Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-26

compare with 5S hours in point of pro-
duction, but | know that in this mill
referred to the production in So hours
has exceeded the former production @"
so hours.
Under the initiative, people by pc
tition can ask for the passage of
law limiting the hours of labor as
they see fit And if you do not pass
measure SO presented without the
change of a single word, it goes back
to them to vote upon. And l suggest
to you that when the labor people of
the State get started, get thoroughly
aroused, take matters into their own
hands, then that they might fix the
hours of labor a so, and go farther
than would be wise. The request for
the 56hour law is reasonable. 1t is
reasonable that women and children
should not work year in and year out
in our mills more than nine hours and
twenty minutes a day. l hope the Seu-
ate will concur with the House in the
passage of this bill.
Mr.. RICHARDSON: Mr.. President
it has not been brought out here that
if the women and children, the wo-
men and the minors, are given a Sc.
hour week, it means that every elm
ployee in the mill must work So hours
In other words, You cannot have one
crew coming in and working shorter
time than the balance of the mill
1t has been well said here that
they have a 54-hour labor law in
Massachusetts, but the Senate does
not want to lose sight of the fact that
when that law went into operation
there occurred one of the most dis
astrouS strikes the country has ever
known, because after the first weeks
work the employees found their pay
was reduced by two hours labor. They
supposed when they got the 54-hour
week they would get SO hours pay.
We may see the same result here. We
cannot say. notice. however, that TIE
employees did not resort to the petit
ton for initiative this time. They
nave not shown their interest in this
matter to that extent
Mr.. BUTTON of Kennebec: Mr.
President, | do not rise at this time to
debate this question or to attempt TO
add anything to the discussion here
| rise merely to state the reason which
will govern me in my vote upon this
question.
l live in a manufacturing city. |
have been identified in one way and
another, durinss the pas 10 years. with
the laboring classes o. my city I SYM
pathize With t..em in their efforts to
gain g livelihood and they know il. I
sympathfze with them in the difficult
ties that arise in their everyday life.
and during the past 10 years | have
spent a considera BILE part of my time
helping these men out of one difficulty
or another. And l recall no single in
stance during that 10 years when, for
advice in my office, and they have come
| to me often and in large number l
have ever charged them a single cent
As [ say, my relations with them
have been cordial and friendly, and
the result has been that more than
one-half of the laboring men in my
city call me by my given name. I only
say this in order that the Senate may
| Understand the real reason for my vote
| here Now with these relations which
| have been existing between me and the
laboring classes in my city and with
this question pending before this Leg
lsiature, not one single man or woman
| has ever come to me and asked me to
support this bill, with, Mr. President,
one single exception
Several days ago, l received a tel
! ephone message from gentleman in
t9rested in the labor questions of the
city and of the State, who lives here.
thoroughly reliable citizen. He want
! ed to see me in regard to this bill. He
| q a mo m,
! tleman who likewise is interested in
labor questions and labor unions They
brought copy of this bill with them.
l told them I had not given the mat
| ter any great study, and | asked them
| about it. Now while / have respect for
those two gentlemen as labor men and
| as citizens of my city, yet / want to
say to the Senate that those two men
who came to me in advocacy of this
measure, neither one of them had read
the bin which they presented to me
ana dld not know the contents of it,
| Ihey stated further that they came
ana asked my support for this meas
ure upon the suggestion of the gentle
men who have been actively interest
ed in this legislation in the corridors
criticism of them, because 1 believe it
| is entirely proper that labor should be
| represented here, and when the labor
| interests of the State of Maine come
here end demand, intelligently, some
thing for their uplift and general
good, or when the labor interests of my
| city come to me and ask me to sup
port a measure which they believe to
be for their interests and for the in
terests Of labor in general, | will al
ways accord them my hearty support,
If | can consistently do so.
| believe the laboring class of the
state OF Maine are an intelligent,
thinking class of people. They know
what they want when they can express
themselves without agitation from out
SIDE; without someone coming to them
and telling them what they need and