Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-19

s.pubuc works of the United States II the
Attorney General Shall decide that they are
not the contractor may require them 70
work ten or eleven hours a day, while their
fellow laborers out on the breakwater can
not be employed a moment longer than the
statutory limit OF eight hours. The same
principle is involved in the work done at
ouarries on stone used IN the construction
of public buildings. ,t.'~s.~
Those convicted of violating the eight
hour law are subject tospunfshment by nne
or Imprisonment The law provides: .
"I,hat the service and employment OF sil
Iaborers and mechanics who are now OF
may hereafter be employed by the govern
ment of the United States, by the District
Of Columbia or by any contractor o. SUD-
contractor upon any OF the pubic WORKS OF
the United States or Of the District OF %
iumba Is hereby limited and restricted -
eight hours In any one calendar day, ana
Il shall be unlawful for any officer or tne
United States or of the District OF Coiun-
hia or any such contractor or subconsraceof
whose duty It shall be to employ. direct OF
control the services OF such iaborers or me-
chanics. to require or permit any such
iaborer or mechanic to work more tnan
eight hours in any calendar day except IN
case OF extraordinary emergency.
'That any officer or agent OF the govern.
rnent OF the United States or OF the District
Of Columbia. or any contractor or suocoh-
tractor whose duty 1t shall be to employ.
Hrect or control any laborer or mechanic
employed upon any of the public works OF
the United States or of the District OF CO.
lunabia. who shall Intentionally violate any
provision OF this act. shall be deemed guilty
Of a risdemeanor. and for eacn ana every
such offense SHALL upon conviction, be pun
ished by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or py
Imprisonment for not more than SIX
months. or by both such fine ana isprlson-
ment, IN tie discretion of the court having
jurisdiction thereof. 'e,-s, .--tt
Political Effect of the Order.
p There can be no doubt about the effect OF
the new order upon the labor vote IN the
coming congressional elections. The demo-
Gratis will probably charge that this action
was prompted solely in the ehort TO at
tract the labor vote. But Secretary TaIt
has never before been accused or catering
TO organized labor. and his statement tnat
an forcerueut .of the laws for the protection
OF labor should be as rigid as OF laws TOT
its regulation Is in line with his much
criticised labor decisions handed down whiie
he was a federal judge In OHIO. Punlsn.
ment of violation OF the law, "netnet el "a.
law were antagonistic to labor or IN us
interest was his creed while on the pehch:
He has now brought to bear the tenets oi
the same creed IN the administrator, ot .ne
War Department. Republican speiiDihoers'
OF course will make use Of the fortncom-
ing orders of Secretary Taft, Secretary
Shaw and Secretary Bonaparte as indicative
Of the friendly attitude OF the aomlhis'fa
zion toward organized labor.
The facts are, however, that as soon as
organized labor called the attention OF the
executive to the fact that the etght-hour
law was being violated steps were taken 10
put stop to such violation. and 70 as
sist the Department of Justice In prosecut-
ing such cases by supplying 1t with evil
dsnce. That was the course which mas
been followed with promises OF success IN
the case of the Standard Oil trust, where
the bureau OF corporations ootaiheu po ot
~ The alleged unlawful actions of that
monopoly and turned over the evidence OF
the Department of Justice.