The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-01-21

feat after we had done all within our
power to secure their enactment.
Women's Eight-Hour Bill.
Space will not permit here a complete
record of our efforts in behalf of this
important measure. Suffice to say that
from the day of its introduction in the
house to the day of its defeat by a
fort was spared to do everything with
in our power to procure its enactment
Sister Lord was present much of this
time and during the closing scenes in
the senate we called to our assistance
Brothers Rosenberg, Young, Cotterill
and Mr.. Charles Klein of the State
Grange The efforts of the fishcannery-
mems interests in the house to attach
an amendment to the bill specifically
excepting fish canneries, would have, in
all probabilities. made the entire act
unconstitutional. We defeated this eff
fort by securing adverse written opin-
ions from Former Assistant Attorney
General Vance and Assistant Attorney
General Lee.
The first defeat of the measure was
due to the fact that the opposing inter
est, ie., manufacturing. merchantile,
laundries. hotels and restaurants com
bined and contributed literally of both
funds and time Restaurant keepers, to
our personal knowledge, were assessed
from S25 to 800. according to the num-
Der employed, and other institutions in
like proportions. One hundred and fifty,
or more, personal representatives of
these interests came to Olympia and
exhausted every possible means of i'm
moral suasion There are no moral rea-
sons) including tho liberal use of the
large fund raised They were success
full and we had to content ourselves
with the fact that while we had again
lost, vet we had gained so rapidly dur
ing the two years of agitation of this
| 1.
cess would surely be ours at the next
session During the 1907 session we
were the butt of many jokes among
senators over this measure, yet i'll 1909
no other subject attracted more 'atten-
tion or required greater vigilance on
the part of our opponents to secure its
defeat.
Liability Legislation.
In accordance with our advocacy OF
the extension of our National Liability
laws to include our state courts, | Sc
cured the assistance of Govnor Teats
of Tacoma, in the preparation of a state
law, copying the language of the fed
eral act insofar as it was practical to dc
so, and the same was introduced in the
senate by the senate labor committee
Meantime the. corporate interests OF
the state had, through Senator Graves
introduced compensation act. It's pro
visions We're optional between employer
and employe-at least the bill so stated
but in practice would, of course, be
mandatory if employers saw fit to SC
make it.
The two measures were given sew
eral hearings before joint committee:
of house and senate, and employing IN,
terests, lead by Senator Graves, work
ed strenuously to secure the substitu
tion of the Graves compensation act
for the federal act, which we favored
and which the republican party plat.
form had promised to us.
Neither measure ever reached consid
Grafton on the floor of the senate. Our:
was favorably reported by the senate
committee on labor too late, however
for action, while the Graves bill wa'
finally recalled by Senator Graves from
the Joint committee and taken to hi
own-the judiciary committee wher'
sofar as we know, it still slumbers.
The same influence. same men, sam,
means, We're used to defeat liabilit!
legislation as were opposed to the WON
, mans eight hour law and it is an al
most safe prediction that a vote of thu
senate ON the federal liability act a
presented by us would have resulted il
defeat by the same votes that defeated
: the shorter work day.
Initiative and Referendum.
Political sentiment was temporarily
crystalized against any legislation o
this nature first by the passage of thu
direct primary law, which had, to ;
large degree, disrupted party organiza
tion and sentiment; and, second, by tn,
great success attending its successful
workings in behalf of the people anC
against political and corporate inter
ests in other states where direct legis
lation is in force.
We, who secured the passage of al
eight hour law on state and muncipa
work in 1908, have had to defend i
with an aggressive organization eve
since. The State Direct Primary leagu,
disbanded upon the securing OF the pri
mary law and the following Legislature
so amended the law as to make il in
, applicable to our supreme court judge
who, more than any other officials
ought to be- selected and elected by tn
people whom they arc supposed to rep
resnt. No succeeding legislature woul'
I