The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-06-24
MINNESOTA STATE =
FEDERATION or LABOR
Continued from Page I.

Continued from Page 1. =*2.
continued Mr.. McEwen. 1T is true
that we have had some good friends
in the legislature, some of them put
there by our efforts, but they were not
workingmen and they did not know.
No cause could wish for more sympa-
thetic supporters than we had In Rep
resentatives Campbell, Nolan and Lun-
deem of Minneapolis. They fought
nobly and heroically for all our meas
ures, but they were terribly handi-
capped. They had not breathed the
fire of the furnace; they had never
faced the buzz and whirl of fast speed
ing machines in the modern factory,
"They had the impulse and the
heart, but they lacked the knowledge
of our real wants, and for this rea-
son they were unable to champion
our cause as it deserved to be cham
pioned.
One Workingman Was There.
There was one workingman in the
last legislature, Nels Hillman, a rail-
road engineer, elected on the Public
Ownership ticket. He was no orator,
but just plain blunt wage Garner who
had faced the perils of modern indus
try. When he addressed the legislature
he was given strict attention, not be-
cause he was a good speaker, for he
was not, but because he spoke in the
language of the heart resulting from
experience and hard knocks, and he
knew what labor wanted. and why it
wanted it,.
But there was just one workingman
there, if there had been ten men like
Nels Hillman on the floor of the
house, instead of ten members of COM
mittees from labor organizations on
the outside, every bill presented by
labor would have been law today.
There is no other way out of it, for
every other way has been tried and
we have failed. l know that it is
sometimes difficult to get workingmen
to enthuse over their fellow workmen
who are candidates for office. This is
quite natural. We read newspaper
stories about great men at the state
capitol, was we reckon that an mex
perienced workingman would look
rather small beside them. But it is
false assumption, and visit to the
state capitol when the legislature is in
session will convince the most skepti-
cal workingman that his shopmate
would be giant of constructive
of the men who occupy seats in our
state law making bodies.
II would recommend that the presi.
dent of this federation be authorized
to appoint committee from the dele
gates to this convention to draft suit
able resolutions calling upon the
workingmen of Minnesota to organize
politically in every legislative district
in the state for the purpose of nomin-
ating and electing working class can
didates for the legislature, and to de.
wise ways and means for the raising
of fund to promote the campaign.
Herein lies our salvation. It is up to
us to act.
Personal Ambition Not the Motive.
when we issued the call for this
convention the gentlemen editing the
labor department of the Minneapolis
Journal intimated that there looked in
this a scheme by which certain labor
politicians" hoped to get into office.
AS that portion of the call dwelling
upon this subject was written by me
I wish to make answer by declaring
that my desire for political office has
been fully satisfied. To make sure
that it will be useless for me to try
for political preferment I have moved
into district in Duluth where vast
majority of the voters do not like my
politics., and hate my philosophy.
have chosen my life work and intend
to continue in it without interruption
while I have the strength to do So"
The Mcnamara Case.
Mr.'McEwen devoted some attention
to the arrest and kidnapping of John
J. Mcnamara, International secretary
of the Bridge and Structural Iron
Workers union, and his brother,
charged with conspiracy in destroying
the building of the Los Angeles Times
in October, last, saying:
"The attempt of the enemies of Ia
Dor to fasten this crime upon labor is
most brazen. Every disinterested ex-
pert who had investigated the cause
of the explosion claimed that it was
uOO w OoSoPAA6 60o, OuL IAAo uAu AlOS
appease the union haters of Los An
geles, for a labor war existed there
and a golden opportunity presented IT,
self to involve union labor in the ex-
plosion.
This convention, by appropriate
resolutions, should make a strong and
vigorous protest against this method
of arresting American citizens. 1t
should further call upon the working
people of Minnesota to contribute lib.
orally to the Mcnamara defense fund.
which is to be used wholly in securing
fair and Impartial: trial in portion
of our country where prejudice
against everything that savors of
trade unionism runs riot"
Association for Labor Legislation.
A resolution introduced by Dele
gate Hoffman, of st. Paul asked that
all central labor bodies in the state
affiliate with the Minnesota branch
the American Association for La
Dor Legislation and take all the nee