Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-17
LABOR AND HEALTH.
A Radical Health Plank in the Demo
 cratic Platform.


 cratic Platform.
 The plank of the committee of one hundred on national health, adopted in modified form by the democratic party at Denver, strengthens the im- portance of this issue. When taken in connection with the labor plank, the combination indicates the great pressure which is now being exerted in favor of federal activity along the lines of health, labor and education.
 That these interests should have representation in the presidents cabinet is the stand taken by the democratic party. If labor legisla- tion is undertaken primarily on health grounds, the dangers of class legislation is obviated. Health leg.s- lation constitutes the sanest kind or labor legislation.
 The democratic party takes decid- ed issue with the republican party. The republican plank adopted at Chi- cago called for the strengthening or existing health agencies, leaving them in their present inco-ordinated positions, so far as the plank goes.
 The democratic plank calls for a realignment of the bureaus, and sucn combination into a single existing department. say the department Of the interior, as will result in forming a powerful national organization. The department of the interior would then become a department Of healtn, labor and education. The plank IS worded as follows:
 We advocate the organization of all existing national public health agencies into a national bureau or public health, with such power over sanitary conditions connected with factories, mines, tenements, child la bor and other such subjects as are properly within the jurisdiction of the states controlling public health agencies We pledge the democratic party to the enactment of law cre- ating a department of labor, repre- sented separately in the presidents cabinet, which department shall in- clude the subject of mines and min- ing" ,..... .....
 If we should include in the health alliance" the American Health league with 1S,000 members, the American Medical association of so, ,000 physicians, the United Mine Workers of America with their mil- lions of members, the effective poli- tical force is easy to see. In their meeting the United Mine Workers of America passed the following resolu- tions: ,......
 Whereas, The committee or one hundred on national health which is composed of men and women having an interest in and working in var ious ways for social and economic betterment, has for its object, ITO advocate the establishment of na- tional bureau of health; to carry on an educational campaign for the spreading of accurate knowledge concerning the public health; to pro- tect the public health by assisting the constituted authorities in the enforcement of existing law and by urging the enactment of uniform legislation in all the states on mat ters pertaining thereto, and to CO., operate with other societies interest- ed in any public health problem; and,
 Whereas, One of the fundamen- tai principles of the United Mine l Workers of America is "To secure 1 the introduction of any and all we'll defined and established applications for the preservation of life, health. and limbs of all mine employees, and another is by legislation looking to the most perfect system of mine ventilation, drainage. etc., to re- duce 10 the lowest possible mini mum the catastrophes which from time to time sweep through the mines: and,
 Whereas. It is a well known fact that, as many accid ents in the mines are due to preventable causes. so disease is due largely to ignor- ance of the laws of health or neg ligence in their observance; there fore, be 1t
 Resolved. That the United Mine Workers of America in nineteenth annual convention assembled, en- dorse the principles and the work of the committee of one hundred on na- tional health and urge all members of our union to cooperate in every way possible with the committee of one hundred to bring about the ob- jects which it is formed to pro-