The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-05-29
BY John 3 Ryan in the Survey:

legislature Wh1cn enQeQ us
labors April %, is almost barren in
tho matters of social legislation. BY
$4,000 for the pur-
chase of a suitable site, it took the
first step towards the establishment
Of a woman's reformatory. It en-
acted a stringent law governing the
sale Of narcotics. passed a bill pro-
hibiting the issuing Of liquor licenses
to road houses and other places
outside cities and villages, empowered
counties to vote as a. unit upon the
question of permitting saloons within
their borders, and made legislative
provision for state wide teachers PEN
sions.
The only labor laws of any conse-
quence that it added to the statutes
are one requiring semi-monthly pay
ment Of wages of public utility cor
porations, one applying the provisions
of the federal liability law to railway
employees engaged in interstate traffic
at the time of injury, and amend
ments to the workmen's compensation
act providing for an increase in the
maximum and minimum payments
for injuries, in the specific amounts
to be paid for specific injuries, and
in the length of time during while
compensation must be given for dis
ability.
Among the proposals for social leg
islation that failed of enactment, the
most important were that providing
for commission to codify the laws
relating to children and to suggest
badly needed new statutes on that
subject, a bill to make statewide in
it's application the nine hour law for
women which at present governs only
the four largest cities, a bill for the
regulation of street trades, and an
other providing for one day rest In
seven. Another thing that must be
charged to the debit side was the fail
ure to appropriate sufficient money to:
carry on the anti-tuberculosis work in
the county Senatorial
This bad record cannot be explained
on the assumption that the 1915 legis-
lature was "reactionary." Man for
man it had quite as large a proper
ton of progressive members as its i'm
mediate predecessor; and the latter
had to it's credit a larger amount of
social and labor legislation than any
other in the history Of the state.
The progressive character of the
legislature that has just adjourned is
perhaps best shown by it's vote on
the resolution to resubnit the initia-
tive and referendum amendments to
the constitution and by it's attitude to-
ward the attempts to nullify the min
imum wage law. The majorities In
~ thn
somewhat larger in both the house
and the senate than they we're two
years ago. The two attempts that
were made in the house to nullify the
minimum wage law by depriving the
commission of the necessary appro-
priation, were defeated by majorities
of about 90 to Is. No effort was
made to repeal the law, but bill was
introduced to suspend it's operation
for two years. The bill never got
out of the house committee on labor.
No hostile action Of any sort with
reference to this law was taken in
the senate.
Two facts were mainly responsible
for the dearth Of social legislation.
In the first place, the speakership,
and consequently the organization, of
the house was decided on the issue of
county option and the candidate Of
the anti-optionists was elected by a
bare majority. Because Of the
practically even division of the men,
bership on this question, neither the
organization or it's opponents could
be certain of majority for any i'm
portant proposal. Nor did any in
dividuai leader appear that could
command the adhersion Of working
majority for two consecutive. days.
Because of the bitterness developed
during the speakership contest, it be-
came impossible for the, progressives
who had been on the winning side of
that issue to unite. ;whole-heartedly
with the progressives who had op.
posed the successful candidate, And
the fact that though successful in the
matter Of the speakership, the anti
optionists were beaten in the vote on
county option itself, did not tend to
harmonize the two factions @Eot to
reunite the progressives in the two
| camps. -. s~-:&...-. u
In a. word the liquor issue: was a
red herring >drawn\ with disastrous
effect across the. path of social and
every other kind Of progressive legis-
lation. Now that county option has
triumphed, may we not hope that the
liquor question can be kept out OF
politics for a few years? With all
due respect for the extremists it is
not yet the most fun amental1y i'm
1 portant issue ,of social welfare that
confronts the voters and legislators OF
this state. = e. 4 &c g,@
q aok} NSa
small am cunt Of social legislation put
I. 4 on the statute 3 books IS Minnesota II