Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-12

sentatives on the ground to follow up the
bill and lobby for its passage, as the let
ter carriers and others have done. Every
body's business seems to be nobody's busi-
ness.
The Child Labor Bill.
Zone of the most important bills intro
duced on child labor Is the Beveridge BILL
Senator Beveridge endeavors In his meas
ure to prevent the products Of any factory
or mine from being shipped into another
state, IL children under fourteen years Of
age are employed in said factory or mine
The bill. If enacted into law. would UNI
doubtedly prevent the employment OF child
labor. and Notwithstanding the fact mat
the judiciary committee Of the House has
reported that such a bill would be uncon-
stitutional, Senator Beveridge believes
an interview / had with him that he will
push his bill, and will succeed in making
1t law.
Ship Subsidy Bill.
"The bill to subsidize merchant vessels of
the United States plying between domestic
and foreign ports passed both houses OF
Congress, but was talked to death In the
Senate in an effort to prevent the confer
ence report. Labor has been opposed to the
passage of the bill, and esq ecially opposed
to the CONSUMPTION clause, which enlisted
the officers and men into a naval reserve to
be used by the President Of the United
States in case of war. The bill called for an
enlistment of four years, and the sailors
organization, backed up by the American
Federation of Labor, used every means In
its power to defeat the bill and was sue
cessful.
"Webber Prohibition Bill--The bill in
troduced by Represe eps Meoo ef
Columbia was defeated by the House
committee Of the District after a
hearing given by the committee to ootn
sides of the question who were represent
ed by large delegations. The sentiment IN
Congress seems to be against the liquor
traffic, as the members will not go on rec
ord for any bill that upholds that business.
In the sundry civil bill Chairman TaWney
and other big leaders desired the canteen
re-establshed in - the volunteer soldier
homes Of the country, and after vigorous
fight on the floor of the House the amend
ment left out by the appropriation commit
tee was inserted again by the opponents
of the canteen and liquor traffic. l ap-
peared before the District committee by
order of this body to oppose the Weber
bill, and although I have been criticised
for the stand have taken, have no re-
grets, as 1 believe the enactment OF such
a law would be detriment to our city,
and especially detrimental to several or
CARNATIONS of labor represented IN TINS
body. .s. 1-'y.s-
Gun Foundry for Navy Yard.
Columbia Lodge of Machinists, whose
members are employed in the navy yard
of Washington, made an earnest fight for
an amendment to the naval appropriation
bill, for an appropriation to rebuild and
enlarge the foundry in the navy yard.
They succeeded after a hard fight on the
floor of the House in having the amend
ment incorporated in the BILL and when
the House came to adopt the bill as a
whole a separate vote was demanded on
the foundry proposition, and every man
that could be whipped into line by the
party whip stood up and voted against the
proposition and it was defeated. An effort
was made to attach it to the bill In the
Senate, but it went out on point or Or
der. 1t has been demonstrated and proved
that the government can manufacture its
own castings considerably cheaper and get
a better article than is now purchased
from private firms. The new foundry
proposition had the approval of the Secre-
tary of the Navy and all the of1cials con-
nected with the navy yard, but the PENN
sylvania delegation in Congress did not
want the steel trust to lose such big, fat
contracts. and they got all the friends OF
the corporations to vote against the new
foundry, no matter how economic 1t would
be for the government.
'"Thirty-day Leave for Employees In the
Government Printing Of1ce.-1n 1888 Ion
gress enacted law allowing the employees
of the government printing office thirty
days leave WITH pay. SOHtrOiler but ndiH
at the time the law was passed, gave de-
cision that thirty days with pay meant
thirty working days, and the employees for
a short time enjoyed that privilege. Shortly
afterward Mr.. Mathews was appointed con-
troller, and he reversed Judge Durham's de-
cison and stated that thirty days leave
with pay meant thirty consecutive days,
and up to this time the employees have been
deprived of four days leave that Congress
intended they should have. Several bills
have been introduced to reotify the error,
and they always pass the Senate by
unanimous vote. In the Fifty-ninth Con-
gress the bill passed the Senate unanimous
ly in the first session, and every assurance
was given by the chairman of the printing
committee of the House that it would be
enacted into law in the second session, but
not kept, as he failed to call up the bill, al
though Speaker Cannon expressed himself
as favorable to it's passage.
"Of the many labor bills introduced, very
few became laws, although 1t was rare to
find a congressman who would openly
press himself against labor measures. The
time has come when organized labor should
take an interest in politics and throw aside
party utilization and vote for the man who
is honest and fair.
I'm the Sixtieth Congress we will have at
lest forty representatives who owe their
nomination and election to the active part
that organized labor took in the last cam
paign, and l am pleased to say several of
the new congressman are union men and
will have in their possession paid-up union
cards.
Want Labor Represented.
Delegate Riggles introduced a resolution,
which was adopted, setting forth that the
Fifty-ninth Congress enacted a law pro-
viding for a commission to make a thor
ough investigation of the immigration prob
lem, three of whom are to be appointed by
the President of the United States; there
fore, the Central Labor Union of the Dis
trict of Columbia requests the President to
appoint member of said commission
some member of organized labor, that his
knowledge and experience may be Of bene-
fit to the commission and its work.
The special committee appointed some
time ago to effect a settlement of the con-
troversy existing between rival organiza-
tons of hod carriers reported that it had
been successful in its efforts, and that here
after both organizations would work to-
gether in harmony.
Rev. Daniel Skellenge, from the Minis
terial Alliance, gave a lecture upon the sub
ject Of Cooperation" and was applauded
by the delegates at its conclusion.