The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-04-16
LABOR NOTES OF
VIDE INTEREST
Labor Men Urged to Unite to Send
Representatives to the YER
mont Legislature.

bodies any moreg They have found a
more dignified way to press their claims
for legislation and defeat measures OBJ,
iectionable to them, by turning their le-
gal business over to a law firm in which
one of its members is interested in poll
ties. The lawyer attends to the rest.
He can do things as an attorney that
layman could not do without being IN
danger of Imprisonment. This is not an
indictment against all lawyers, for there
were some members in the last legsla-
ture who are wholly responsible for
whatever progressive legislation passed.
do not blame the lawyers for looking
out for the interests OF their clients. |
would rather blame the workingman who
elected them to Office. | have taken some
part in the attempt to secure the enact
ment of labor legislation in the state for
the past ten years, and we were no
better equipped to secure the passage OF
laws in the last session than we were
ten years ago. Everything of real bene-
fit to the working classes that we have
stood for has been defeated, and most OF
the laws that We're passed were mere
palliatives, filed with provisos and re-
strictions that rendered them next to
useless. Now that is a strong statement,
but this assertion may be verified by an
examination of every labor law upon
the statute books Of this state Little
attempt has been made to enforce any
OF them, and | know whereof | speak.
Our political policy of the past in
endorsing this or that candidate for leg
islative Office simply because he pledged
himself to support our measures has
proven a dismal failure. II is true that |
We had some good friends in the legis-
| lature, some Of them were put there by
their own efforts, but they were not
working men and they did not know. |
| They fought noby for all our measures, /
but they were terribly handicapped. !
/ They had not breathed the breath OF |
! the furnace, they had not climbed high I
scatfods they had never faced the buzz !
and whirl Of fast-speeding machinery in |
the modern factory, and therefore they |
could not know. Now, then, ii there |
had been ten labor men on the floor OF |
the House instead of ten members of |
committees from labor organizations ON
the outside. every bill presented BY la
Dor would have been law to-day.
There is no other way out OF it, for
every other way has been tried and we
have failed | know it is sometimes
difficult to get working men to enthuse
over their fellow workmen who are cam
didates for office. This is quite natural.
We read newspaper stories about great
men at the state capitol, and we reckon
that an inexperienced workingman would
look rather small beside them But this
is false assumption, and a visit to the
state capitol, when the legislature is in
session, will convince the most skeptical
workingman that his shopmate would
be giant in constructive craftsmanship
beside large number of the men who
occupy seats in orr state law-making
bodies. Think, consider and act.
Congressman Mott Of New York has
introduced bill which prohibits tobacco
manufacturers from packing or attach
ing TO their product be it snuff, cigars,
fine cut, chewing tobacco or cigarettes
any sort Of coupon or label offering a
gift premium or prize. The congress-
man states that independent cigar deal ,
ers and manufacturers all over the coun-
try are urging the passage of the meas
ure. "There was a time" he continues,
"when a man could enter the tobacco
business with the hope of some day own
ing a store, but the big organization
which controls SO much of this business
now has a way OF swallowing up the
retailers and the best young man car
hope for is 4 job managing one Of the
trusts retail stores
As sequel to the strike Of London
taXcab drivers who returned to work
on the promise that their grievances 4
would be inquired into, the award has y
just been issued which proved the men
were right in promulgating their various
demands. a court of arbitration has de-
cided that private fares remain the same
as at present, the extras" falling to the
drivers, and that the drivers proportion
of the fares should be % per cent, and 4
that no station charges should be al
lowed by the employers, The drivers
are well satisfied with the award.
Throughout the cities in Great Britain
where public utilities are owned and OPP
Grated by municipalities, there has been
a general agitation by the employees for
an increase in wages. Many cities hava
the wages as a result of this
agitation. There is now serious impend-
ing trouble in Manchester, where Is. per
week advance is being demanded. At
present 25s week is being paid The
advance has been refused and strike 4
is threatened. -
A bill providing for an eight hour day
has been passed by the chamber of depu-
ties in Paris This action, it is believed,
will have the effect of forestalling a gen
eral coal strike.
Washington, d. C.-The House COM
mittee on interstate commerce has favor
ably reported to the House the Adamson
bill providing for drastic regulation of
rates of express companies and placing
such companies under the jurisdiction of
the interstate commerce commission. The
bill provides that hereafter express COM
panies must assess rates ON packages
not exceeding eleven pounds in weight .
to the zone system, the lower
rates applying to the shorter hauls. The
maximum rates are fixed at two cents
per pound for packages travelling 400
miles; four cents per pound under 600
miles; five cents per pound under 500
miles; seven cents per pound under 1900
miles; ten cents per pound under 1000