The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-09-16

senate during the consideration of the railroad
ployes eght-hour bill when he pretended to manifest
such sudden sympathy for and interest In the condi
on of section and reparers the poorest paid
the railroads.
The venerable Minnesota senator is equally astute
politics as he is able in craftsmanship. His retort
In the senate good politics 1t made hit with
everyone in sympathy with workngmen, those who
familiar with Mr. Nelson's record labor both
Governor of Minnesota and senator
Who does not sympathze with the underpaid section
man, repairer and such railroad employees But
sympathy for them will not raise their shorten
their hours of labor improve their condition. If it
left to Senator Nelson to help them they would
die in despair. They have the chance as the
engineers, fremen, trainmen and conductors to raise
themselves up. Their hope for improvement is not
in depending sympathy but by organizing their
fellow employees have done and all wise laborers
everywhere doing. Better conditions to the
dependent worker charity is doed out to the poor
An Independent organized worker demands them as a
matter of right.
Where section men and car reparers have organized
themselves into trade unions they have very materially
increased their wages and improved their working con-
ditions. All section the Canadian railroads
organized and there minimum wage scale is 1925 day.
The unorganized section the Great Northern
road paid minimum of $3.50 to $3.50. That is
the difference between unionism and unonsm. It
is the difference between the union shop and the
called open shop Effective economic organization of
the workers strengthens their political It
this that counted the most at Washington when the
eight-hour bill up for passage.
The secion and repairers will get the eight
hour day when they shall have learned the lesson of
organization and not until then, unless the
should decide to take the railroads.
But getting back to Senator Nelson. How long has
he been of real sympathy for the borer and
his demands for liberty and better economic
ditions?
When Governor of Minnesota, Mr.. Nelson sent the
state militia two occasions to assist mill owners and
mine to break Strikes and at time when there
call for the militia because the civil authorities in
is if they had attempted to make honest effort to
do
The section and repairers will get eight
six o'clock in the morning until eight o'clock in the
evening every day, working 12-hour day in H.
hour spread. They paid the munificent wage of
$3.50 day. These rebelled against such long
hours and poor pay They demanded the 10-hour work.
four hours after they went out Governor Nelson sent
the state militia to Coquet to drive them back to the
long work day and the low wage SCALE
The iron miners at Tower and Ely also went on
strike for higher wages. There few fist fights
and other slight mxups, and with these for
Governor Nelson sent the militia to the Vermion
to help his friend Joseph sellwood the then
litical boss of St. Louis county, break the strike
AS member of the United States senate Mr.. Nelson
has consistently voted against every labor measure of
Importance intended assist the working classes in
protecting their right promoting their interests.
Only recently he ridicued the labor provision of the
Clayton anti-inuncton act the child labor law and
other legislation affecting labor passed by this Congress-
In view of such record not the real friends of
labor justified in doubling the sincerity of Senator Nell
sons sympathy for the section man?