The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-05-13
STATE LAW MAKERS GETS
CENSURE OF UNION men
G. G. Collins, Former President
of State Federation of La
bor Sounds Slogan.
Thinks Union Labor Party is
Necessary to Secure Legis-
lati0n for Labor.

lation for Labor.
st. Paul, Mimi. May 11.-The Minne-
sofa Union Advocate, the official organ
Of organized labor for this state, is
keeping up the fight for different
class Of men for the state legislature.
| 1t is getting opinions from the most
prominent labor men in the state on
| the work of the last state legislature.
! The latest broad shot comes from G.
! c. Collins, former president of the Min
! nesota State Federation of Labor and
a powerful writer in the labor move
ment. Mr.. Collins opinion is as fol-
lows:
have an itching to see my name in
printers ink; but as am firmly Of
the opinion that if some action is not
taken soon to better the environment
Of the workers who have their habi-
tat in cities there will be in the not
! distant future weeping and wailing
and gnashing of teeth, I have con-
! cluded to shy my castor into the ring
as 1t were and write the thoughts
that come to me, whatever the result
Probably every organized toiler in
St. Paul who reads the papers, es-
pecially the Minnesota Union Advo-
cate, knows by this time that the leg
islators who representation rather
misrepresented-them in the 1905
Legislature have drawn their per diem
and perquisites and retired-perma-
nently it is to be hoped-to their
homes.
AS usual, the farmers got nearly
everything they demanded, the COR
porations ditto. for they elected, with
| labor's help, men who voted for
! measures they advocated But the
workers, organized trade unionists,
those who persistently vote for party
because their fathers before them
did, they got-what? Just what they
| deserved, their regular biennial pre-
| scription-Hot air-a medicine that,
! once taken, becomes so pleasant to
the taste that it is craved and asked
| for at every election, and each time it
is prescribed is the more readily
taken by those 1t is intended for
the gullible, politically blind organ
| lied toilers.
| How much longer is the trade
unions to continue his Rip Van
Wrinkle sleep, content with the con-
ditions that encompass him, with no
aspirations other than To- toll from
sunrise till sunset. to eat and dream;
to build castles Of air? How much
longer will he be satisfied to allow
| municipal and legislative officers to be
| filled by those who have no interests
! in common with his own-who pass
him by. except a few days before and
after election. as If he were a leper?
| Mr.. Wage-Earner, it is time to
wake up You are needed in the city
| council, on the board Of county COM
| missioners, in the mayors chair, on
the board of public works. in the
marble structure on Merriam hill, in
congress; aye, on the bench You
| have vote. collectively you have
| thousands Of them. All you need is
to break away from the party of your
progenitor. to organize, to will and
! to do. You should have at least four
| representatives in the city council, as
| many more in the next legislature,
| two on the board of county commits
sioners and possibly congressman
two years hence.
| Whose fault is it that ordinances
are enacted by the city council mimi
| cal to labor? You. Mr.. Trade Union
list. and those like you, who vote for
| lawyers. professional politicians and
Ward-heelers, are alone responcible
Why do you not have laws placed on
| the statute books that will benefit the
! masses and not the classes? The an
! swer Is easy: You send men there
who represent the corporations the
wealthy. those who cannot be for
you-for they are not of you, are not
| in sympathy with you or your inter-
| ests, never have been and never will
| be. If you get law on the statute
books, it is generally contested, de-
clared class legislation and unconsti-
| tutional and that is the end of it. But
the law granted the corporations is
| not unconstitutional-it is for the
| benefit Of the people, and that is
different.
You can duplicate what Massachu-
setts has done. what San Francisco
and other cities have done, if you
will. You need not be a Socialist to
get results. AS a trade unionist you
can elect to office those whom you
; desire to have represent you. Give
up the idea that Republicans or DEM
ocrats can alone bring you prosper
ity. Get together, form a labor
party. nominate candidates of your
own for office, work for them, vote
for them. If when they are elected
they prove worthy of the trust you
imposed in them. support them, back
them up. If they prove recreant you
have the remedy; you know how to
use it.
| Secretary Frederick Job of the
Parry organization says that he will
wipe trade unionism off the face Of
the earth, which means that if he is
successful he will force you and to
work for any wages our employers
choose to give us; that he will bring
about the open shop: that we will be
the white slaves of the twentieth CEN