The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-04-13
MINNESOTA POLITICS;
LEGISLATIVE COMMENTS
Pointed Observations by Thos.
Van Lear Of Minneapolis,
Supplementing an Editorial
in Cannon Falls Beacon.
Joint Opinion Anything But
Complimentary to Legisla,-
tors From the Rural Dis
tricts of the State.

| ~ AVN VI V4AO NVS0VSs
Mr.. J. c. Apologize, editor "Cannor
rails Beacon in an article Is one. Of
our daily papers points out the fac
that the present legislature has beer
an absolute failure. He points out
that much desirable and some very
necessary bills have either been held
up or defeated, and he says that the
Republican majority have allowed
inextricable tangle, and that it appears
that nothing for the benefit Of the
| people will come out of it.
| Pertinent Inquiry.
| He asks II it is true that small
minority Of the grafters are stronger
than a majority of the honest men,
the result will be that at the next cleo
ton the party will have nothing but
! neglected opportunities and violated
promises to go before the people with
true true, Brother Apologize, that
has been their only ammunition for
| the last six years; they have pointed
with pride to the grand old party only
! to use it's strength and former reputa-
ton to elect them when they promptly
prostituted the party that had swept
them mo power.
Labor Measures Defeated.
I cannot speak for the rural popula-
ton or attempt to advise them as to
their duty in the future, but I can
speak for the working men of the
cities and can truthfully say, that
this present legislature has not given
them one piece of legislation to be
thankful for. Every bill or measure
introduced to better the condition or
protect the life or limbs Of the work.
ers, have promptly met defeat. It
only required a nod from the corpora
ton attorneys or officials and the same
number of honorable legislators each
time voted no, and sealed the fate of
some labor measure.
First Labor Bill.
To specify; the first labor measure
to meet defeat was the employers na-
btlfty act-an act to compel employ
ers to provide proper safeguards about
dangerous machinery and to hold en-
ployers responsible for injury to an
petent or inexperienced, cheap help
that is frequently employed by the
employer for no other reason than its
cheapness. It is a we'll known fact.
brought out so forcibly and distinctly
in later magazine articles, and sup
ported by undeniable statistics, that
| many employees meet their death
through nothing more than the greed
| and neglect of employers. In fact
are murdered for gain. In the face Of
these facts the. present legislature be-
comes a party to the murders by de-
feating the onlytthing that could pre-
vent them.
Next labor Bill.
The next bill to meet defeat was the
semi monthly pay bill, which would
have harmed no person if passed, and
only slightly. Inconvenience the large
| employers. Evidence was submitted
to. show that a measure Of this kind
was in successful operation in three
states at the present time, and applies
| to railroads and other corporations
| who now pay weekly without any ap-
| parent trouble, but this same corpora
ton controlled legislators on the anus
ing plea that this bill would injure
|
| An Ubiquitous Vote.
The bill that completely tore the
mask from the faces Of the corpora
| ton owned crew. was the bill called,
"An act to compel railway corpora
lions to employ competent engineers
This bill was an effort to bring about
/ a law that would require a man to
serve two years. as f1remen before
| becoming locomotive engineer, to at
least have three years general ex-
perience in a general way on the
handling Of locomotives. Some of
these wise 60 legislators actually
took the floor and denounced this as
| Labor Union measure and as such
it was defeated. Those who spoke
against the bill explained that it was
intended to apply this law in times OF
strike, and that would injFe the
farmers by tying up his cropTpoor
foolish owned chattels, why so poor an
excuse-why not admit that you had
been seen on this bill-it matters not
whether this is a law or not, engineers
! will strike without 1t as we'll as with
it. If they have a grievance and you
are tied up just the same.
| Tho Naked ruth.
/ The truth is the present rural leg
islator does not represent the farmer
that is not the real article. 1.-THE works
ing farmer" He Is, as a rule, some
little pettifogging country lawyer OF
capitalist farmer who really farms
the farmer through legislative enact
ments in his own personal pocketbook
interest, and the earlier the farmer
wakes up to this fact and sends some
one to the legislature, whose hands
bear the marks of honest toll and
whose heart is in sympathy with the
toiling millions and recognizes that
workingmen are brothers and their
interests Identical whether on farms
or in factories the earlier both farme,
and city workers will reap some rea
benefit from the state legislature. As
1t Is at present it is farce.
Solution Of Problem.
The present legislature passed az
few bills as they possibly could II
favor Of the people just enough as the,