The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-10-02
EMPLOYMENT OF LABOR.

EMFLOY M EN- Ot LABOR.
THE LAW ON THE sUBJECT-HON. r. A.
WALSH ENTITLED TO THE CREDIT.
Editor Representatives:
At the session of 1893, you will re-
member we passed an act making it
misdemeanor for an employer to re-
quire as condition Of employment
the surrender Of any right of citizen
ship (chap. Is laws of 1899, it was very
carefully drafted. and went as far as
we could 60, in view of the cons titu-
ton and the decisions of the courts;
not so far as we would like to have
gone, but as far as we could 60 safely
and have the law invalid, and not be a
"laughing stock" and "foot ball' for
corporation lawyers.
Shortly after the law was passed a
test case was instituted against an of
ticer Of the $500" railroad and Judge
Holt of the municipal court Of Mime
apOliS held it to be valid enactment,
and imposed fine on the offending
railroad official.
The railroad lawyers were afraid to
take the case to the Supreme Court,
at any rate they did not do SO.
AS / said before the law was not as
stringent as we would like to have
made it, yet 1t was constitutional and
would stand the test in court.
During the course of labor day ad-
dress in 1894 prominent attorney of
this city ridiculed The law, and even
went so far as to impugn the the mo-
tives of the parties who drafted and
had 1t passed, and suggested to those
listening to him, that they had been
imposed upon, etc. Now such talk
coming from a layman might be toler-
ated or pardoned, but from lawyer it
indicates want of thought or worse
malice.
During the same year the Missouri
legislature enacted a law containing
the Objectionable features omitted by
us and you will notice by perusal of
the enclosed, that it had been held
Institutional and void by the Su-
preme Court of Missouri.
At the last session of our legislature
law similar to the Missouri law, in
PRODUCED q believe) by Senator Nor
gan IS. f. No. 343) was passed, and 1
expect when it reaches our Supreme
Court Gf it ever does), it will meet
with the same fate as the Miss ouri
law
The true friend of the toiler and the
masses in the legislature is not he who
is willing to merely enact high sound
ing Impractical measures, that will
fall at the first assault, but substan-
tial enactments, that will effectuallY
protect their rights.
The act refersed to, S. F. 343, is as
follows:
No. 331-S f. No. 343.
AN ACT to provide penalty for CO.
ercing or inducing or making de-
mands upon or requirements Of en-
ployes, servants, laborers and per-
sons seeking employment.
Be it enacted by the Legislature Of
the State of Minnesota:
Section l. That it shall be unlaw-
full for any individual or member of
any firm, or any agent, officer or en-
ploye Of any company or corporation,
to coerce, require demand or influence
any person or persons to enter into
any agreement, either written or ver-
bal, not to join or become or remain
member of any lawful labor organiza-
tion as condition of such person or
persons securing employment or con-
tinuing in the employing Mt Of such in
dividual, firm or corporation.
wv. =. my pC1oOu VAOs 0CUluR III
himself either directly or through an
other person, agent or agency, or who
acting as agent or employe of another
person or persons, or who as member
Of any firm, or as an officer, agent or
employe of any company or corpora
tion, coerces, req uires. demands, or in
f1uences any person or persons to enter
into any agreement, either written or
oral, not to join or become or remain
member of any lawful labor organ-
Zation or association, as condition of
such person or persons. securing en-
ployment or continuing in the en-
ployment Of such individual, firm or
corporation, is guilty of misdemean-
or.
Sec. 3. This act shall take effect
and be in force from and after it's
passage.
Approved April Is, 1896.
A careful comparison of this with
the act of 1898, will show the differ
ences. The act of 1893 was drawn by
that true friend of the people, Hon. r.
A. Walsh, and would have stood any