The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-06

tlO1 of the achievements and the de-
serts of organized labor was found
in the establishment Of the United
States department Of labor in 1885 and
the appointment of a commissioner Of
labor to look after the interests of
this great and growing section of So
ciety. The value of such a depart
ment in the capital Of the nation is
we'll nigh incalculable and the data
secured by the commissioner are of
constant use to the leaders of the toll
ing hosts who are working to build
up and expand their prestige and their
privileges.
The state bureaus act as excellent
auxiliaries to the labor department at
Washington. The oldest of these is the
bureau of statistics of labor, estab-
lished at Boston in 1869. This pioneer
Institution has been managed with ex-
traordinary ability ever since It's Gre
alton, and its value to the world Of
labor is hard to estimate. The next
state to fall in line was Pennsylvania.
The organization took place in 1872, and
the name bureau Of industrial statistics
was applied to the department. In
the following year Connecticut, recog-
niZing the need Of such a department.
instituted a bureau of labor statistics
and appointed a commissioner, who
found plenty of work to do.
Among the latest of the united COM
mOnWealthS to establish these impOr-
tant branches of official inquiry and
regula ton were Montana and New
Hampshire. Departments were es-
tablished by them in 1898, the Montana
institution being called the bureau OF
agriculture, labor and industry. while
New Hampshire was satisfied with the
plain title bureau Of labor.
The laws beneficial to the laboring
41,~4
enacted at the instigation Of repre-
sentatives of the labor organizations
are many and their existence is greatly
to labor's credit. Employers had for
a time a system of blacklisting which
effectually prevented a discharged en-
ploye from obtaining employment else
where. This manifestly unjust arrange
ment was hotly combated by the in
huential representatives Of unionism,
and with such success that nine Of the
states and territories passed laws which
cCnstructively prohibit blacklisting, and
10 created statutes which prohibit it in
specific terms.
Another of labor's legislative victories
has place in the statute books Of eight
states. It being considered that en-
plCyers overstepped their authority in
exacting from employees agreements not
| to join or become members of any labor
| organization, an agitation Of the sub
| ject was begun by labor representatives
in several states. AS a result Califor-
MIA, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts,
| Missouri, New Jersey, New York and
Ohio, passed laws rendering it unlawful
for any employer to exact such an
agreement, either written or verbal, as
| a condition of employment.
LABOR DAY AN INSPIRATION.
The significant thing in relation to
1oh nTa'c jc "a 70 no bn
greater part of them have been &C
| complished since the first colonization
| Of Labor day in 1882 This Is not to
| say that much of the groundwork of
! the present industrial prosperity was
not laid many years prior to that time,
| but it is an easy inference that the
establishment of labor's independence
day furnished the spark of inspiration
| that fired the finder whose prepara-
| ton had been the tedious work of pre-
| vious years.
| The present amplified method of cele-
| brating this annual holiday is a great
Improvement upon the original plan of
It's observance At first 1t was the in
tention merely to attract a gathering
by means of a parade, so that the
! leaders might address the people upon
| the necessity and advantage Of CO.
| operative effort. The idea was quite
| successfully carried out-sO much 80
| that the large numbers Of workingmen
/ and their families who came together
formed throng too unwieldy to be
| bestowed in any edifice and too large
| to be allowed to remain an incum-
brance to passage in the streets. So
1t became necessary, in the larger cities
! especially, to take adjournment to
! some pasture or open grove where
! there was elbow room for all The
necessity for creature comforts caused
| the participants in the parade to pro-
| vide their families with luncheon,
which, being transported to the meet
! ing ground and there disposed Of, gave
| the assemblage the character of pic
MIC Soon it became the custom to in
| dulge in games and other recreat tons
after the speechmaking was over and
| thus by little and little the sporting
! feature grew prominent and the pres
| ent day of regattas, races. athletic con-
tests, excursions and all the other
thousand kinds Of amusements came
into vogue.
A health to Labor day and all 1t
represents! The calendar has no
brighter spot. 1t commentaries the
past. enlivens the present and illumes
the future-it is a noble monument.
Walter ]. Davis.