Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-21
LAWS WANTED BY LABOR
Appearance Of Representative Men at the
Capitol.
Legtslatfon Restricting the Trans.
and Extending Eight-Hour Law.

President Gompers Of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. James Duncan, vice pres
tdent of the same order: John P. Healey
vice president OF the National Building
Trades Council; Andrew Furnseth of the
legislative committee of the A. F. Of L.,
and Milford Spohn, chairman of the legis-
lative committee of the Central Labor
Union, who yesterday appeared before the
House committee on labor to advocate an
amendment to the eight-hour law and leg
islat!on restricting the transportation Of
convict-made products, have informed
Chairman Gardner of the committee that
they approve Of a bill prepared by Repre-
sentative Southwick, and now pending in
the House, which is aimed to secure the
ends desired by the trades union organiza-
tions of the country.
Transporting Convict-Made Goods.
The committee, after hearing from the
gentlemen above named, agreed to favor
ably report the bill to the House. The bill
is as follows:
THAT every person who knowingly trans
ports or causes to be delivered for trans
portation for commercial purposes from
any state or territory in which they are in
whole or In part manufactured, any goods,
wares or merchandise in whole or in part
the product Of convict labor, in any peni-
Tertiary, prison or reformatory, or other
establishment in which convict labor is en-
ployed, into any other state or territory or
into the District Of Columbia shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a
fine of not less than $3.50 nor more than
$780, or by both such fine and imprison-
ment. at the discretion of the court, and
srch wares, goods or merchandise shall be
forfeited to the United States.
Sec. q That it shall be the duty of the
several limited StatpS district ATTORNEYS to
prosecute all violations of this act when
any person shall make the complaint un-
der oath and the same shall be heard be-
fore any district or circuit court in the
United States or territorial court holden
within the district in which the violation
of this act has been committed
Sec. 3. That this act shall take effect at
the expiration Of one year from and after
its passage"
Extending the Eisht-Hour Law.
The labor leaders named also informed
Mr.. Gardner that they approve of an
amended eight-hour bill prepared by him,
of which the following is a copy:
THAT the service and employment of all
laborers and mechanics who are now. or
may hereafter be. employed by the United
States, or by the District of Columbia, upon
any of the public works of the United
States, Or of said District of Columbia, in
any part of the United States, or said Dis
trict is hereby limited and restricted to
eight hours in any one calendar day; and it
shall be unlawful for any officer of the
United States government or of the Dis
trict of Columbia whose duty it shall be to
employ. direct, or control the services of
such laborers and mechanics, to require or
permit any such mechanic or laborer to
work more than eight hours in any one
calendar day, except in cases of extraordi-
nary emergency, caused by fire, flood or
danger to life.
And be it enacted. That every contract
to which the United States or the District
of Columbia is pa rty, which contract may
involve the employment of mechanics or
laborers, shall contain a provision that no
mechanic CT laborer in the employ of the
contractor or any subcontractor, doing or
contracting to do any part of the work
contemplated by the contract to which
the government OF the United States or