Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-28

| Nolhpeis, OF the Amer
.can Federation of Labor, has sent to Pres
| ident Mckinley, by his request. letter con-
tanning suggestions to legislation in the
! interest of labor. The letter is as follows:
Mr.. Gompers' Letter.
! I'm the interview you kindly accorded Mr.
| Morrison and myself and discussing the leg
| isiation in the interests of labor, which We
| urged should be incorporated in your forth
coming annual message to Congress Il was
| understood that l should furnish you with
| copy of the letter | had the honor of al-
dressing You upon the subject. The thought
mas occurred to me since that another let
ter, incorporating the main features of
| those which / have written YOU would be
| more to the point.
| OF course, l realize that it would be su-
| perf1ous for me even to submit to you,
much less entertain the belief that you can
| recommend in one message, all the hopes
and aspirations we'll as the demands of
labor. | therefore confne myself to d few
propositions which | believe you can In
! corporate in your message and will CON
tribute toward the desired end, the aim be-
| ing the general good
In 1868 Congress passed a resolution de
clarine in favor of the eight-hour work day
Tor all government employees. The same
! year President Grant issued d proclamation
for the enforcement of the resolution of
Congress. Later President Grant issued &
proclamation providing that there shall be
| no reduction in wages by reason of the re-
duction in the hours of labor from ten to
| eight per day
That resolution has since been enacted
into law, and SO amended as to cover all
employees of the federal government, rs
well as applying to those who perform work
| or services directly for or on behalf of the
general government.
BY reason of numerous decisions and def
nitions given to this law, much of the laws
benefit to labor has been Initiated, so that
today in a large number of instances 1t is
practicall-- Il dead letter; more especially
is this the fact when the work is done by
contract.
l respectfully suggest that you recon-
mend to Congress the passage of law
providing for the establishment of the
eight-hour work on all work done by
or for the government, whether that work
be done by contractors or subcontractors.
Lest there he some Misrepresentation as to
the too far-reaching provisions of such
measure, your attention is called to a letter
addressed by the authorized representative
of the American Federation of Labor to
the committee labor of. the House of
Representatives., United States Fffty-fourth
Congress, and which the committee re-
ported verbatim to the House.
An Effective Measure.
l beg to say that at the first session OF
the Fifty-tifth Congress, a bill was drafted
Oh. r. 1880 on new lines, and upon which
lieve this bin to be an effective measure
more particularly with the Senate amend
ment providing for cases of extraordinary
emergency.
1t is not my desire to enter into an argu-
nlent here in favor of the proposition for
| the reduction in the hours OIL labor of the
wage earnei'S, or the establishment Of "A
norma work day of eight hours. But, il
is submitted that the wonderfully improved
methods of production. the great product
fVlty of the workers and the large number
of unemployed toilers Of today, should
prompt the government of the Unito1
States to take the initiative for the intro
duction of the eight-hour work day. which
will tend to the protection of the wage
earners and the improvement of their
dition. The government of the United
States if not model employer, should at
least be a fairly generous one. / should
add that history has demonstrated. too,
that the government could with profit and
advantage become a direct employer of
labor in the many instances where 1t is
practicable, instead of the Intervention of
the contractor and subcontractor, the gov
eminent suffering the loss which such in
tervention implies.
1 beg to irclose herein a copy of the re-
port of the committee on labor of the
House of Representatives. ACCOMPANYING
the eigat-hc ur bill III. r. 1880
Improvement of Seamen's Condition.
The bill for the Improvement of the con-
oition OF the seamen IS 90 provides in sub
stance as follows:
L. That seaman shall not be subject to
arrest or imprisonment for leaving any YES.
sci while such vessel is lying in harbor, nor
shall he be subject to be brought on board
of any merchant vessel, there to perform
labor against his will.
,. Seamen shall not be subject TO CORPORAL
punishment for any reason, but may be i'm
prisoncd board ship while at sea for
refusing or neglectng to perform their
duty.
3. There shall be legal minimum scale of
provisions and such scale shall not be sub
Ject to alteration by any contract.
l. There shall be a minimum space in the
Seamen s quarters on board ship, such space
to be not less that los cubic feet per man
D. That the seamen, through the ma jorit.r
of the crew, while lying in harbor may de
mahd that their vessel shall be examined
as to her SeaWOrthineSs.
T. That seamen's wages shall not be as
signable before it is earned except to moth
er. wife or other near relatives.
l. That seamen shall not be compelled
while in harbor to perform any but neces-
sary work on Sundays or legal holidays.
Competition of Convict Labor.
All admit the evil effect of the product of
convict labor coming In competition with
fee labor. Legislation by the several
states upon this subject has in large
measure proven ineffective, by reason of
the facts that the courts have decided that
state cannot prohibit the importation
within its borders the products of any
other state. The courts have also decided |
that state cannot exclude the product of
any other state for the failure of that pro- |
duct to bear a designating mark that IL |
was manufa ctured by convicts, or under |
any other conditions. 1t thus would seem
that the power of Congress can be effect
ually invoked under the constitutional |
power to regulate commerce between the |
states. That such legislation is necessary |
requires no argument. We have no objec- |
ton to the employment of convicts and |
some states have solved this problem by |
providing that the convicts within their |
borders shall be employed at such pursuits |
as will be not only self-supporting, but to !
supply the necessities for the eieeTnosynary
institutions of the state.
4 bill covering this subject is now before |
Congress known as III. r., 6092.
Restriction of Immi grafton.
The workers of our country have in 10 |
mistaken manner recorded their opinion |
that the immigration to the United States |
should be restricted upon the following |