Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-21
IN LABOR CIRCLES
G

L
tional Federation of Peoples Rule has is
| sued statement from headquarters in this
| city, in which he says:
| 1.-THE initiative and referendum is sweep
| Ing the country, as have the Australian
ballot and the direct nomination system
The Missouri legislature has just submitted
a constitutional amendment for the initia-
| tive and referendum, and the Oklahoma
| constitutional convention has adopted the
| system. In Oklahoma there were only five
delegates who voted against it. In Mis-
| souri, there was practically unanimous
vote In the house, with but six negative
| votes in the senate.
by vote of "A to II the North Dakota
house has passed a bill submitting to the
people a constitutional amendment.
I'm the state of Washington the house
has passed a bill submitting constitutional
amendment, the vote standing GO to &c.
| I'm Minnesota bill has been favorably
| reported by senate committee.
| Leaders of the several parties in Wis
| consin are each advocating bill for the
initiative and referendum Something will
| surely be accomplished this session.
| '1n Michigan, a a recent joint session Of
the committees of the house and senate
having in charge the bills for initiative and
| the heads of the State Grange, State Fed
| Grafton of Labor, State Referendum League,
! Progressive Voters League and other nom
partisan organizations. 1t is believed that
| this union of the city and country voters
| will carry the day.
1.-The Ohio legislature an adjourned ses-
sion of which meets next year, is pledged
| to submit constitutional amendment
| I'm Pennsylvania, both the State Grange
| and State Federation Of Labor, also State
| referendum League demanding a
direct-vote system for public questions, and
| a republican leader. former State Senator
| Finn, has taken up the ISSUE Some time
| ago he framed bill for the initiative and
| referendum for cities and boroughs and Sc
| cured it's introduction in the house. The
| bill has been reported unanimously and the
| local oranges and trade unions are bringing
pressure on their representatives.
, In New Jersey, too, the restoration Of
become live issue. Bills for the initiative
| and referendum for the state have been in
| troduced by request of the peoples lobby,
| representing all the reform forces In the
| state. The State Federation Of Labor is de-
| handing the measure, and it is said that
| the house. which is democratic, is pretty
| sure of passing the bills thus putting 1t up
to the republican senate. which cannot af-
| ford to defeat these popular measures.
! "Adjoining these aforementioned states Is
! the formerly boss-ridden state of Della
ware, which is completely redeemed. Two
| years ago the legislature submitted to the
people the question, Shall the legislature
| establish the advisory initiative and advis-
DRY referendum At the election last fall
the people said Yes. and by an 8 to 1
| vote In the city of Wilmington the vote
was II to 1. This winter the house has
unanimously passed a bill for the advisory
initiative and advisory referendum for Will
mington. with state bill pending.
lover in New England, the former era
| die of liberty both the great parties in
the state of Maine have promised to submit
| a constitutional amendment for the initia-
tive and referendum. The details of the
! measure are now being worked out.
! ''In Massachusetts, where the house has
repeatedly passed a bill for the advisory
| initiative. both the senate and the house
were pledged at the recent election to pass
| the bill.
Previous to this practically unanimous
action in these thirteen states. seven states
| had established the direct-vote system,
| namely, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Hill
! nois Texas. Nevada and Montana, while
nationally 100 members of the next ma
| tional House are pledged. The pledge is to
| work and vote for statute for the imme-
| date establishment of the advisory initia-
tive for eight questions, and the advisory
| referendum for laws of Congress and bills
| passed by either house.
Bills have been introduced and are being
| considered in all the other northern states
| also in Arkansas and Virginia, at least.
| This wide-sweeping movement for final
| power in the voters-the termination Of ma
| chine RULES part of the more general
| people. No party or faction is openly OPP
| posed to the change. The program Is pre-
| eminently American and will surely sue
| coed. The tendency of the world is to-
| ward majority rule. Machine rule is fast
| disa ppearing. The new regime, judging by
| what is taking place in Oregon and South
| Dakota, is to usher in a new era of liberty
| and of progress
! Isaac Goldberg, wholesale liquor dealer
| of Ill East Broadway. New York, who is
| prominent in charitable movements on the
lower East Side. says he has solved one
| problem of labor.
- In his bottling department the entire force
| of workmen are deaf mutes. and Mr.. Gold
| berg says they accomplish three times as
| much work and are 80 per cent less trouble
| some than twice their number Of ordinary
| workmen.
| Mr.. Goldberg inaugurated the reform sew
| eral weeks ago. About six weeks ago Hy-
! man Sadolsky sixteen years old, deaf
| mute, went into Goldbergs place and asked
| for assistance. He made known to the pro-
| prietor that he was anxious to get en-
| try him. He was put to work In the bot
| Ting department. where conversation Is
| detrimental to the best interests of the es-
| tablishment.
| After the boy had been there one week
| Mr. Goldberg found that he did great deal
| more work than anybody else in the shop,
| and resolved to get more like him. There
| was some trouble at first between the boy
| and the other employees, and one by one the
| others were let out, and as a vacancy oc-
| Cured it was filled by deaf mute, until
| finally the entire department was operated
| by mutes, there being fifteen in all.
| Steps are being taken by the American
| Bank Note Company to establish a pension
| system for it's employees. 1t is said the
| sum of $4,000 was authorized by the trus-
| tees at the annual meeting, on February
| %, as fund for this purpose, and additions
| are to be made to 1t from time to time in
| the expectation of including in its benefits
| every employee Of the company.
| employees eligible to retirement" said
| the president of the company, Mr.. Warren
| L. Green, will not receive the pension al
! lowance as favor, nor as a charitable
| act on the part of the company. They will
| be in a position to consider themselves the
| recipients of permanent annuity, earned
! by years of faithful, efficient and loyal
| service"
1t is the idea of the company to provide
| a graduated scale of benefits in accordance
| with the previous wages of the recipient,
| but In no case is the pension to be so
| small that it will not provide livelihood
| for those to whom it is the sole means of
support Employees will not be required
| to pay anything either for the support of
| the pension system, to add to the fund
from which benefits will be made.
The company has almost 1000 employees
engaged in its various plants in New York,
- | I,hUo5oIpbio RnStOu and Ottawa this