Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-09-02

Labor day, 1918, marks almost a
new era in the United States de-
partment Of labor, for it witnesses
! the full operation of the great war
emergency labor program, which
! has tremendously increased the
! scope of the departments work
and has added eight new bureaus
10 the department organization,
! The great Importance of labor in
winning the war has been response
| BILE for the rapid growth OF this
part of the government activities.
! The present organization OF the de-
partment of labor, with its great
employment service covering all the
! territory OF the United States, and
with its many other bureaus, re
/ curing seven buildings in Wash
! ingtOn for their housing, far sur
! passes the dreams of the few labor
! leaders who more than sixty years
ago first suggested such branch
/ Of the United States government.
Probably the first mention OF
such a department came in a bill
/ introduced in congress in 1864 by
, Godlove S. Orth, member Of con-
| gress from an Indiana district, FOR
/ The creation OF a department OF in
| dustry. The bill was not adopted,
| however, and no great amount Of
| discussion even was created by il
in the midst of the Civil war.
In the following year - labor
| leaders met at Louisville, Ky, and
drew up resolutions urging the e5-
adjustment OF department OF La
! Dor in the United States govern
ment. This was the germ OF the
idea which has now had its fruitlOu
in the present great organization.
for the labor organizations OF the
: day took up the plan euthus s5ti-
cally and featured it at their con
ventlOn5. More than one hundred
bills and resolutions were intro
duced in congress up to 1902 sug-
gesting the organization OF a de-
partmeIt of labor. When William
Mckinley was in congress he intro
duced a bill for a bureau Of labor
statistics.
This and other bills led 10 the
formation Of a bureau IN the de-
partment Of the interior BY the
name OF the bureau OF labor" The
date Of its foundation was June n,
1884. Four years later It was made
department, but with a commits
si0ncr at its head-au officer not II
cabinet rank. In 1903 1t became
again the bureau OF labor" uuder
the department OF commerce and
labor. II still survives IA the pres
Cnt department OF labor as the bu-
reau OF labor statistics.
The department as an institution
Of cabinet rank dates from March 4.
1913, when il was definitely scpur-
ated from the department of COM
merce. with W. 3. Wilson, the pres
eHt secretary as its head.
The labor mSn DC 1863 called for
department conducted by men
Of and TOT labor Their desires
are Wei re elected by the act which
called tine department into being.
This act declares as the purpose Of
the department 10 foster, promote.
and develop the welfare OF the wage
earners OF the United States. 10 I'm
prove their working conditions. and
to advance their opportunities FOR
profitable employment"
The bureaus Of labor statistics.
naturalization, and immigration
have existed with the department.
from the beginning, - has the chill
dren's bureau. and mediation SER
vice was an important part OF the
departments work From the be-
ginning the aim Of the department
has heeu 20 lessen Industrial dis
putes and TO diminish their sever
ity Secretary Wilson held I'm his
first report that much Industrial
trouble is due 10 the refusal Of en-