The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-03
There Are 2O4 Delegates to
State Labor Society.
Secretary Johnson Reports on
Work of Bureau.
HE is WELL SATISFIED
Thinks Eight Hour Law ii
Proving a Success.
Makes Suggestions For Further
Improving Conditions.

There were 204 accredited delegates
present from labor organizations over
| the state at the opening session of the
| fourth annual meeting of the State
| Society of Labor and Industry in Rep
resentative hall this morning. They
represent about twenty different labor
| orders, the railway men and the mine
workers predominating.
The only business accomplished at the
opening session was the appointment
of the CON mittee on credentials. This
was made up of the following members:
Pratt Williamson, of lola; C. ]. Mogan,
of F'rontenac; Ed Beeman, of lola; M.
H. Collision, of Kansas City; J. A. Cava-
naugh, of Leavenworth; F. d. McCar-
thy, of Atchison, and w. H. Travis, of
Chanute.
At the session this afternoon, after
the report of the committee on creden-
tails, w. L. A. Johnson, the secretary
and commissioner of the state bureau
of labor, presented his annual report
on the current work of the bureau. On
the subject of legislation he said:
THE subject of legislation is one that
has invited the earnest attention of our
conventions during the past three years,
and while much has been accomplished
in that line there have been some Sc
we're disappointments because of the in
ability to secure the passage OF certain
measures which some of us have felt
of extreme necessity. We feel that while
the legislative CON mittee in their an
nuai report will doubt cover this
question yet we feel it our duty to
add the result of our observation on this
subject. Our past method of procedure
has been to recommend numerous bills
of various character to the Legislative
committee for introduction in the legiS-
lature The result has been that the leg
islative committee has been overwhelm-
ed with bills and hence has been unable
tn SriEv ha attention
necessary to each specific measure
When we realize that some 16 or Is bills
We're referred to that committee and
they were expected to have them intro
duced and passed, thus necessitating to
influence personally the 165 members or
the legislature is different times, you
can imagine the immense work they
were undertaking.
THE eight labor laws enacted at the
last two legisla lures through the efforts
of our legislative committee and which
originated among our organizations,a are
standing examples of the effect and eff
cheney of our system of securing labor
legislation. We consider these results
exceedingly gratifying and that there
is no room for disappointment on. that
score. The economy of this system COM
mends itself to us when we realize that
the voluntary donations of our several
members per capita have not exceeded
an average of 121k cents for each legiSla-
ture which our committee has attended.
Enforcement Of labor laws has been
a subject productive of beneficent= re-
suits to the wage earners of the state.
In addition to the splendid victory
achieved in obtaining a favorable deeis-
ion on the conStitutlOnality of
the eight hour law, some eight or ten
suits are now pending in the courts
with regard to the application of the
several phases of that law. For in
stance, it is necessary to carry case
to the supreme court on each of the
classes of work it applies to, such as
state, county, city, township and school
districts. Suits have been instituted in
one case to protect members of organi-
cations in their right to belong to such