and it teaches democracy. He
showed the close alliance between the
principles of labor org anizstion and DEM
ocracy, and in proof of the identity of the
two. recited the bills passed the last
legislature in the interests of labor, all of
which originated in the lower house and
were all introduced by democrats The
antl-truck law bill, the gross weight pay
bill In operation in mines, the weekly
pay ment bill. the farmers institute bill
and the bill for the repeal of the special
conspiracy act were all presented and ex>
planned in turn in the appended manner
as evidences of the fruitful results to
labor of placing the democratic party III
the control of the lower house of the
Illinois legi> lature:
/ FRUITS o. DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATION.
1. They enacted and secured the
passage of a bill introduced by Mr.. Gill,
| chairman of the committee on mines and
| mining and now the candidate for lieu
| tenant governor. requiring the examins>
ton of mine managers, so that the lives
and health of the miners should not be
| jeopardized by negligent or incompetent
! mine managers.
Q. They introduced and secured the
passage of the antitrust law. 1t was in
troduced by Thomas Ferns. of Jer-
| SEVILLE, 8 democrat. Four republicans
voted against it.
8. They introduced and secured the
passage Of what is known as the anti
truck store bill. which was introduced
| by Senator Arnold, democrat. 1t has
since been declared unconstitutional by
the supreme court, but it showed that the
democrats had the disposition to protect
the employe from the injustice of heing
compelled to buy goods at exorbitant
prices of his employer.
4. They secured the passage OF a bill
providing for the gross weighing of coal
so that the miner should not be wronged
by the process of having the coal
screened through very coarse screene and
weighing only that which did not pass
through, while most of that that did go
through was, however sold in the mar
ket, for which. however, the miner re-
ceived no compensation
s. They enacted and secured the pas.
| sage of bill for weekly payment of
wages 1t was introduced by Senator
| OCunnor, democrat.
6 They introduced and secured the
| passage of q bill to assist farmers to hold
county institutes. 1t was introduced by
Mr. Curtis, a democrat.
Z. One of the most important meas
ures of the session: They secured the
repeal of what was known as the Con
spiracy law" one of the most Ubiquitous
special measures that has ever been
placed upon the statute books. and was
| intended to crush organized labor. The
bill to repeal this measure was introduced
in the senate by Senator Coppinger a
democrat, and was ref. rred to the COM
mit.ee on judiciary, depart
ment of which Senator Ba-
| con was chairman. The committee
reported in favor OF having the bill laid
on the table-that is, they reported
against the bill. The republicans had q
majority in the senate. On the motion
to table this bill 81 republicans voted in
favor OF tabling it, % democrats and four
republicans voted in favor of the bill
that is ell the republicans but four were
against the bill, while all of the demo-
| Gratis and four republicans were in favor
of it and against tabling it. When the
| bill came up on its passage in the senate
all of the democrats and four republicans
voted for it, while 81 republicans voted
against il. When it went to the house
Mr.. Craig, democrat. moved that il
pass. Every democrat voted in favor of
this motion and 80 republicans voted
| against it. In other words. the demo-
| Gratis in the Legislature, assisted by four
| republicans in the senate, secured the
passage of this bill, while oil the repub-
| licans in the legislature. with the excep-
| ton of four. voted against this bill and in
| favor of retaining upon the statute books
| the infamous conspiracy act. In other
mords. the republican party. 30 far as it
could, placed itself upon record, voted
against organized labor and in favor of
maintaining measure which had been