The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-03-07

Berger's speeches and he is always
granted very close attention by the
house, members usually flockng in
from the cloak rooms when he began
to speak. The capitalist legislators
seemed eager to learn Berger's views
on national problems, but three or
four clashes in which the wit and
keen analysis of economic conditions
by the socialist representative came
out victorious, members of the house
have been very chary about arguing
political questions with him on the
floor.
Other speeches delivered by him in
clude an argument for the old age
pension, one favoring an eight-hour
day on government contract work, one
warning insurgents" that they can
not accomplish results by remaining
in the old parties, one criticising star
vation wages of workers in the Dis
trict of Columbia, his speech on the
Lawrence outrages, his address fav-
oring a citizen soldiery, and his speech
advocating the Hanford impeachment
resolution.
In addition, Berger's standing as the
representative of a great mass of
voters has given him great influence
in the different departments of the
government. He has taken up and
carried to a successful conclusion a
number of immigration cases in which
exclusion orders had been issued by
the secretary of commerce and labor,
the most prominent being that of
Theodore Malkoff, who had been one
of the crew of the cruiser Potemkin,
which had Joined the mutiny. Except
for Berger's interference Malkoff
would have been returned to Russia,
where he would have been executed.
Berger secured from the postoffice
department an order permitting mail
carriers to wear cool blouses in warm
weather, thereby adding much to the
comfort of this body of workers.
This sketch of Berger's record does
not by any means include all of his
work, but has simply touched the high
spots. His record is one to which
every socialist and progressive work
ing man can point with pride. He has
fulfilled all of the promises made by
the socialist party and has demon
strated that the hope of those who
toll for their just share OF the bene'
fits of civilization lies in the political
party of the working class-the socla
list party.
The Recent Session
Berger's record in congress up to
the present session has been thor
oughly analysed and published. But
during his last days in the present
congress, he has completed a record
which staIds unequaled in its benefit
! to workers. Although during much
of the present session he was tied
down to the investigation of fire in
surance companies in the District oi
Columbia-largely a local question
nevertheless, he found time to keel
up his work as representative-at
large for the socialist party of Am
erica.
On December 16 he introduced g
resolution for the government to take
over and operate the New York, New
Haven & Hartford railroad on the
ground that it constitutes a complete
transportation monopoly in New Eng
land. Berger took advantage of the
general dissatisfaction against the
New Haven which was rife at the
time, and thus gave to this socialist
measure a very wide publicity.
On January 27 he introduced reso
luton asking for an investigation by
special committee of the New Yorl
Garment Workers strike. In this
resolution, Berger argued that the
strike is one warranting federal in
j terference on the ground that gar
ments produced in sweatshops anC
carried in interstate commence men
ace the health of the entire country
He forced the rules committee, t
which this resolution was referred, t(
put itself on record as refusing tC
consider this working class measure
and also showed up the so-calleC
union labor representatives, not one
of whom offered any support to the
resolution, and thus showed th'
country that the working class car
place no dependence on old part
representatives whether they CLAIM