The sun., 1908-06-03
A Round Robin Incident.


Nine Democratic State Senators in
Massachusetts, have higher opinion Of
the political acumen Of the Hon. EBEN
8. DRAPER, acting Governor, since they
tried to put him in hole and fell into
1t themselves. 1t occurred to these
MachiavelliaSs that II they Joined in a
round robin to urge Lieutenant Cover
nor DRAPER TO recommend the approval
by the Senate Of the bill limiting the
weekly working hours of women and
children In factories to ffty-four, bill
that had already passed the House, they
would either procure It's enactment or
compromise Mr.. DRAPER, who In man
ufacturer and prescriptively the next
Republican candidate for Governor.
So In an adroitly worded document
the nine Senators petitioned him "to
send q message to the Senate recon-
mending the passage Of this legislation
and requesting its members to ignore
any political considerations and to act
entirely in accordance with the public
interests. 1t was broadly hinted that
the Republican Senators had SHE'D at
labor legislation entirely out Of con-
sideration for Mr.. DRAPER's personal
ambition to be Governor, and the illus
trious nine saw In the reluctance Of his
loyal friends fear that whether he
signed or vetoed the fffty-four hour bill
his candidacy would be blighted. "One
word from you, said the exulting round
robin signers, will pass the bill. Will
you say itf"
The acting Governor did not let the
grass grow under his feet. His response
few back and was published In the press
synohronously with It's receipt and to-
gether with the round robin, which had
not been given to the newspapers. Mr..
DRAPER called the attention of his baiters
TO that clause in the State Constitution
which defines the legislative, judicial
and executive functions of the Govern
ment and prohibits the interference by
each with either or both OF the others,
"to the end that 1t may be Government
Of laws and not of men," Then the acting
Governor proceeded:
You ssk ms In my executive capacity to Interfere
befs. to pass certain legislation which has been
introduced Into the Legislature without any recon-
fpendAton from the executive department, which
has passed ono house and 10 now being acted on by
the honorable Senate. do not conceive that this
action would be proper for me 70 take. as would
be, under the circumstances. Interference by the
executive with the legislative department, snd I
do not think the exIgencyor che circumstances re-
qulre such action"
Having drawn tho Constitution on the
schemers and fred 1t point blank at them
the supple DRAPER left -the Senators to
whom you refer to reply or not, az they
see fit, to your unwarranted and insult
ing statement" and as to the fifty-four
hour bill, II the round robiners would
like his opinion, 1t was not favorable,
because the great cotton and woollen
industries were already handicapped In
competition with those of other States,
and In times like these Il might not be
beneficial to the operatives themselves,
unless 1t could be proved that their hours
of labor were too long to be endured, to
put such a law on the statute book:
wait until conditions are better before
enaoting any such legislation. How
ever, he declined TO commit himself on
the point whether he would sign or
veto the bill II It were sent to him.
Thus the Hon. EBRN 8. DRAPER taught
q constitutional lesson, seized the oppor-
tunity to explain the economic unwisdom
Of the ffty-four hour bill, and resented
with spirit an insinuation that he was In
league with Republican Senators, or that
thay took orders from him, to obstruct
needed labor legislation. It is not the
first time that Governor GuILD's under
study hss qualified for the suoceuaicn by
asserting hiniaslf. In Anesss and cour-