Denver labor bulletin., 1916-11-25
How Labor Gained Recognition
In Government at WASHINGTON
Address of Secretary Wilson Before A. F. of Convention
in Baltimore Reuiews Some Interesting History OF
Long Fight for Seat in Presidents Cabinet


Their belief in the matter was war
ranted. The department OF commerce /
and labor became in reality a depart
ment OF commerce, and the agitation
still continued until 1913. when another
new department was created, the de-
partment OF labor, with a secretary at
its head, a secretary having the status
that gave him the opportunity Of being
called into the councils OF the president
OF the United States
In creating the new department four
bureaus were attached to it. The bureau
OF labor statistics, as a matter Of course,
everybody recognizes properly belongs to
the department OF labor, altho its title
is a misnomer. 1t Is not purely a bu-
reau Of labor statistics; it is more prop
erly a bureau of labor information. The
bureau Of immigration was also attached
to the new department, and there are
many who wonder why bureau OF i'm
migration should be attached to the de-
partment of labor. There are many peo-
pie coming to our country who are not
laborers. but the great bulk are laborers.
Prior TO the opening OF the great war
now going on in Europe We had coming
into our country approximately 100000
aliens annually. Most OF those who
came We're people who had on the other
side sold all of their little belongings
and turned them into cash in order to
raise sufficient funds TO come to this
country. When they came here they
We're not in position to engage in the
professions, not in a position to engage
in business enterprises for themselves,
not in a position to 90 out on our land
and cultivate it In the first place,
they had not the means to acquire the
land; in the second place they had not
the means TO equip themselves 10 cult
vote tho land. and i'm the third place.
rhey had not tho means 10 live Vpou the
land until they could get a living there
on The only thing they could do un-
der the circumstances was 10 get into
some kind Of occupation where they
could get quick even tho meaCer re-
turns for their labor. They therefore
boca me the competitors not only Of the
native Americans and the uaturalized
Americans but also of the other aliens
who had preceded them into the United
States. The question of immigration.
becoming q great economic question. the
administration Of the immigration laws
therefore nroperlv belongs under the
jurisdiction OF the department of labor.
Their there i the children's bureau at
tached to the department OF labor. and
again the same question was asked:
"NVhv attach q children's bureau to the
department Of laborf Other people have
children a. well rs workinCmenf" And
that Is true. altho my experience is that
" orllinrmen have a great many more
children than those who are well-to-do.
We had eleven children in our own fam
ily. so I speak from experience. But it
i the waceworkers-nay. the workers
generally. whether the wage workers or
the workers on the farm-who need the
collective influence. the collective power,
the collective means OF taking care OF
the children.
Those who are vell-to-do. those who
are provided with sufficient means of
their own to take care of their children.
can furnish them with the finest of
homo surroundings. furnish them with
splendid sanitary arrangements. the
means OF education. with outings when
outings are required; but when it comes
to the wage workers individually they
are unable to do so. The only way they
can do so is thru the collective functions
of an association as represented in our
government And so the chiliren's bu-
reau is deai.~g with problems that are
purely labor prUSrems. and the bureau
properly belongs to the department OF
labor.
Then there is attached TO the depart
ment the naturalization bureau, and for
4 NeTN simple TtNtNp0- NO filt Vii tt-
come a naturalzed citizen Of the United
States who has not at some time been
an immigrant into the United States,
and as the bureau Of immigration is in
the denartment Of labor. so the bureau
of naturalization properly belongs there.
because all the recoris of the admission
of immigrants are in the department.
Those four bureaus We're attached. and
then two other functions were attached
mediation in labor disputes and bring
ing the man and the Job together. We
have in the short period Of existence
of the department of labor endeavored
To develor those two functions. OF the
three hundred labor disputes we have
handled before they reached the strike
staCp o-5 of them have been settled in
a manner satisfactory 10 both EMPLOYERS
and emplovcs. In the work of bringing
the man out Of n ioh in touch with
Job We have so developed the work that
II cannot at any time he used as a
strikc-brcakiuC machine But the great
est of all functinns-and I say il with /
ont anv personal reference to mvsclf-
The greatest Of all functions OF the de- I
partment is that of carrying the hopes, l
the aspirations and the philosophy Of /
the wace-workers of our country into /
the inner councils OF the president OF 4
the United States.
The great mass Of work growing out ]
of the department of labor. these great /
remedial measures having been placed .
unon the statute books Of the various .
states and our federal government as
the direct result of the orUaniEcd labor
movement of the country. it is n pleas
urc for me to have the opportunity of
beirg here upon this platform this NOR.
ing to welcome Won here to the perform
nuec Of vour work and to bid YOU God.
suecd in thc dcNclNnmeut of the differ