The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-06-22

sweat ships, economic perils and So
cial sores.
Preventive legislation has been the
slogan OF those who realize the re-
sponsibility Of laying the foundation
of being at the beginning of things,
and creating preccdents.
We take special pleasure in our in
dustrfal legislation which aims to help
and to protect the poorest and
humblest working man. We believe
! with Germany, that others may ne
glect their workers, but Oklahoma
| will follow no such ruinous policy.
The workers are the foundation of the
social structure just as bed rock is
| the foundation of building and any,
| thing which imperils the one endan-
gers the other. Reduce the physical
| health Of our workers by long hours
| Of exhausting toll, insufficient food,
| unsanitary dwellings and workshops,
and who will do the labor Of the ma
ton and bear arms for the state? The
discomfort and degradation Of the
masses spells dissolution and ruin for
! the state.
knowledge at First Hand.
! We began by studying those UNDER
lying causes which make for social
betterment and insure against mental,
moral and physical decay. I made
several trips down into the inky re-
cesses OF the mines, CROPPED midst the
black damps. took a gas-!amp and
crossed the dead lines'' to examine
the deathly gas; waded in mud and
slush nearly two feet deep and
crawled on hands and knees through
narrow, black passages where If the
roof would give two inches the miner
could never return to hts wife, his
| little ones, his howell home. saw the
lack Of escapes, breathed thu foul air,
saw the little children down in those
inky passages, forgotten by the bright
outside world, down, down, down
where no grass grows, no birds sing,
| and no flowers bloom.
In other words, I came In touch
with labor, the great human struggle
I courted the acquaintance OF those
laborers in order to secure statistics
and data. I came in touch with their
ambitions, their ideals, and their
dream of better conditions and the
higher life. I learned that they band
ed together to secure better living
conditions.
I had often condemned labor for I'M
necessary agitation, but now saw
the necessity OF 1t all. I realized that
their great aim was Identical with my
own, that both labor as an organiza-
ton and as charity worker had
been working for the same ideals, to
raise the standard of living for the
poorest man, and for the first time I
realized our common purpose and rec
ognized our brotherhood.
Lesson Of the Laborers.
This is the lesson the laborers
taught me in the rolling mills, the
glass factories, the mills, sweat shops
and the mines, and I made my rounds
from place to place in quest Of facts
with which to convince our lawmak-
ers of the necessity for industrial leg
islation to save national life.
! Several of us are members of labor
unions. and we got together repre-
sentatives Of the state labor union,
100000 strong, and representatives OF
the farmers union, 10000 strong,
and we formulated demands in the
way Of industrial legislation which
| VOuAu pISV0uI lucSc CO1lU1l1OlS III
Oklahoma And we submitted these
demands to the candidates and we
boycotted those who would not "sign
up" and we secured ~ out Of liz
delegates to the constitutional con-
vention. Then we opened up head
quarters at the state capital and saw
that these promises were fulfilled
The results are that we have safe
guarded the laboring man.
! | Listen, for this Is the pleasantes,
story can ever have to tel you. Into
the tiny hands of the little ones OF the
state Of Oklahoma the constitution
placed a promise that the light OF
intelligence should never be blown
out; that compulsory education shoulc
o obtain from their eighth to their At
teenth year; that the Bible and thu
\ best literature shall not be to then
e forever sealed book. s...s., H.
!. Again we decided that the vitality
= Of these children should rot be ex,
i pended In the morning Of their lives
leaving them physical Gcgenerates
!. incapable OF receiving an education
listless and hopeless to wander i 81
over the desert Of their wretched a.,