Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-02-27

Immediately afterward he introduced
a joint resolution for constitutional
amendment giving Congress the right
to call a constitutional convention
and followed it with a resolution de-
manding an investigation of the kid
mapping of John j. Mcnamara. On
April 27, 1911, he introduced his fam
GUS resolution for a constitutional
amendment abolishing the Senate, the
veto powers of the President and the
invalidating powers of the courts. A
number of other Socialist measures
preceded his bill providing old age
pensions, his joint resolution for a
commission to report on old age pen
sions being introduced July 81.
Busy on First Day.
The first regular session Of the
62nd Congress began December 4,
1911. and on that day Berger put in
bill repeating the antitrust act and
providing for the cooperative owner
ship and operation of monopolized in
dustries. His principal measure dur
ing this session were:
JAM Is, resolution for consti
tutional amendment granting women
suffrage; January Is, another old age
pension resolution. directing the Com
missioner of Labor to investigate the
question; January 81, bill providing
| for federal ownership and operation
of railroads, telegraphs, telephones
and express companies; February l.,
a resolution to investigate the strike
on the Hartman railroad lines; Feb
S, bill giving self-government to the
District of Columbia; February Z, the
l T ctr INV
tion April "a, bill adding wireless to
his government ownership bill of
January 81; June Z, the Hartford i'm
parchment resolution; July 10, bill
providing for the employment of all
unemployed persons who desired
work. This was one of the most radi-
cal and far-reaching bills ever intro
duced into Congress.
Berger's speeches have been one
Of the most important phases of his
service. He has spoken on many sub
jects on the floor of the House and
has thus given the country well de-
fined idea of the Socialist attitude on
most of the present day problems. He
first acquainted the members of the
House of Representatives with some
EOf the fundamental principles of So
cialism in his speech on the wool
tariff, delivered June IA, 1911. Al
the conclusion of this speech mem
bers of the House fired number oil
questions at Berger, similar in all re
spects to the questions encountered
by the soap-box Socialist orator or
the street corner. His principal speech
of his service was one delivered JULY
: 18, 1912, in which Berger took W
the complete Socialist position OF
the collective ownership of the re
sources of the earth, the tools of in
dustry and the facilities of transporta
ton end showed to the capitalist par
ties that the working class mus hav,
its own party to give expression tt
its own class interests. This was tn,
only purely Socialist speech delivered
by Berger, excepting one few day
later when he gained permission tt
print the Socialist platform in til
Congressional Record. His othe
speeches, while upon Socialist doc
: trines, being directed to some srecif
) matter of legislation before the House
They Took Notice.
Lively debates followed most o
: Berger's speeches and he is Away
granted very close attention by tn
t House, members usually flocking il
from the cloakrooms when he begal
to speak. The capitalist legislator
: seemed eager to learn Berger's view
: on national, problems, but three O
four clashes in which the wit ant
: keen analysis of economic condition
z Iby the Socialist representative cam
t out victorious, members of the Hous
have been very careful about arguini
political questions with him on tn
: floor.
il. Other speeches delivered by hin
include an argument for the old ag
: pension, one favoring an eight-hou
2 day on government contract work, on
: warning Insurgents" that they cal
3 not accomplish results by remainini
: in the old parties, one criticism.
starvation wages of workers in tn
/ District of Columbia, his speech OF
!. the Lawrence 0utrages. his address