United labor bulletin., 1913-02-13
EGISlATION.
Important Measures Now Before the
Legislature.

II Continued from page -
sence Particularly was this demonstrate
ed the past week on several occasions.
John T. Kavanaugh's (street carman
from Colorado Sprlngs) repeal OF the
anti-boycott law went through without a
murmur, which is strikingly different
from the fight made upon this measure
in the seventeenth assembly, and last
term it did not get on the calendar for
consideration. The same members ten
hour law for street carmen has passed
the house; in the seventeenth it was
| beaten on second reading and was not
| introduced last term. w. r. Elmore's
| (union machinist from Alamosa) law to
extend the eight-hour workday to utility
corporations also went through as though
| creased" Much opposition was expect
ed for this measure, but SO far it has not
developed The same may be said of
the headlight bill and others. Let us
hope that this condition will continue to
the end of the session and that the work
ers shall receive from our legislators the
measure of justice that is rightfully
theirs
The eight-hour law for miners that Ia
bor has been denied, 10 these years, is
again in a peculiar position, and the re-
sponsibility of it is as usual shifted from
where it belongs to the shoulders of a
man who had nothing to do with it. Or
ganized labor is the responsible party
for the fake" law carrying, as well as
the genuine referred measure. If the
leaders of organized labor had made the
campaign for the genuine measure and
the leaders had instructed the member
ship, as they should have done, as to
how to vote upon this measure, there
would now be a different story to tell.
There should have been a strong cam
paign made upon this measure. If the
members of the "holier than thou" In
dependent Political league had spent
their time working for this measure
rather than in partisan fighting and
causing internal disruption among the
union voters, there is little doubt in my
mind but that we could have easily beat
en- the fake law initiated by the mine
owners and had the genuine law now in
operation. But this does not seem to be
the purpose of this league. If the mask
of hypocrisy is torn. from it we see from
its actions nothing but sordid scramble
for office and desire to disrupt and ha-
rass, coupled with a desire to vent per-
sonal spleen at the expense of the labor
movement as whole. The labor depart
ment at the present time has its hands
full trying to enforce the woman'S eight
hour and other laws, but We find that,
whether at corporation dictation or not,
there are three bills introduced In. the
legislature to disrupt the department by
changing it from one place to another.
so that we have another internal fight
started, something else to distract at
tention. at time when the very best in
the members of this department should
be put forth to advance the condition OF
the wage earners. These "bushwhack-
ing" tactics may show brand of su-
perior unionism and a deep desire to ad-
vance the cause of the workers, but l
very much doubt it. One thing is GER
tain; results show that the labor depart
ment made much better fight for the
genuine eight-hour law than was made
by the so-called Independent" political
league (heavy on the independently.
Wherever the labor department was
strong there the fake law was beaten,
while the contrary was the case in other
places.