The chronicle=news., 1914-10-31
BRAKE TO Be il j"
!! WORST !! DEFEATED
Y Man On TICKET

Denver, Colo. Oct. 31.-That Ed-
win V. Brake. Democratic nominee
for secretary of state, VIII be the
most dccisiyely defeated candidate on
any ticket. is the opinion OF politi-
ciuns OF all PARTIES. Even the Demo-
cratic leaders, speaking privately,
express the belief that Brake IS
doomed. They base their assertion
upon the discouraging reports re-
ceived from all over the state. the
public refusing, to support this cahdi-
date because of his open stand
against law and order and his gen.
eral record OF Incompetence and LACK,
4 of character. ,,fIN rf'- ~ !,
Another element quietly entered
into a combination against Brake
week ago that emphasizes the predic.
ktiop of his overwhelming defeat.
This is the army of day laboreFs who
have had to pay tribute to employ
ment agencies because OF Brakes dis
regard of the law concerning fees to
be paid to these agencies.
AS state labor commissioner under
James B. Pcarce. secretary OF state
Brake wa s supposed to see to it that
employment agents did not charge to
exceed certain legal fees for furnish
ing work to laborers. These charg-
es are fixed at 81 for laborers and ~
for mechanics. The records in
Brakes office show that the fees In
the case. of .labofers ere from 50 to
81. with a corresponding increase for
mechanics. $50 30
Probably the most fragrant violat-
ors of the law are INSCRIPTIONS en-
ployment agents. They resort to all
manner of tricks to defraud the Ia
boring ma nand 1t was to protect the
latter that laws were enacted in
1909. Brake, being labor commits
sioner, was entrusted with the en-
forcement of these laws.
Countless complaints We're filed in
his office by laborers who had been
robbed by dishonest agents. They
would pay 81 for a chance to work.
would be shipped out with gang.
the boss of Which stood in with the
agent. and after working few days
they would be discharged on film
sy excuse to give way to another
gang Of workmen Of which each men,
her had 7aid 81 for the job. 5y
Brakes negligence in this respect
finally became intolerable and in
1912 several workingmen dubbed to-
gether, employed as attorney and
filed proceedings against Brake and
Pearcc to compel them to protect the
laborers against these. employment
~, hn.
result for while. but within a few
| months Brake again was neglectfng
his prosecutions of the agents. ~
The state is supposed to maintain
a free employment bureau in the ssfs-S
tricts where laboring men seek work
Brake conducted such an office for
the state on Larimer street for con-
siderable time. The agents who COL
lcct fees objected, and Brake removed
the free employment office to the
basement of the state capitol where
n workingman would need a guide to
locate it, even if he knew it existed.
This taking OF the free bureau to
! the capitol has not decreased the ex-
oense of its maintenance. but it has
enriched the agents who sell the
| right to work to men and women
whose circumstances are such that
| they must pay out of their paltry
wages a goodly per. cent for an op-
portunity to earn them T.
1t therefore is not a matter Of
wonder that the laboring men and
women have banded together to op-
pose Brakes election at this time.