United labor bulletin., 1914-09-26

the hearing in Chicago recently
Ny belief, grounded upon life
time experience, is that industrial un-
rest is due largely, primarily and
fundamentally, to low wages, and
long hours of labor; the fact that i'm
migrants are lied to before they come
here. cheated and robbed after they get
here, and finally realize this; careless
misstatements of the press as to funda-
mental facts, as to real facts that eX-
list; and the notion that there is one
law for the rich and another for the
poor, whether there is any such thing
or not, figuratively speaking. The ex-
perience of labor has led me to believe
that in its application there is some
such difference. Another contributing
cause is the mad pace at which indus
trial workers are driven, a pace that
kills $4,000 annually and wounds 2,O0O.-
900 in our industries alone; pace that
kills like number and wounds a like
number in our transportation. The fact
that 100000 people die annually from
tuberculosis a preventable disease,
disease that should not exist among us,
is another cause. Also, the fact that
100000 people die annually from pre-
ventable diseases, due to occupational
disease, is another.
Fake Advertising.
Another cause in connection with the
unrest of immigrants is the following
advertisement appearing in the Pitts
burgh, Pa. newspapers in 1909: Men
wanted: timers, patchers and helpers
to work in open shop; Servians, Poles
and Roumanians preferred; steady en-
ployment and good wages to men will
ing to work. Fare paid and no fees
charged"
You ask for a cure for industrial un-
rest. l wouldn't cure it if l could, and
couldn't if I would. l say that with
a full knowledge of the meaning of the
word. Industrial unrest, the agitator
and the kicker make for the uplift, a
better social, economic and political
state. and for advancing civilization,
and were it not for industrial and So
cial unrest there would be 10 human
progress along lines that are good and
beneficial for the great mass of work
ing men and women of our country.
| would, however. minimize that un
rest to the lowest possible point. That
should be along constructive lines.
First, / believe that this commission in
its findings and in its search for rene
dies is handicapped by state rights and
state lines. Hence it would be a waste
of my time to advance things that can
not by any possible stretch OF the i'm
Imagination come within the jurisdiction
of this commission.
Demand Action.
There is one thing, though, that
would suggest. Commissions in the past
have proven entirely futile and useless.
Commissions such as this have worked
their heads off and have sought dill
gently, earnestly and faithfully for a
cause and for remedy that will be
helpful. They made an elaborate report
to- the United State government and
Congress which created them 1t then
becomes everybody's business in general
and nobody's business in particular. If
this commission would recommend that
in the future all commissions, or in cases
like this commission, which is a three
cornered one. one for labor, one for capi-
tai and one for the dear public, of whom
/ should like to speak later-one of each
department should be given seat in
Congress with voice and no vote, and
such representatives ought to remain
there until Congress has acted, has
either defeated or adopted its recon-
mendation, then their efforts will not
be wasted.
Revise Laws
] hold that one of those things you
can act upon is to see to it that the
immigration laws are properly restrict
ed, or become more effective in their
restrictions. Labor as such is not op-
posed to igration-th kind that for
mcrly landed on our shores. and to
whom much of our greatness. CONNER
cially. industrially, socially and politi-
cally, is due.
But remember, the immigrants in
those days came in slow, dangerous
sailing vessels. They came of their own
volition. They came from England, Ire
land, Scotland. Germany, Switzerland
and other countries, the people OF which
rank somewhere near the standard OF
American citizenship; while today, with
the quick passage and the fast sailing
vessel, one vessel will bring in weeks
time more than you could crowd into
half a dozen ships in early days with
their slow passage. Originally it took
three months to come over, and now one
week. And where do they come from?
Without casting any disparagement on
any race or calling originally they came
from England. Ireland. Scotland, Wales,
France, Germany and other countries.
Today, or at least in 1913, over 1900
000 immigrants came to this country;
243,000 came from southern Italy-not
Italy, but from southern Italy. You all
know what that means. This was more
than came from England, Scotland Ire
land, Wales, France. Germany and
Switzerland and Scandinavia. We are
not opposed to the natural influx of i'm
migrants, but we do object to the indis-
criminate, assisted immigrant. We oh
iect to the kind that is brought here
TO enrich the steamship companies pri-
marily, and in the second instance to
break down American working stand
ards.
We do not object to them coming nat
urally and regularly. | said a moment
ago that the immigrant was lied to be-