The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-22

federation should appoint committee of
three which should draft the views of
/ the organization and submit them to the
! President at a later date.
Received BY Speaker Cannon.
| The delegation was received early in the
day by Speaker Cannon IN the House
/ lobby today They presented a document
| concerning pending labor legislation.
| which later was presented to Senator
| Frye and President Roosevelt The doc
ument Is as follows:
Washington, March p. 1906.
| Hon. Theodore Roosevelt. President OF
the United States; Hon ". p. Frye,
President pro tenn of the United States
Senate; Hon J. s. Cannon. Speaker of
the House of Representatives of the
| United States
! Conference.-The undersigned executive
council of the American Federation OF
| Labor and those accompanying us in the
presentation of this document, submit to
you the subject matter of the grievances
which the workmen of our country feel
by reason of the Indifferent position which
the Congress of the United States has
manifested toward the just. reasonable
| and necessary measures which have been
before 1t these past several years, and
which particularly effect the interests of
the working people, as well as by rea-
son of the administrative acts of the
executive branches of the government ans
the legislation of the Congress relating
| TO these interests. For convenience the
matters of which we complain are brify
stated, and are as follows:
Complaints Are Set Forth.
! The law commonly known as the eight
hour law has been found ineffective and
| insufficient to accomplish the purpose Of
/ e nd FRI T.aI ha
since 1894, urged the passage of a law
| so as to remedy the defects and for its
| extension to all work done, for or oll
behalf of the government. Our efforts
have been vain. Without hearing of
any kind granted to those who are the
advocates of the eight-hour law and
principle, Congress passed and the Presi-
dent signed an appropriation bill con-
| tanning a rider multiplying the eight-hour
law and principle in it's application to
the greatest pubkc work ever undertaken
by our government-the construction Of
the Panama canal.
The eight-hour law in terms, provides
that those entrusted with the supervision
of government work shall neither require
nor permit any violations thereof. The
law has been grievously and frequently
violated; the violations have been re-
ported 10 the heads of several depart
| ments who lave refused to take the nee
erray steps for it's enforcement
While recognizing the necessity for the
| employment of inmates of our penal in.
stitutions, so that they may be self sup
| porting, labor has urged in vain the enact
ment of a law that shall safeguard it
from the competition of the labor OF con.
victs.
| In the interest of all of our people,
and in consonanee with their almost gem
| eral demand we have urged Congress for
some tangible relief from the constantly
growing evil of induced and undesira BILE
immigration but without result.
Danger of Chinese immigration.
Recognizing the danger of Chinese i'm
migration and responsive to the demands
| of the people. Congress years ago en-
acted an effective Chinese exclusion law,
! yet while the experience of our people
| of our country, as well as other coun-
tries the present law is lagrantly vio-
lated and now by act of Congress it is
| seriously proposed to invalidate that law
and reverse the policy.
The partial relief secured by the laws
of 1895 and 1898 providing that seamen
shall not be compelled to endure In
| voluntary servitude, has been seriously
| threatened by each succeeding Congress-
/ The petitions to secure for the seamen
equal rights with all others have been
denied and disposition shown to ex-
/ tend to other workmen the system of
/ compulsory labor
! Under the guise of a bill to subsidize
the shipping industry provision is in
| corporated and has already passed the
Senate, providing for form of conscrip-
tion which would make compulsory ma
val service a condition precedent to en-
| ployment on privately owned vessels
| Having in mind the terrible and unnec-
essary loss of life attending the burning
of the Slocum In the harDor of New
York and the wreck of the Rio De ia
metro, at the entrance to the bay of
/ San francisco, and other disasters, in
nearly every case the great loss of life
was due to the undermining and the
unskilled manning of such vessels we
presented to Congress. measures that
would, If enacted, so far as human law
/ could do, make impossible the awful
/ loss of life We have sought this remedy
more in the interest of the travelling
public than in that of the seamen, but
! in vain.
Dangers on High Seas.
Having in mind the constantly increas-
| ing evil growing out of the parsimony OF
| corporations, of towing several under
| manned and unequipped vessels called
| barges on the high seas, where in case
4 of storm or stress they are cut loose to
| drift or sink, and their crews to perish,
we have urged the passage of law
| that shall have an equipment and a crew
! sufficient to manage them when cut
loose and sent adrift but in vain
| The antitrust and interstate commerce
| laws enacted to protect the people against
| monopoly in the products of labor and
against discrimination IN the transporta-
| ton thereof, have been perverted so
| far as the laborers are concerned, SO as to
invade and violate their personal liberty.
! Our repeated efforts to obtain redress
| from Congress have been in vain.
| The beneficent writ or injunction in
| tended to protect propa rights has.
as used in labor Dist een per-
| verified so as TO attack all 10y per-
sonal freedom and in n mai Ito hold
that the employer has some property
rights in the labor of the workmeh.
Labor Committee inefficient.
The committee on labor of the House
! OF Representatives was instituted at the
| demand of labor to voice its sentiments;
/ TO advocate its rights, and to protect its
| interests. In the past two Congresses
| this committee has been so organized as
| to make Intellectual any attempt labor
! has made for redress This being the fact
! III the last Congress. labor requested the
| speaker to appoint on the committee of
labor members who, from their expert
ence, knowledge and sympathy, would
render in this Congress such service as
the committee was originally designed to
perform. Not only was labors request
| ignored, but the hostile makeup of the
committee was accentuated.