The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-29
THE LABOR LEGISLATION
REPORT To CONGRESS BY INDUSTRIAL
COMMISSION.
MATTER LIES WITH THE STATES
Congress Without Power to LeefsIa,a
on Those Points Which are Now of
the Greatest Interest-Uniform State
LEGISLATION as to Hours of Work.
Ages of Operatives, ETC., in Factories
and Mines ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
to Regulate Hallway Employment.

Washington, May 25.-The industrial
commission in it's report to congress
on labor legislation, recommends i'm
proved legislation to the state Iegis-
latures rather than to congress direct
Iy.
The subject of greatest public in
terest. today" says the report. lis
perhaps that of the regulation of the
hours Of labor permitted in industrial
occupations, especially in factories"
As congress has no power TO legis-
late directly in this matter the COM
mission recommends that a simple
statute be enacted by all the states
regulating the length of the working
day for all persons between the ages
Of IA and II years who work in fac
tories. The report says in brief:
The employment of children below
the age of IA should be prohibited in
factories. The length of the working
day in all public employment should
be fixed at eight hours. The same
time should be fixed for workmen in
underground mines except in cases of
Employment in mines of
children less than IA years of age, and
of all women and girls should be for
hidden. Congress might well enact
that no person under Is years of age
be employed as a telegraph operator
upon railroads and that all engineers
and sWitchmen should submit to an
examination for cOlo~r-blindnesS; also
that ii be made a misdemeanOr for
an engineer or Switchman to be intoX-
ILL.,
liberal law regulating the payment of
labor should be adopted by all the
states, providing that all laborers shall
be paid in cash orders without dis
count not in goods or due bills and
that no cOmpulSiOn, direct or indirect
should be used to make them purchase
goods at any particular store. Pro-
visions for the fair weighing of coal
at mines before passing over a screen
hould be adopted and the miners
should have the privilege Of employ
ing d check weighman at their own
expense.
The question of the enforcement
of the labor contract by injunction or
contempt in equity process is a very
difficult one, mainly made so by the
abuses which have arisen from %injunc-
tiOns carelessly issued. 1t is suggested
tina jC might be we'll to limit punish
merl for contempt to Imprisonment
for : brief period, out equity courts
must not be deprived Of the power to
protect themselves and to make their
DEGREES respected. The practice of
awarding blanket injunctions against
all the world, or against unnamed de-
PENDANTS, as we'll as the practice of in
directly enforcing the contract for
personal service by enjoining employ-
ees from quitting work, hould be dis
aged, not only by popular Senti-
men h1r nv iptaIIipHnt Dn6icial min
ion
Congress should adopt a consistent
code of laws regulating all matters
concerning railroad employment. such
as hours of employment, limitation of
continuous runs by engineers or con-
fnuous service by telegraph operators
or s~witchmen; the enactment of a con-
istent employers liability code; the
liability of the employer or corpora
tiOn for defective appliances, etc. The
statutes already adopted in the sever
al states, discriminating as between
union and n%on-union abor by making
it & penal Offense for an employer to
exclude union labor only, seem to the
commission to be unconstitutional,
being class legislation. The statute,
should apply to n~on-union as well as
union labor alike, if 1t is to be enacted
- all. The right to be employed and
protected without belonging to a union
~ OC bACSOA FSAs -
should be given labor to organize If 1t
desires, and the last veStige OF the no
ton tha trade unions are a criminal
conspiracy should be swept away. The
use of private police detectives or oth-
er hired bodies of men to be used in
connection with labor troubles la
rouse considerable attention and
congress probably has the power to
enact reasonable legislation to pre-
rent abuses in this direction"
In a general way the commission re-
ports that Cancellation laws have been
found effective, but that strict arbi-
tration machinery works we'll.
L is recommended that labor bu-
relus or commissions be established
in all the states.
commissioners E. a. Smyth and c.
J. Harris. united in a minority report
in which they express the opinion that
il would be both unjust and impracti-
cable TO attempt any uniform laws reg
Mating labor in all the states, If labor
and capital are to have their full de-
veI0Dment. They say the right of con-
tracts should be allowed to both labor
e. and employer and, therefore, the
Imitation of hours of labor would be
fraught with danger. Commissioner
CSenator) John w. Daniel, in a sepa-
rate minority report, concurs in the
spirit of the views expressed by Com
missiOners Smyth and Harris.