United labor bulletin., 1911-12-07
Comment on Timely Topics
MAYOR TODD NAILS LIE OF INTERESTS.
CIVIC ADMINISTRATION HINTS.

Reports have been sent broadcast that
Thomas NJ. Todd, Socialist mayor OF
Grand Junction, was violating the law
that calls for the enforcement of the
eighthour day on all public work within
the state This is the law for which
Hamilton Armstrong, now chief OF police
of Denver, stood sponsor when he was
in the legislature. These reports have
been published exclusively in the capi-
talist press of the state and have been
banded from mouth to mouth amoag the
laboring people that are prone to criti-
cise the Socialist party because they are
looking for some excuse for their actions
in supporting the old political parties
These reports. we believe We are justi-
fed in saying, were started by those
who desired to perform a service to the
master that put them in office.
The United Labor Bulletin, always
ready and willing to look into reports
that tend to betray the working class
into the hands of the enemy, sent a
communication to Mayor Todd, asking
him to confirm or deny the report over
his signature. The response was quick
and to the point.
Mayor Todd has also sent a commune
cation to the state labor department.,
placing the facts fairly before the de-
partment. That letter is similar to the
that the mayor is free from any blame
for the loose way in which the depart
ment of public works was conducted
under the commission form of civic ad-
ministration by man NOT A SOCIAL
IST and who was NOT IN SYMPATHY
WITH THE PARTY OR THE LABOR
MOVEMENT. Mayor Todds letter to
The Bulletin follows:
MIR. ]. A. Conkle, editor The United
Labor Bulletin, Denver, Colo.
Dear Sir:-In regards to labor mat
ters over here in connection with city
work, | will give you some OF the his
tory, as Socialists and laboring men have
a right to know what the Socialists are
doing in their official capacity. and an
glad that you are broad enough not to
take newspaper reports, but come to
the parties interested for your informa-
ton.
In the first place the street work to
which you refer was not under my juris-
diction and was not till after our street
commissioner had been deposed. The
council asked me to take charge. which
l did, and have received considerable
commendauon from the citizens. and
helped to bring the Socialist movement
into respectability and prominence.
Before this men were worked from
three to ten hours per day through lack
of the proper organization. The first thing
| did was to find proper foremen for the
different positions and instructed them
to in no case work the men over eight
hours per day or forty-eight hours per
week. At no time under my control.
have they worked over forty-eight hours
per week. except when the weather was
so bad that the cement failed to set in
time, so the finishers had to wait till the
cement was set sufficiently to work it.
AS the weather was very unsettled part
of the time. these occasions occurred
oftener than i wished or had expected.
These were unavoidable, however. and
the most ardent union men found no
fault with that part of the work, though
they did make strong objections to the
way matters had been run before. As
to the wages paid. there were a few
that received only 25 cents per hour, but
the majority received 80 cents per hour.
while at the same time the street car
company doing their part of the work.
we're paying only 20 cents per hour and