The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-28

ing People If Enacted.
The senate chamber was crowded with
the friends of labor last night to hear
tne discussion over house file 431 intro
ouced by Representative O'Neill, of Big
stone, and known as the anti-boycott bill.
and to oppose, as far as possible, its pass
age by the senate. In the audience were
number of the prominent leaders of
organized labor, and great interest was
manifested in the proceedings
Inc pail OF oratory was set rolling by
Louis Nash, of st. Paul, who opposed the
bill In vigorous speech. He said the
measure resulted from the abuse Of the
boycott, rather than from its use When
the boycott Is unjustly employed it work.
ed more harm to the people that made it
than to those whom it was directed
against. The boycott, he said, Is the Ie-
g1tlmate weapon Of Drawn and brains as
against dollars and cents It differed
from the blacklist, inasmuch as the vic
tim of the latter did not know from
whence it came or how it struck him.
continuing, Mr.. Nash referred to the
early closing movement and to the ef-
forts OF the Retail Clerks association.
which had finally achieved success by
reason Of the fact that the merchants
were given to understand that the rights,
OF their employees had to be respected.
- pAOISol was ICdu against ne
OF the Dill from the Retail Grocers and
Merchants association of the state.
Whlcn urged It's indefinite postponement,
and In the face of which Mr.. Nash said
that, If the bill was passed. the commit
tee would not be voicing the sentiment of
the constituency they were supposed to
represent.
Representative Miller, of Duluth. made
plea In favor of the passage of the
Dill. He said the boycott system had
Deen instrumental in driving large num-
per OF industries from the city and had
damaged the community to the extent of
over $1,OO0,000 He also said the labor
unions had a paid lobby to defeat the
passage of the bill.
]. J. Gleason, of the St Paul Typo
graphical union, repelled the imputation
that men had been paid by the union to
lobby against the bill. In his Judgment
should the bill become law, It's influence
would be far-reaching for evil results
He denied the statement of the former
speaker that a large number of the work
Ing men Of Duluth favored the passage
OF the bill. There were conditions. he
said, which justified the boycott. and
under which the wage earners had the
right to protect themselves by an an
peal to the public.
George g. Collins, president OF the
state Federation Of Labor. said the labor
Ing men of the state had only two ways
or protecting themselves against In
Justice, one Of which was by a strike. and
the other by the boycott. He cited a
number OF statistics to show the Injustice
or the bill and said that no party could
afford to father it.
Hugh Jennings, Of Minneapolis said
that IL the bill became a law 1t would
work great injustice against the in
dustrial classes Of the state, and It would
fevoiut1onfze the politics of the state. If
the law became operative incalculable
harm would result. He refuted the state
ment that Duluth favored the passage of
the bill and repelled the imputation that
the labor unions had paid men to lobby
against the measure. All the union
wanted was exact and equal Justice, the
same for the employe as for the en-
ployer.
Mr.. Nash explained that whether the
measure passed or not, 1t had nothing to
do with the black list The boycott was
an open-handed fight, while the black
list could be carried on In darkness and
In secret, and there was no way to pre-
vent It,
William McQuaid, representing the bar
bers' union, spoke in behalf of better pro-
lection for the BARRIERS as against the So
called barber schools, which he charac-
terized as Swindles, and as the hot-beds
school in Minneapolis, he said, had de-
frauded over 300 young men of their
money and turned out lot of incom
petents, the most Of whom were sent to
small towns In Wisconsin and adjoining
states, where there was absolutely no
protection,
The committee then went into execu-
tive session and upon rising 1t was recon-
mended that the O'Neill anti-boycott bill
do not pass.
8. F. 1884, amending the plumbers law.
was recommended to pass
II. F. 112, known as the blacklist bill.
was recommended for indefinite post
pOnement.
s. F. 322 amending the barber law. will,
be returned without recommendation.
>. f. 56l, regulating the profession of
public accountants, was recommended to
pass.
s. F. $40, relating to the COMPENSATION
of railway clerks employed after n. m
was indefinitely postponed