Weekly journal-miner., 1909-03-03
MORGAN BILL MAY PROHIBIT ALIEN
 WORkMEN

| hOISdu CouHSll D4lI uCAnlnG tHe 1ld-
 bnity of corporations for the injuries
 sustained by employees while in their
 services, which it is claimed by the
 leaders and attorneys for the unions
 win result in the protection of labor,
 the elimination of certain ignorant alien classes, and offer recourse in court for damages not now possible.
 It is cited that very few suits for dam
 ages nave been won in the Arizona
 courts, particularly by miners from their employers.
 This bill will leave it to the jury to
 determine the extent to which the
 eontributory negligence of an empfoSe
 shall figure in the award. It is claimed
 that the mining companies are bring
 ing in 3 cheap, undesirable class of
 foreign laborers, and killing them of
 at the rate of two to four a week in
 some camps. These men are ineompe-
 tent to perform the work assigned to
 them and oftentimes their acts result
 in injury not only to themselves but to
 fellow laborers.
 It is claimed for the Morgan bill
 that it will result in forcing the cor
 porations to employ only competent
 men, giving good American labor the
 opportunity to secure work where it is
 now sometimes crowded out by aliens,
 especially in the ease of hazardous occupations. Members of both houses who are neither radicals nor affiliated with the corporations, but who usually take the safe middle ground, are very muen in favor of the bill.
 Another measure which appeals to all as meritorious is a Morgan bill, which fixes the hours of labor for wom- en in laundries at eight hours a day. At present women and young girls are compelled in some laundries to work ten, twelve and fourteen hours a day, in the hot, steamy and unhealthful ironing rooms. The atmosphere itself is sureharged with poisonous germs where the ventilation is poor and the air stagnant. Many cases of tubercu- losis originate in these surroundings
 The modern laundry is perhaps as clean and sanitary as the average dry goods store, but only small per cent are mOdernly equipped. In Phoenix Mexican girls are working long shifts in the Chinese washhouseS, and their | lives are shortened many years. You can see them drag home late at night, | chilled in their damp garments, miser- able and prematurely old from over exertiOn. White employers are more but as MT. Morgan contends, as long as We are going to have Chi nese laundries to compete with the modern establishment, there must be laws to protect our American girls and 
 Apparently there will be no legisla- ion nor any appropriations at this session for an Arizona display at the Pacific exposition. Woolf 'f Maricopa has already introduced wO bills which hace been killed with ut consideration.
 The first provided for the appoint nent of a commissioner for the eollec- ion and arrangement of display of minerals and ores of the territory at seattle, and a sum of $1O,OO0 was to De appropriated. This was No. A. , VOOlf came back later with No. ll4, , which fared no better than A; in fact, ly was inferred without ceremonies un- i Ter suspension of the rules the same I ay it was offered. It only asked $5,- O0 be appropriated. i
 Evidently the legislature does not f elieve the advertisement would be f Iort-- the price, or that they have oth- r ways of spending money. It is un- T. erstood that James Goodwin was to a ave been appointed commissioner, II mich may account for the bill going b verboard, for he is a Maricopa county r ian. h The way is now cleared for apprO- riations for the next two territorial airs. MT. Burns of Yavapai declared q nat unless that joint committee of oth houses mad investigated J. c. dams and the fair management, it D ould have been next to impossible to a ave secured any money. h The whole enterprise had been D laced under suspicion and many of f, le members from other counties than -aricopa said that it was a huge graft fl, 'r Phoenix. Some are still inclined " ] take narrow view of the ternitOr- l fair as an institution, and regard it in , oI merely sectional interest and not m general benefit to the entire com