Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-09-23
MAkESiATTACk
UPON DOHERTY
Labor Leader Assails Com
missioner Whose Po-
sition is Sought
CAUsTIC STATEMENT
Accuses Head of State Labor De-
partmcnt of Preparing Misleading
Tabuati0ns.


Richmond, Sept. 23-The spirited
contest waging for the office of State
Commissioner of Labor which has
developed three distinct factions IN
he ranks of organized labor in the
State, each rallyfng to the support
If it's favorite among the three can
Iidates, was further enlivened yes
.erday when Emmett G.. Davidson,
former president of the State Fede-
.,ation, issued a statement in which
he attacked the administration OF
labor Commissioner James B. Doher-
y.
Mr.. Dawson sharply criticises the
department and assailS the incum:
Dcnt individually, charging Mr.
Ooherty with having misrepresentet
conditions in a way that 'is calcuiat-
ID to mislead the general public.
these alleged acts of Commissioners
Ooherty. Mr.. Dawson ascribes to hi.
.fforts to perpetuate himself in power
The Labor Commissioner has beer
confined to his home by illness fo'
he last two days and inquiry at nj:
jffice yesterday elected the informa.
ion from Captain Charles NJ. Wallace
,is chief clerk, that Mr.. Dohertl
you'd probably be heard from in
rood time.
Former President Dawson, of the
State Federation Of Labor is support
ng for the Office Howard T Colvin.
# Alexandria, editor Of the Square
Deal, official organ of the Contra
Trades and Labor Council CT Rich
nond. and chief clerk in the office
{ Director Lewis H. Machen, of the
Bureau Of Legislative Statistics.
Mr.. DAWSON, who is now serving
IS general organizer for the Inter.
rational Association of Machinists.
,ssails the correctness Of compiia
ion of industrial statistics. prepared
" Mr.. Doherty in an effort to SHOW
hat his department has heen more
.ctive than like departments in Other
States in prosecuting labor law vlo
stors.
The statement concludes:
"The working people of Virginia
re vitally interested in the work OF
he labor department of our STATE
government. They realize that it wa
treated largely through their efforts
md for their benefit. They are begin
ling to feel that it should be some
hing more than a bureau OF labor
y name and that it should do it share
( the work of remedying the condl'
tons under which they work ana
i've. The laboring people of tni:
State have been very patient and long
suffered, but they feel that they have
put up with the inactivity and lnefn
.iency Of the bureau Of labor and IN
lustrial statistic long enough and are
today demanding Il change. For SIX
teen years James B. Doherty, o.
Richmond, has headed this depart
ment and there is but little if any
Ling to show as result of his ct
forts. Take for example the last re
rcrt issued by the department. it /
i'll but valueless to those most vital
! interested and thousands of toiier
n the State are given no considera
| ton in the report at all. Among thes
are large number of women workers
"Sincc my connection with the la
ftor movement in Virginia . have
never seen a report of the condition
existing in the penal institutions o
the State, though the law creating tn
department assigns this work to
and similar departments in othe
States of the Union make such ir
vestigations. Had we had such repol
al the 1912 session Of the Genera
Assembly we would have had littl
trouble in wiping out the vicious cor
tract convict labor system in vogu
lin Virginia. As matter of fact, tn
only report that has come from ti
office of the Commissioner of Labc
has been the annual report, and
hsvs no doubt that the reason tn