The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-04-29
BIG INTERESTS UNUSUALLY
VIGILANT DURING SESSION
st. Louis County Delegation as
Sized Up By MIR. Lynn
Haines.
By W. e, McEWEN.

week enQ6dVOr1nS TO ascertain JUST
what laws were passed by the late
legislature of interest and benefit to
labor. 1t may be surprising to know
that about the only general labor
law that ran the quantlet of both
houses was the bill increasing the
liability for death by wrongful act
from $4,000 to $1,000. Even this
bill is in danger because of the fail
ure of the house to ratify a. senate
amendment.
Only Redeeming Features.
1t is but fair to admit that several
minor bills were passed, such as cor
recting an error in the law regulating
the hours of labor for women and
children, and the law creating the
bureau of labor and widening the
powers of the bureau.
Outside of this nothing was done.
The disgraceful ending of the legis-
lature defeated the child labor bill.
1t was about all that labor expected
to get out of the wreck. I predicted
early in the session that the working
mems compensation code would not
pass The employers saw that this
would happen.
State Insurance.
did expect tile senate to pass an
act for constitutional amendment,
giving the. people the right to vote
on the question of state insurance.
but Senator Rockne of Goodhue
county, aided and, abetted by the
employers liability companies 3. and
the employers association, saw that
THIS b1fl Went the route, other
labor legislation.
However, the senate decided not
to drop the question in it's entirety,
and Lieut.. Gov. Gordon was author
senators to continue the study of the
question. I understand that the fol-
lowing is the committee: Senators
Rockne, G. H. Sullivan, Boyle. Fos-
seen and Schaller. Labor mas rea-
son to be grateful to Lieut.. Gov.
Gordon for the fairness shown. The
last three named senator's proved
during the late session to be more
than fair to labor.
Record of Legislators.
Lynn Haines, the "evil spirit who
haunted the gallery of the house OF
representatives" has given out ten
tative record Of the members of the
legislature. Mr.. Haines has been more
than fair in his treatment of the
members. I think that I would nave
been more severe than he, For in
stance this is how he treats Repres-
entative Fowler of Minneapolis: lone
of the Speakers Cabinet; "active
in the investigation of the drainage
scandal"
Mr.. Haines missed golden op-
portunity when he did not picture Mr..
Fowler in his true light, as the most
brilliant and most dangerous MEM
ber of the house, adroit and artful
leader of the reactionaries, with an
eloquence as smooth as oil, and a
manner as treacherous as a Brutus;
representative of the employers IL
ability companies, and deputized to
see that no progressive labor bills
would become law.
Schcnling for the Future.
It is already rumored that If Mr..
Fowler is elected as a member Of
the next legislature he will be the
speaker. Representatives of the "inter-
ests" are already playing their cards
with this program in view. But Mr.
Fowler will be obliged to satisfactor-
lily explain his conduct to his labor
constituency of Minneapolis before ne
will again be eligible to the office
CT speaker of the house of repres
entatives. -.,, @.
That Mr., Haines was away off in
nis estimate of the legislative con-
duct of some of the, members is evid.
enced by his reference to Senator
Froshaug, the lone prohibitionist In
the senate. 1t was expected that Mr.
Froshaug would support such men a.
Gunderson and Lende through tne
session. but his vote on the Murray
bill, a reactionary measure, indicates
plainly that he was progressive only
on moral issue, but was reaction
ary of a vital economic movement
Mr.: Haines says that Mr. ,Froshaus
voted with the progressives on al
questions. He evidently overlooked
the course of this senator on the bill
in question, for he voted consistently
with Senator. w. w. Dunn, the re.
presentatives Of the Hamm Brewins
company, in amending the Murray
bin for the election Of United State.
senators by part primaries, rathe,
than by vote Of all the people. Sena;
tor Forsnaug also voted against i'm.
portant labor bills, and particularly
against the bill increasing the death
liability to $1,000. \: q, ME-. t.
Mr.. Haincs Summary. B
This is Lynn Haine's summary oi
- at