Denver labor bulletin., 1916-07-15
Continued From Page One.l

and II do, they VIII put me IN lall. L
cannot conceive how it was possible for
men capable of thinking and reasoning
and i'll the light OF the institutions of
our republic, to champion law of that
kind. After all that has happened in
this state--on top of it ALTO place
law upon the statute books that bars
men and women from exercising the in
alienable right to work, or not to worn,
for reason or for no reason.
Fathered by Mackenzie King.
And what was the sinister influence
that put this law upon the statute
booksi Exactly the same influence that
brought Mackenzie King-the gentleman
responsible for the adoption in Canada
OF the LemieuX act--the manager of the
Rockefeller interests, to this state. Thru
the power of wealth he gets placed upon
the statute books of this state a law
which completely ties the hands of the
working people. You rebelled against
conditions in the southern fields; you re-
belled against conditions that obtained
in other parts of the state because indus
trial freedom has been desired; and yet
l have heard considerable commendation
as to the working out of the Industrial
Commission.
The gentlemen who are the commits
sioners authorized by this law to carry
out its provisions are public officials
and let it be distinctly understood that
SO far as they are personally concerned
have no quarrel with them. Under the
terms of the law they would be recreant
to their trust if they did not enforce its
provisions. But l have a right to dis
cuss the public utterances of the gentle
men who constitute that commission. I
have also the right to state the position
of the American Federation of Labor
with reference to this law.
Quotes From Williams Speech.
On April &c, this year, Mr.. Wayne Will
liams. at the National Convention of the
Industrial Commissioners at Columbus
Ohio, delivered an address. In the open
ing OF this address he has this to say:
''The one overshadowing internal prob
lem confronting the federal government
and the forty-eight states is presented
by the disputes between employers and
employees. It involves the reconciliation
of the conflicting interests of capital and
labor 1t is the most important, the
most fundamental, and the most vexing
problem that has ever confronted the
public officials and the citizenship of a
state 1t is closely analogous to the one
overshadowing international problem
the reconciliat ton of the conflicting in
terests of sovereign nations, the estab
lishment of world peace; the institution
of an international tribunal of justice,
to do away with war.
TO the former problem, the one In
volving industrial peace in this nation,
the state of Colorado offers a new solu-
ton. and invites her forty-seven sister
states and the federal government TO
consider the law and the methods and
recommendations that are being worked
i. x.EfA nyp
solution for this difficult problem; and
we invite the attention of the nation
and the patient. sympathetic consdera-
tion of all thoughtful American citizens
to the operation of this law, as develop
ments are made under it."
Measured by Past Deeds.
When think of the conditions in this
state only a few months preceding these
utterances of the massacre of women
and children; the conditions imposed on
the coal miners-and then listen to a
representative of the newly created In
dustrial Commission of Colorado giving
to the world a new solution for the Ia
Dor problem-I wonder If the incidents
of the preceding few months is neccs-
sary foundation upon which to base this
new scheme.
Let us see. The scheme in the south
efellcr model unions a part of the gem
eral scheme The Rockefeller model
union fprbids its members to organize.
1t forbids the carrying out of state laws.
The miners are not permitted to have
their check weighmen. The truck system
is still in existence under a coupon
scheme. This is part of the new plan
TO settle the labor problem, on the
strength of which there is a clarion call
7 TT..... 81
watch Colorado's method of handling the
labor problem.
Further along, after making numerous
statements which I have not time 70
criticise, Mr.. Williams says: "Thus we
see how the law operates, and we begin
TO understand the significance of a re-
straining period of this character The
first object and result of such law is
that it provides a cooling off period u
He refers to the thirty-day provision.
Resents "Cold Storage" Plan.
] want to say to the commissioner
that the organized labor movement Is
not composed of lot of blithering idiots
or irresponsibes-tha the American Ia
Dor movement comprises the best blood
brain and Drawn OF any country in the
world, and l resent the implication that
it is necessary that the workmen of Colo.
rado be put in cold storage for thirty
days before they are permitted to decide
whether il is to their best interest tc
work or not to work.
Cooling off period" There never yet
has been commission authorized by
law. to which has been delegated any
of the rights OF workers, that has not
eventually taken from the workers all
their rights. All the employers need IN
this state today is just one additiona,
law-just one. If they had the state
,ougt 1lularyr lou. L,ra 4bo,, would bayf