The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-24

| picket and anti-boycott law in exist
ence. Indeed that law is so framed
that judges can enjoin labor leaders
from speaking; writing, Or exercising
any other of their constitutional rights
as American citizens And that
| means that trade unions are outlawed.
If labor leaders can be thrown in
Jail, If the unions' activities can be
broken up, if the boycott can be stop
ped, pickets imprisoned and even the
property OF union men taken away
from them in damages, then the work
of the trade union Is done. Little
strikes here and there may be won.
but no big strike will ever succeed so
| long as the present law of conspiracy
| remains unchanged.
"WeIl, the workers of Bridgeport
demanded an act amending the law Of
conspiracy in this State and legaliz-
! ing the strike the picket, and the boy
colt. 1t demanded for the workers
of Connecticut the same law which
has been passed by the British Par
lament. These two bills in the inter-
est of the workers of this State were
sent to every local Trade Union in
the State and to every Central body.
The endorsements of these bills were
almost unanimous and Trades Union
lists and Socialists all over the State
are now fighting together. in hearty
good will to secure their passage.
Hundreds of resolutions have been
sent to Hartford. Scores of men
have attended the hearings and every
opportunity has been given to the
Legislature of this State to know ex-
actly what the workers want.
"At each hearing at Hartford We
have seen two classes arrayed. On
one side a group Of men, well fed,
we'll dressed, clean, with tailored
clothes, and self satisfied faces-the
big manufacturers In front of them
a little group Of bald-headed men,
we'll dressed, well fed, clean. self sat
isfied. Who were these bald-headed
men? They were the brains! The
paid brains, the hired brains, the
legal brains of the manufacturers.
ION the other side we saw the
workingmen They weren't SO well
have any brains but did their own
talking, directly to the committee. and
said what they had to say without
the assistance Of any hired legal
lights. (Applause.)
and in between these groups sat
another group-the committee. And
let me tell you, the committee hasn't
liked the situation in the least 1t
has been a little too hot for them.
They have been very pale, very miser-v
able. very unhappy. very much dis
. turbed. They remind me Of a char
acter in one Of John Bunyan's works,
whom he called Mr.. Facing-Botll-
Ways. They were in the situation
of man in row boat, who faces one
way and rows the other. On the one
side sat their masters Of today-the
capitalists; on the other side sat their
masters of tomorrow-the working
men. (Applause.)
so the committee was sore1y trou
bled and perplexed and distressed.
They didn't like to hear these work.
ingmen come there and state their
they did not talk. Their brains
talked The manufacturers just sat
back and looked fat and prosperous
and displayed their watch chains while
the brains talked.
'@The brains said to the committee:
ter. All that we ask is, that you do
nothing. Don't disturb the situation.
Leave things just as they are Every
thing is all right. There is no discon-
tent. If it were not for few of these
fellows like Hunter and Flanagan and
McLevy and Reid, everyone would be
satisfied. Why, there's nothing they
love so much as to be arrested and go
to Jail, for there they can get a good
square meal for. once in their lives.
'"The passage of these bills, my
friends. is not all important If defeat
is to help US then let's welcome de-
Stuart Reid, an organizer of the
American Federation Of Labor, wasY
the next speaker and he created a SEN
sation right away by declaring war
upon Senator stiles Judson, and in
fact, upon the entire joint legislative
committee of Judiciary and Labor.
hearing on the Trades Dispute bill at
Hartford last Thursday" said Mr..
Reid: 81 arose to ask a question of
Mr.. Emery-the man who is paid $780,
600 year by the National Manufac-
turers' association to go to Hartford
and tell lies about us. I wanted to
bring out something about the Trades
Dispute act and Mr.. Judson-the Sem
ator from Stratford-didn't like it. He
constantly interrupted me with ques-
lions and objections until I was fore
ed to believe he was doing it on pur-
pose, and told him so.
Now Mr.. Judson' may be all right,
but henceforth we're from Missouri
and will have to be shown. / know
that there was a. certain dinner held
in Hartford on Wednesday. The Ju-
dietary committee was present and so
were certain others-by invitation
Mr.. Emery and a representative Of the
railroad. Certain men were discuss
ed at this dinner and in the course
your humble servant
cit was agreed that I am a danger
GUS fellow and that I should not be |
permitted to say much. Well, I here
by serve notice on Senator Judson and
upon the entire committee that they |
may muzzle Reid in the legislative
halls at Hartford, but they can't muz-
zle him here in Bridgeport. or else |
where in the other cities and towns Of |
the State (ApplauSeN
Furthermore I hereby inform Mr.. |
Judson and the committee that hence !
lean Federation of Labor will camp |
maybe there will be different story |
to tell them.
81 was told by a man, You cannot |
district and they will elect him. Why |
farmers haven't any brains. That is |
the same as saying that the farmers |
know so little that you can even palm |
Judson on them. I don't believe it.
eve were told the same things when
we went to Maine, to get the scalp |
Of a certain man-Mr. Littlefield by |
ran in the Bird Congress
sionaI district in Maine. They are all
farmers in the 3rd Congressional dis
trict Of Maine. We were told that Mr.. I
Littlefield was absolutely safe from
us. He was always elected by over
whelming majorities and the farmers
were solid for him. Well, the first at
tempt we cut down his majority from |
7 600 to 7O0 The second time, the Re-
committee wouldn't let him