The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-24
CONGRESS AND LABOR.

CONGRESS AND LABOR.
The Non-portisan Plan of Pledging
Candidates for the Initiative
and Referendum.
Organized Labor Must Initiate the sys-
tenn Recommended by the Amer
lean Federation of Labor.
The legislative committee of the
(Amerioan Federation of Labor is
again trying to induce congress to pass
the eight hour BILL the anti-injunction
bill and other legislation that Organ
lied labor stands for. For ten years
the same effort has been made with
out success as far as legislation is
concerned, although occasionally
through the earnest efforts of the COM
mittee either the house or senate has
passed one of the bills we'll knowing
it would not come to vote in the
other branch of congress. This whip
saving is a political dodge to induce
organized labor to believe that the
Republican party is it's friend, and to
lead it on just before congressional
election, to again stand by the Repub-
lcan candidates. The legislative COM
mlttee may urge and present their
views to the Judiciary committee. or
the committee on labor, but it is all
loves labor LOST to appeal to poll
tlcians who nearly all really favor the
masters against the printers in their
strike for an eight hour law and most
Of whom secretly at least favor the
open shop.
If the political parties were more
evenly balanced in congress there
would be more attention paid by the
dominant party to- the petitions of the
.sRQ Wittee Ariaa1s deration;
6f Labor; but with e. large majority,
of Republicans feel secure in turning
down the wishes of the labor unions,
The American Federation of Labor
being a non-partisan organization. it
is helpless, as an association of vot-
ers to change these political conditions,
but the Initiative and Referendum Of
fers a way out of the dilemma through
the non-partisan lines recommended
by the American Federation of Labor.
There are being organized in nearly
every state Referendum Leagues whose
platforms declare and plans proposed.
to question the candidates of all parties
for congress and state legislatures and
vote only for those candidates who
pledge themselves to vote and work
for the Referendum system. The plan
has been endorsed by the three last
national conventions of the American
Federation Of Labor and was fully
presented by the executive committee
Iand the recomme dattions approved
by the Pittsburg convention of last
year.
That plan has also been approved
by most of the state federations of
labor, and was used with great sue
cess in Ohio last fall, where the labor
vote was massed for the candidates
who replied favorably and a reform
legislature was the result. The plan
adpoted there was to join the refer
endum leagues and other organiza-
tions of citizens in questioning the can
didates, thus combining business and
professional men and farmers with the
labor unions in the patriotic purpose
of defeating the corruptionists and
grafters.
What was accomplished in Ohio can
be duplicated elsewhere and only re-
Quires the plan to be talked up in the
! unions and instruct the delegates to
the next meeting of the State Fedora
ton to order the legislative committee,
or a special. committee elected for that
purpose, to question the candidates of
all parties for congress and the Iegis-
lature in the manner above described
| The conventions of the State Fedora
| tions will soon be held, the date for
Pennsylvania being some time in
| March and other states following in
! due course, so the time is fast ap-
| preaching for action.
! The Referendum system is the open
! system for reform legislation. 1t is
| no more difficult to obtain than any
| other particular measure, for the ad-
| visory system requires but a majority
vote and then by pledging the legis-
! lature to abide by the will of the peo-
pie, the necessary petitions can be
circulated calling for a Referendum
on the proposition to amend the con-
stitution, which in most states requires
two-thtrds vote Of the legislature.
In the mean time while awaiting the
amending of the constitution, the ad-
visory initiative can be used to secure
urgent legislation.
But it is a majority of congress
pledged to the Advisory system that
is most important for organized labor
to strive for, and by the systematic
questioning Of the candidates of all
parties and publishing the replies, SO
that the members of the unions will
know who. are pledged and who are
not, they can thus mass their votes
on the candidates who reply irrespect-
i've of party. That is the nom partisan
4 plan recommended by the American
] Federation Of Labor. sss.t3 sssss 4. u
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