The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-23

Mr. O'Neal-Will the gentleman per-
 init a question?
 Mir. Beddow-Yes sir.
 MT. O'Nea1-what is the term of of- flee of these Arbitrators?
 Mir. Beddow-These Arbitrators have no term of efice. In case of any dis pute arising. they are selected. and when that dispute is over. their term
 MT. oNeal-There are different arbi- trators for every dispute? Mir. Beddow-Yes sir.
 MT. O'Ncal-Bus the Commissioner of Agriculture is to be a permanent ar
 bitrator7
 MT. Beddow-He is ex-officio secre?
 tarS of the Board, for the purpNse or calling them together, and Me is already provided by law with expense mercy that he could pay out for this purpose.
 Mir. Cunningham-I ask the Chair man of the Committee if he will yield the floor for 8 minute. l rise merely to call tfe attention of the delegates who were present at the meeting at Birmingham. a while before the cleo ton. that my understanding of that meeting was that this convention would in no way interfere with the rights and the privileges of organized labor. A OI lnG 1iouCo SOahNi COAAs posed as it is of labor organizations or different kinds in the county of Jeffer- son waited upon the delegates then present, and a resolution was introduc- ed. granting the request that they made. It strikes me therefore shat gentlemen on this floor who voted af- firmatively on that question in the city of Birmingham, would be violating covenant into which they entered and agreed The substitute offered by my colleague of Jefferson is from the largest body of organized labor in the county of Jefferson. Not only the fiuential, and also the most important,
 but do not believe that this conven-
 tion has the right to take up the ques-
 ton here presented by one particular
 class of organized labor, and enact 1t,
 or ordain it into the constitutions, over the pledge made to the Trades Council
 which represents all of the different
 subdivisions of organized labor.
 There is one other point, MT. President,
 which refers to the merits of the
 question. I myself favor arbitration. l
 have been informed by competent law yers that this can be done by the legis- lature unless the Constitution restricts it. There Is no proposition pending, | nor will any be introduced into this convention, prot ibiting the legislature | from providing for Boards of Arbitra- l tion. If there was such provision should feel it my duty to vote against | 1t. Bat inasmuch as the legislature can establish these Boards of Arbitra- | ton, defining their duties, their salaries and all things necessary, 1t strikes me
 we should not place it In the organic
 law. and for these reasons I feel that
 it is my duty to oppose not only the original section offered by the Com
 mittee, which it seems they are anxious
 to get rid of, but also the substitute | offered by my colleague from Jefferson, | and I hope that it will not prevail. MT. BeddoW-I would like to ask the
 gentleman a question before he takes
 his seat.
 MT. Cunningham-Certain MT. Baddow-Do you understand that
 the pledge made to the laboring people of our district, when the delegates were assembled in Birmingham, was that we would not do anything in
 this convention looking to the good or the working peple.
 MT. Cunnlnghsm-Nos sir. Mir. Beddow-Was it not their re-
 quest that nothing be done that would injure the laws now on the books MT. Cunningham-Or In any way in- | terfere with the rights and privileges
 and inNnunities of organized labor.
 MT. Beddov-&Yes, but not as to those
 things that look to their good. MT. Cuaningham-Well, I admit that
 they would Aot ask this s-convention to
 do nothing bat would look to their | good, but they seemed, on that oc-
 casion. to interpret that it would
 not be to their good for
 this convention in any way to
 interfere with the rights and privi- ] leges of organized labor, and one of l these rights and privileges, will say | to my colleague from Jefferson. Is the adjustment of wages. The miners oC-
 ganization adjusts it's wages. not the
 Trades Council. The brick layers Or- | ganization adjust their wages and not
 the Trades Council. nor the miners nr- | ganizaticn. The Amalgamated Assocl- | ation of Steel and Iron Workers ad- just their wages, separate and distinct | Therefore if this OrdiEance should oh- l tain and become a part of the Consti-
 tuition, I undertake to say that while | the intention of it might be good. and
 it might in reality be tn the benefit of the laborer, yet 1 would say that it
 would take away from them. largely l at any rate, their system of regulating | wages, as it now exists. The miners. l for instance, have a sliding scale. and ! 1t whuld transfer from organized lafOr | to this Board of Arbitration this que S. l tion of the settlement of wages. and | for that reason l do not believe that we should place it in the Constitution. MT. Beddow-l would like to ask the gentleman a further question. Does the gentleman from Jefferson under stand that the substitute offered by me requires them to submit to arbi- | tra ation
 Mr. CunninKham-No sir, under
 stand it to say that it was optional MT. BeddOw - Purely voluntary, | whenever they desire to.
 Mir. deGraffenreid-Cann they do
 that now. MT. Beddow. without sny l law? MT. Beddow-I presume they could
 without any law. But this is at their request.
 The President-The question is on the substitute offered by the gentle man from Jefferson.
 Mir. Graham (Talladega)-I move that this Convention do now adjourn until 12 o'clock on Monday
 Mir O'Neal--I make the point of or der that under the rules, we adjourn
 until 3 o'clock. The rule takes effect | today.
 Additional leaves of absence were ITkfanted, Mir. Proctor for Mond ly, MT.
 Hodges for Monday, Tuesday and Wed l nesday, MT. Ledbetter for the 2Ith and 18th, and MT. Opp of COvinsIon for this afternoon.
 The Chair made number of an
 nouncements.
 MT. O'Neal Hauderdale)--I rise tn thG