The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-24
NEWS OF LABOR UNIONS
KANSAS HAS LABOR LAW BEYOND
ALL PRECEDENT.
Patterned After Mine workers, Con-
misunderstanding of State Associ-
alton Becomes State omcer.
Kansas. always to the front with some

Kansas, always TO the front with some
thing new. original and out of the ordi-
nary, has produced a labor law which is
beyond all precedent and a novelty to those
interested in labor legislation. The act au-
thorizes and requires the coal miners Of
the state TO form a state association and
elect a secretary. who becomes ex ofhcio
state mine inspector and secretary of mine
Industries. a salary Of $500 year and
5000 for expenses and the power to ap-
point deputies gees with the Office The
striking feature Of the act is that the office
IS beyond the appointive power of the ex-
ecutive, the people at large have nothing
10 say about the election, and the State
possesses no authority as TO the removal of
the official. The law prescribes that he
shah be elected each year by the miners
themselves, shall be subject to their control
and draw his salary from the State The
law also defines the representation to
which each local union shall be entitled in
the annual convention, and IN detail out
lines the manner in which it shall be held.
The date is fixed for holding the convention
each year in the State Capitol, and the
law specifies that seven or more miners
shall organize themselves into a union. The
manner Of holding the state convention and
the representation is almost identical with
that prescribed in the constitution of the
United Mine Workers Of America, from
which large part Of the law appears to
have been copied
This peculiar law reads as follows:
Wherever seven or more miners whose
usual occupation is to mine coal for wages
shall now be organized or shall hereafter
organize as a miners union in any county,
city or mining camp in the State, and shall
choose delegate, or delegates. to the State
association Of miners. as such union may
be under this act entitled, such delegate,
or delegates, shall, being duly certified to
the secretary OF said State association by
the presiding officer and secretary of such
union. be admitted to and become a mem
her. or members. of the State association
Of miners until the first Monday in Feb
ruary next following. and until the sue
CesS0r or successors, Of such delegate, or
delegates, shall have been chosen and ad-
IIlttcd- Provided, That at any time any
such union shall recall its delegate, or any
or al of its delegates, by choosing and GER
Trying a successor, or successors. Each
union shall be entitled TO one delegate and
one additional delegate for every fifty. or
majority fraction of fifty, members of such
union: Provided, such union shall have
been organized three months preceding the
then next annual meeting Of said State as
ISOLATION, and shall have certified said
ganizatiOn by its presiding officer and sec
rotary, TO the secretary Of said State asso-
citation three months preceding said annual
meeting, and during the preceding year,
during such portion thereof as IL shall have
existed, shall have complied with the re-
quests or the secretary or said State asso-
citation for statistics and information. Any
union may, at its option, authorize a single
delegate TO cast all the votes TO which such
union may be entitled, provided that
delegate shall cast more than five votes.
Sec. ?. on the first Monday in February
Al -
association of miners shall assemble at the
State Capitol, at an hour and place to be
fixed by the secretary in his annual call
therefor, TO DE mailed 10 each union at least
ten days before such assembling. The dele
gates present at the time and place fixed
for said assembly shall be deemed a quo
rum. competent TO transact all business to
be done The delegates shall elect a pres1-
dent, vice president and secretary and said
secretary shall be known officially as state
secretary of mine Industries, and shall be
eX OtiiCiO state mine inspector and shall
collect and publish statistics of mine indus
tries of the State. Said officials shall con-
stitute the executive board of said assOcia-
ton, and shall hold their offices until the
next annual meeting and the election of
their successors; but upon the demand Of
the presiding officers of five unions at any
time the president shall Immediately con-
vene the delegates by special call issued in
like manner as the annual call, for the pur-
pose of electng a successor to said secre-
tary; and If at the said election another
person shall receive majority of the votes
coed said secretary in all his functions. one
so elected may be removed in like manner.
SALARY PROVIDED.
Sec. 8. The officers of every union shall
prOmtly and fully answer all requests for
statistics or other information which the
state secretary OF mine industries shall
make. Said secretary shall have discretion
10 treat any information called for by him
as confidential, and to so state his request
therefor; and no information so obtained
shall be subject to inspection by any per-
son not an officer or delegate of said state
association. No union failing to answer
requests for statistics information shall
be entitled to representation in the then
next annual meeting. The annual report of
the said secretary Of mine industries shall
be published the reports OF other state
officers. de shall receive a salary OF $500
Per annum, payable as other state salaries
paid, and not exceeding $1,000 for eX-
penses. By permission OF the executive
council he may appoint one deputy mine
inspector in each OF the following counties:
Crawford, Cherokee, Usage and Lcaven-
worth. provided no deputy mine inspector
shall be appointed in the county in which
the state mine inspector resides. said dep
Uty mine inspectors shall be under the SUI
perViSiOn and control OF the state mine In
SpeCtOr. and hold their positions at MS
pleasure. They shall each receive as COM
penSatiOn for their services s. per day for
each day actually employed and actual nee
eSsary travelling expenses, account and time
10 be audited by the secretary and certified
10 the state auditor for payment monthly.
This law was approved Feb. is. 1901 out
one seems 10 know much about ii. There
is no other known statutory law which
deals In like manner with labor OrganiZa
ton. and 10 other legislative measure is
known 10 have been based on the bylaws
and constitution of a labor union. w. IS.
Wilson. secre tary-tTeasurer of the United
Mine Workers. said he never knew there
was such a law IN existence. Ii has evil
IDENTIFY not been put into practice, for Rob
ert Gilmore is secretary of the Kansas dis
trict of the United Mine Workers, and last
week Secretary Wilson received a letter
from one of the deputies under ID. r. cas-
sel1nan. state secretary of mine industries.
This deputy is a member Of the mine work
ers organization. but Casselman is not the
duly elected secretary OF the district The
constitution of the United Mine Workers
formerly provided that no miner should
hold d political position without resigninS
from the organization. This point was
raised against the deputy. but the laws of
the miners organization have been changed
So that a miner may hold any poiticaI po-
si,ion and retain his membership IN the
union.
Secretary Wilson said he did not under
stand the law. but would at once
begin an investigation If il is found
20 be advantageous TO the miners
DE said the organization will in
70