Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-10
PROMINENT LABOR MEN SPEAK
President Julius C. Streeau of Connecticut Federation of Labor and Ira M Ornburn, State Organizer, Address Big Audience Carpenters Hall-Wilam J. Fitzgerald Endorsed as Nominee for State Representative.

Now Is the time that organized labor should sit up and take notice. Our aim of such meetings as tonight is not only | to organize workers but to inform the public at large and we hope to hold | meetings like this in every town. We hope to arrange a big mass meeting here and bring speakers who have studied the situation and can define he best legislation for the benefit of
 he working people. I believe we
 houId forget our political party and | elect men whom you can trust. Men ! who will vote for your interests and the common people.
 Organizer Ornburn Speaks.
 Tn part. Organizer UrnDurn sad: It | is pleasing to me to see that the labor l ing people of Norwich have taken this l step In calling together a meeting of | this kind. In speaking of law No. | 1296, Organizer Ornburn said there is | no man who can tell where this law | stops. It. has been stretched.
 The speaker told Of a strike situa- | ton in New Haven where a strike breaker had been brought in from Worcester. One day on passing an international representative the street the representative in a quiet | manner asked why he was working as a strikebreaker, and advised him to seek better working conditions. The man did not answer, but complained to the police authorities, who had the rep reSentatiye arrested, In the court pro- ceedings the Judge instructed the jury that the representative had intimidated the man, although proceedings proved different, The jury returned after a 15-nlnute session with the verdict guilty, These cases have happened many times, Remember, these are the kind of judges you are electinss 70 in terpret your laws, The manufacturers of this state have built a wall around the state of Connecticut with that one section, No, 1928.
 About the AnsenIa Strike. In the city of Ansonia $50 men were on @ strike. We found before the strike SO per cent, of the men earn l ing 15 cents an hour, and they had families with from one, two and three 1 children to support, They were com l pelled to take their children when old enough into the factory to work, When 1 this particular company found out that organized labor had sent a represent | ative there just 24 hours before, war 1 rants for the arrest of IS leaders who 1 speak English clearly were sworn out. 1 Two of the leaders were sentenced to | three months and fined $50 and the others were also presented before the l court, Armed guards. focked about the plant and one Polish girl was stopped | and a guard near by started trouble i which resulted in the guard opening l l killing one and injuring several, We 1 condemn men for such conditions, but 1 we. the workers, are responsible for l the conditions, Take the instance of | the way the manufacturers assoeIa- ton got around the occupational dis 1 ease in the compensation act,
 1 There Is no attorney in this country l who can be depended upu.s as D. man with a card. They pay no attention
 of labor men in this state. We go to the pulls and vote the democratic ticket. the republican ticket, because our father votes that way. We have got to put our shoulder to the wheel and forge tour party and send to Hart ford a man who carries a card. and those people who go there in time will raise the salary.
 The present administration in Wash l tngton selected as q member of his cabinet the secretary of the miners and he carried a card He does much l to advance the cause. It was through his suggestion that the industrial rela- | t1Ons committee was put Into effect. l This committee brought relief to min
 CTS in Virginia. All of those things
 would have gone unnotfced if the man
 sitting in the cabinet did not have a
 card.
 Men Fair to Labor.
 In this state we have men seeking
 office who have been fair to labor and l
 pie stand. Talk over the situation and
 get a man you know, one you can
 rely on. There has been more accom-
 plished in our cause during the past
 three and 8 half years than in the
 ten years previous. We had the use
 of stop watches done away with in the | arsenals. There are other things too
 numerous to mention The passage of
 the eight hour law has been condemn 1 ed. Those who are cOndemning the
 law are politicians but they have not
 gone on record as voting against 1t.
 The large manufacturers do not want l In the assembly or national assembly l men who will assist the working peo- pie. Remember this, when the nanu-
 lecturers decided to organize. in very
 many cases 100 per cent of them at
 tended their meetings, and that Is the
 important part. We, dare say at least a number of us, are not as consistent
 as we might be. Each one of you when
 you make a purchase. purchase with a , union label. Non consistency Is a | great fault.
 am positive, if labor would awaken to the situation, we would not have to
 walk in the rut as we are at the pres 5 ent time in the state of Connecticut, , Now, in concluding, my earnest request is to get together and scnd Into the
 assembly man with a union card and
 be sure that he can meet the manu- facturers' association face to face and let them know what labor organization , means in Connecticut.
 As there has been left open g. vacan- cy on tho democratic ticket for @ labor man, William J. Fitzgerald, president | of the Central Labor union, was en-
 dorsed as the nominee from the labor
 organization. Remarks were made by
 several labor men just before the , meeting closed.