New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1900-05-30

4 4 =
! Washington, May 26. The industrial
commission, in its report to congress
on labor legislation, recommends inn
proved legislation to the state legis-.
/ latures rather than to congress di-
| rectly. 4z.
! The subject of greatest public interest
/ to-day says the report. "is perhaps that
! of the regulation of the hours of labor per-
| mitted in industrial occupations and es-
pecially in factories z&.
| AS congress has no power to legis-
late directly in this matter the COM
mittee recommends that simple
statute be enacted by all the states
regulating the length of the working
day for all persons between the ages
of IA and 81 years who work in fac
tories. .u --..,...... ...1 q, xsz5s IL: ssss
The report in brief says: $50 .as5
| 1.-THE employment of children below the
age of ID should be prohibited in factories
| The length of the working day in all pub
! lie employment should be fixed at eight:
| hours. The same time should be fixed for
workmen in underground mines except in
cases of emergency. Employment in mines
| of children less than IA years of age, and
! all women and girls should be forbidden.
| Congress might we'll enact that no person
| under Is should be employed as a telegraph
| operator upon railroads, and that all en-
gineers and switchmen should submit to
an examination for color blindness. also
| that it be made misderneanor for an en-
gineer or switchman to be intoxicated.
| while on duty. A simple and 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 discount. 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" .., ..j=
Question of Injunction.
''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 injunctions carelessly issued.
1t is suggested that it might be well to limit
punishment for contempt to imprisonment
fol- a brief PERIOD but equity courts must
not be deprived of the power to protect
themselves and to make their DEGREES re-
spected The practice of awarding blanket
injunctions against all the world, or against
unnamed defendants, as well as the prac-
tice of Indirectly enforcing the contract for
personal service by enjoining employees
from quitting work, should be discouraged
not only by popular sentiment, but by In
telligent judicial opinion
Railway Labor.
mission is of opinion that congress should
adopt consistent code of law regulating
all matters concerning employment. such
as hours of labor, limitation of continuous
runs by engineers or continuous service by
telegraph operators or switchmen; the en-
actment of consistent employers lfabil-
ity code; the liability of the employer or
corporation for defective appliances, etc.
The statutes already adopted in the sew
eral states, discriminating as between 4n-
ion and non-union labor by making it
penal OffenSe for an employer to exclude
union labor only, seem to the commission
to be unconstitutional, being class legis-
lation. The statute should apply to nom
union as we'll as union labor alike, If it is
to be enacted at all. The right to be en-
ployed and protected without belonging
to a union should be preserved; but every
facility should be given labor to organize
| if it desires, and the last vestige of the
| notion that trade unions are criminal
| conspiracy should be swept away. The
| use of private police detectives or other
| hired bodies of men to be used in connec-
| ton with labor troubles has aroused con-
| siderable attention, and congress probably
| has the power to enact reasonable legis-
| lation to prevent abuses in this direction.
| Cancellation Laws.
| In a general way the commission reports
| that Cancellation laws have been found
| effective, but that strict arbitration ma
| chinery rarely works well. 1t is recon-
| mended that labor bureaus or commissions
| be established in all the states.
Minority Report.
Commissioners E. A. Smyth and c.. J.
| Harris unite in minority report, in which
| they express the opinion that it would be
| both unjust and impracticable to attempt
| any uniform laws regulating labor in all
the states, if labor and capital are to have
| their full development. They say the right
| of private contract should be allowed to
both laborer and employer, and therefore
the limitation of hours of labor would be
| fraught with danger. -
Commissioner John W. Daniel in sep
arate report concurs in the spirit of the
views expressed by Commissioners Smyth
| and Harris.