Denver labor bulletin., 1917-07-21
EFFECT OF THE WORLDWIDE WAR j
UPON STATE HUMANITARIAN LAWS
Labor w. Morssey Addresses Denver Woman
Club Live Effort Abrogate Colorado Statutes
Relating to Women and Children Vigorously
Opposed BY Wide-Awake Official

laws after the legislature was well
under way.
"The movement came from three
sections of the state at the same time.
Three district officials were parties to
it, and it came to me that they were to
feel OUT SO to speak, not only the
governor, but the state labor commits
sioner, who has to do with the admin
istration of these laws.
81 saw in this movement the enter
ing wedge-the opportunity for the
exploiter of women and children-to
force long hours in the industries and
put the children to work in forbidden
occupations. 1t was all to be done in
the name of war necessity-of nation
al emergency. l publicly proclaimed
my opposition to any such plan.
"And what did the state executive
and his legislative committee find
when an inquiry was started to ascer-
tain what other states had done with
reference to suspending laws passed
for the protection of women and chill
dren? / will tell you.
Five States Step Backward.
"They found that only five states in
the Union had taken backward steps
and had adopted measures permitting
change in administering labor laws.
Before l digress, again warn you
to be on guard lest some legislator
rush thru a law during the closing
hours of the assembly which will de-
prive women and children Of the pro-
tective features of existing statutes.
AN army Of women are going into
the industries for the first time. The
tendency is to speed up without pay
ing women on the same basis as men.
There should be the same pay for
women as for men, providing the work
is equal. There should be no discrim-
ination as to sex. There should not
be permitted the undermining Of wage
standards under cover of war neces-
sity.'
Labor strength is impaired by long
hours and the speeding UP processes.
Women must be protected from dan
gerous tasks, from moral OF physical
exploitation. 1t is necessary TO have
strict administration of the labor laws
in order to insure complete protection
of working men and women under the
pressure of war.
Great Britain's Experience.
Great Britain's experience should
be sufficient to satisfy the most
worked long hours and seven days a
week when the European war started,
but before the end of the first year the
nation saw that the women must go
back to the eight-hour basis, the Sat-
urday half-holiday and the Sunday
holiday.
at was proved conclusively that
maximum production depends upon
the proper protection of the working
classes. The president of the United
States, Secretary of the navy, and
I - !
the pressing need OF maintaining eN-
isting standards. hope the women's
organizations will join with the public
officials and civic and labor bodies
generally in standing guard against
any attempt to set aside protective
statutes.
I'VE should maintain a program of
legal aid for workers in the interest
of maximum production and human
conservation.
president Wilson on June 4, reply
ing to Governor Brumbaugh of Penn
sylvania, said it would be most unfor-
tunate' to relax protective labor laws,
and that there is no necessity for
doing so. 1t has been truthfully said
that as women enter industry in rap
idly increasing numbers, the need be-
comes more pressing for helpful meas
ures.
1T is not time to rock the boat.
81 am not going to permit the Colo
RADIO labor boat to be rocked unless
the power now given me by statute is
taken away.
There are now fifteen million wom-
en- at work in the worlds industries.
We must not permit them to be used
in such way that there will be dan
ger of fastening permanently upon
trialism and weakening of our nation
al vitality.
by sapping labor, we aid our alien
enemies"