Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-22
DECISION SURPRISING
Labor Leaders View of Su-
preme Court Ruling.
THE HOURS OF LABOR
OPINION RECENTLY RENDERED
ON NEW YORK STATUTE.
Hope Was That Justices Would Follow
Utah Opinion-Expression
of Regret.
THE HOURS OF LABOR

Secretary Frank Morrison of the Fedora
ton of Labor. in an interview given to a
reporter of The Star, discussed the recent
decision of the Supreme Court of the Unit
ed States, four-ninths of the court dissent
ing, declaring to be unconstitutional a
statute of the state of New York which
prohibited employers from requiring or per-
hitting their employees to work in any
biscuit bread or cake bakery or confection-
cry establishment more than sixty hours in
one week, or more than ten hours in any
one day. Mr.. Morrison stated that the
decision is a surprise to members of or
ganized labor. 1t was expected that the
court would follow the decision rendered in
the Utah case, he said. where it upheld
the validity of the state statutes limiting
the employment of workmen in all under
ground mines or workings to eight hours
per day, except in cases of emergency
where life or property is in imminent dan
ger, and limiting the hours of work in
smelters, or other institutions for the re-
duction and refining of ores, except in like
cases of emergency.
THE principle was laid down" continued
Mr.. Morrison, that the state had the
right to make such laws as related to
the safety, health morals and general well
fare of its citizens.
Object of the Statute
1T was for the purpose of protecting the
health and welfare of it's citizens that the
New York legislature adopted the statute.
The decision of the Supreme Court Is to
be regretted, 1t will stand as a barrier
against states adopting laws protecting the
general health of the citizens. particularly
as to women and children, and annul those
that are now in existence.
The employers associations particularly
those of
have been anxious to have this particular
law repealed to enable them to work long
hours during the busy seasons. The major
portion of their employees are women and
girls. That is one of the reasons why the
legislature of New York adopted the stat
ute, and the court of appeals of that state
affirmed the Judgment of the Supreme
Court.
'One of the features in the decision that
stands out in relief is the fact that in the
matter of establishing laws regulating the
safety, health, morals and general welfare
of the citizens of a state 1t is the Supreme
Court of the United States, and not the leg
islature of the state which decides what is
best for the safety, health, morals and gen.
eral welfare of its citizens.
Reaffirmed Previous Decisions.
While the decision is adverse, the ma
jCrty of the court in rendering the des
cision reaffirmed former decisions which
We're favorable to labor UNIONS, namely
The Utah law comedies that the state has
the right to legislate for the safety, health
morals and general welfare of its citizens,
in the case of limiting the employment of
workmen in all underground mines or
workings to eight hours per day.
The Kansas decision decides that the
state has the right to control its municipal
corporations and to prescribe the condl-
tons upon which it will permit work of a
public character to be done for a munich
pality.
The decision practically declares consti-
tutional the federal eight-hour law, which
provides that employees of the government
shall not work, or require to be worked,
more than eight hours per day. 1t encour-
ages the opinion that the Supreme Court
would decide that subcontractors, as well
as contractors of government work, should
be prevented from employing their work
men more than eight hours in any one day
which was modified and made ineffective
by an opinion rendered by an attorney, that
it did not affect subcontractors
IN Notwithstanding the decision. the bak-
ers, through their unions, will continue to
shorten their hours and in course of hu-
man events the personnel of the Supreme
Court may change, and the decision just
rendered may be reversed