Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-14
LAWS FOR LABOR.
SOME bills BEFORE THE PRES
ENT CONGRESS.
A commission of Fifteen to Report
What Labor and Capital Need
to Do Better.

Washington. Jan. l3.-The labor COM
mittee OF the house OF representatives
has had no meeting as yet, but Mr,
Phillips. the chairman. expects to call
1t together very soon. and hopes to Sc
cure some legislation by reporting his
bills early before the other committees
of the house have loaded up the calen-
dar. Most Of the measures now pend
ing before the labor committee have
been prepared and submitted BY the
general executive board of the Knights
OF Labor. and are suggested as rene
oies for the evils now endured by the
working classes OF the country. Some
OF them come from the radical element
in the labor organizations. and are In
tended TO revolutlonlZe the entire So
cial ana economical systems of the
country. Others are suggested by those
who believe that the condition of the
laboring classes may be improved and
that the friction between labor and
capital can be avoided through legis-
lauon better than through strikes.
one of the most important bills. and
that which will receive the early atten-
ton OF the committee. authorizes the
appointment Of an Industrial commits
sion to be non-partisan in Its character
and composed OF Ave men representing
labor. five men representing capital
and Ave men representing the different
branches OF agriculture, for the pur-
pose OF making an investigation and
reporting legislation that will Improve
the condition of the agricultural and
mechanical Industries for the benefit
OF both the employers and the employ
ed. The bill was introduced by Mr..
Phillips himself after consultation with
Col Wright. commissioner of labor; ].
X. Sovereign, grand master OF the
Knights OF Labor: Samuel Gompers.
the head OF the Federation of Labor,
and other persons interested
Another bill which comes from the
general executive board OF the knights
Is very much more comprehensive in its
character, but aims at the same Idea.
that is, to correct by legislation all he
| Ills that the Industrial world IS heir to.
/ 1t proposes five commissions instead of
| one. which are to make an lnvestiga-
ton and report what legislation IL nee
essary to benefit all classes. The first
commission Is to be intrusted will the
| OF laboring classes. and is to be COM
| posed OF one representative from each
! Of the tive leading Industries. The
| second Is to be composed OF one bank
| err. one merchant, one manufacturer.
| one farmer and one laboring man. who
| are to reform our fiscal system, and re-
| port plan by which the credit of the
| government may be maintained and
| nienty of money furnished the people
| The third commission is to be likewise
| representative In its character. an:
suggest a plan for the disposition OF
the remaining public lands. The fourth
is to investigate the condition OF agri-
| culture and organize some method OF
| relief for the farmers OF the country.
AnotheIsSHlll, In which the Knights take
great interest. provides for an amend
ment to the constitution deprlvlng the
president of his present power to APP
point judges of the United States
courts. and arranging for the election
| by a direct vote OF the people. This
measure Is suggested by the interfer-
ence OF the courts with the recent rail-
| road strikes.
In addition to this wholesale legisla-
tion the Knights OF Labor and kim
dred organizations are taking consld-
cradle Interest In the contest over the
vacant seat OF Delaware In the United
States senate. They want that vacan-
cy continued. and at the same time
prevent the election OF one Republican
senator from Kentucky and two from
Utah until there has been some legls-
latlon enacted to exempt labor orgnni-
cations from the operations Of the anti
trust and Interstate commerce laws.
They are not opposed to the ele ton of
Republicans on political grounds. but
they desire that the Populists shall re-
| tam the bHlhfte OF power IN the senate.
over In the house side the labor lead
ers are doing some talking about an in
vestlEation of the spy system now In
Use by the postodice department, and
they are particularly indignant over
the order recently issued by the post
master-general forbldding the employees
OF that department from soliciting or
advocating legislation In their own In.
terest. a committee of knights called
at the postofflce department the other
day to confer with the postmastergen-
eral on these two points and are eN-
ceedlnglv exercised over their trs9t-
ment They claim that they called by
appointment previously made: that the
acknowledgement himself set the date
and the hour and was fully aware that
they desired to discuss the spy system
and the anti-lobby order. They went TO
the department at the time named and
sent In their cards by n colored usher,
who returned with the message that
the postmaster-gencral was very much
engaged and that they would better
see First Assistant Postmaster-General
Jones. They requested the usher to In
form Postmaster-Generai Wilson that
they did not wish to see Mr.. Jones: that
several committees had called unou
him without accomplishing ANYTHING
and that they desired TO see the post
master-grnernl only. We returned with
a promise that Mr. Wilson would see
them very soon. 'St after waiting two
hours without being summoned to his
presence they were Informed that he
had gone to lunch and that II they
wanted tn see him they would have to
come nrPin some other dav. Thew com
plain that this was not fair treatment
Of committee that represented many
thousands Of voters NIL over the United
Ststes ard some OF them had Travelled
a long distance to keep the appoint
ment.