Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-26

against 1t was Mr.. Cannon. (Daily Con-
gressional Record, June 2, 1900. page 6994)
Labor secured the passage Of a law to
save the lives and limbs Of employees on
appliance law. This law provided for uni
form, automatic car couplers and power
brakes on railroad trains. In the Fifty
seventh Congress the enemies OF that hui
name law made strenuous efforts to fritz
ter away its safeguards by authorizing q
reduction Of the number Of air brakes to
be used on trains. The parliamentary sit
uation was such that the only way to pre-
vent the passage Of such a provision was
to secure from the House the passage Of
motion instructing its conferees with the
Senate committee to recede from 1t. Such
motion was made and passed, but the
Hon. Joseph g. Cannon voted against the
interest Of labor and humanity. DAILY
Congressional Record, February %, 1903,
page 2704.
IAN interests Of an important character
other than labor. are represented in the
government of our country by separate
departments, each with Its chief execu-
tive officer. secretary, who Is a member
of the Presidents cabinet. Labor has,
therefore, for years sought the creation OF
a Department of Labor, with secretary.
who. in the Presidents cabinet, could rep
resent and speak in the name OF the vast
interests Of labor.
During the Fifty-seventh Congress a
bill was introduced to create new de-
partment OF commerce and industries,
and to absorb the Department of Labor.
If We could not secure a separate De-
partment of Labor. organized labor Vas
opposed to the Department Of Labor be-
ing made a subordinate bureau in the
then proposed new department and we
asked that the Department of Labor be
left free and independent, until such
time as Congress might see the wisdom
and necessity of making that department
executive tn character, and that its chief
officer should be member of the Presi-
dents cabinet. When the bill was under
consideration in the House q member,
one of labor's friends, moved to recon-
nit the bill. with instructions to report
a bill to retain the Department Of Labor
as a separate and independent depart
ment. with a cabinet officer at it's head,
but the Hon. Joseph @. Cannon voted
against this proposition. DAILY Con-
gressional Record, January II, 1908,
page $3.50.
At the Demand Of Labor.
In the F1fty-eighth Congress Mr. Cam
non was elected Speaker. and made up
his committees (before which labor legis-
lation would Gomez in such a manner IS
to practically make it impossible for
such legislation to be reported or en-
acted.
Prior to the Fifty-ninth Congress
Mr.. Cannon was communicated with and
pointment Of the committees before
which labor legislation should come. he
might so constitute these committees as
that they would give labor legislation q
fairer hearing. consideration and action:
These petitions he utterly ignored and
accumulated his hostile attitude by the
appointment Of members, If possible,
sttll more antagonistic.
During the Ftty-ntnth Congress the
committee having In charge the employ
ers' liability bin amended it 50 as to re-
quire the parents Of the unmarried en-
ploye who was killed to prove their de-
tendency upon him before they could re-
cover damages for his death. Labor's
objection to this unfair amendment was
made known to Speaker Cannon and an
opportunity was asked to correct 1t when
the BID was up for consideration In the
House. Speaker Cannon declined to grant
this request-aye. before he would agree
to recognize the member OF the House
having the bill In charge for the purpose
Of moving its passage he exacted q
promise from him that he would not Of
fer an amendment to correct the defect
referred to, and by reason of the critical
parliamentary situation thus created by
the Speaker We were compelled to per-
NIT the bill to go through the House
with the Objectionable provision re-
tained.
for years endeavored to secure the pas
sage by Congress Of a law restricting i'm
migration. Immense numbers-more than
million and quarter-now come to our
country within year. One Of the eff
fectual means to secure this was an edu
cationai test, and this was incorporated
In the bill before the F1fty-ninth Con-
sress. the United States Senate having
adopted 1t in a bill which passed that
body. It was clear that q majority of the
ma rrft ha Of fof froo
were In favor of this bill. including the
educational test. but Speaker Cannon not
only used the vast power and influence
Of bis ONCE to defeat It, but he left the
exalted position of the Speaker went
upon the door of the House, and by fore
pulled members out of their seats, and
by threats and intimidation made enough
OF them 60 between the oficial tellers of
the House and vote against the PROPOSE
ton. AS result Of his high-handed &C
tions. the educational test was defeated
and stricken from the bill.
Queries Propounded;
In the Ffty-eighth Congress the ma
jerity OF speaker Cannon's committee on
labor adopted a series Of resolutions con-
tanning inquiries which were incapable Of
Intelligent answers. This course vas
adopted to avoid record vote against
lAoor's eight-hour bill.
I'm the F1fty-ninth Congress Speaker
Cannons committee on labor was prac-
ticalfy forbidden to report labor's eight
hour BILL The committee sought to pro-
lon< the hearings prevent a report on the
Dill. At one session a peculiar situation
was created. There were seven members
present, three Of the majority party and
four OF the minority party, and by q vote
OF four to three the chairman of the com
mittee was instructed to report the eight
hour hill to the House with a favorable
Recommendation that 1t pass. After the
report was made to the House Speaker
Cannon positively refused to recognize
any member Of the House for the purpose
Of calling up the bill for consideration by
the House. and thus, through Speaker
Cannon's opposition and manipulation.
the bill failed Of passage.
In the F1fty-seventh Congress the
House Of Representatives passed labor's
bill to limit the Issuance OF intunctions
and the prevention Of their abuses. IN the
F1ity-eiShth Congress Speaker Cannon's
judiciary committee prolonged the hear
inBs IN order to prevent reporting the bill.
In the Fffty-ninth Congress Speaker Can
mons judiciary committee had hearings
upon the subject of the Injunction abuse
and appointed 4 subcommittee to iayesti-
gate phase Of the proposition. The sub
committee In Its report cited the very
abuses OF which labor complains in oppo-
sition to lAbors contention The COMMITTEES
printed the subcommittses report as a
House document and refused to print Ia
oors reply exposing the fallacy of the
suocommittee's report
During the Fffty-ninth Congress Speak
er Cannon used his inf3nepoa g. &C..