Denver labor bulletin., 1918-02-16
WORKERS WANT
A SQUARE DEAL
in MINNESOTA
CELEBRATE VINDICATION
OF "FRAME-UP" VICTIMS.
Appeal to Washington Against Inva-
sion of Constitutional Guarantee;
Governor Asked to Remove Enc
mics of Labor From Office
especial Corr..pond-nc..l


same time that a delegation from the
Twin Cities Trade and Labor Assem-
blies, accompanied by Secretary Nor
rison of the American Federation of
Labor, was in Washington to bring be-
fore President Wilson and his federal
mediation board the Importance of
speedy and fair conclusion of the Twin
City Rapid Transit Company's lock-
out of its union employees, more than
400 representatives of organized labor
and organized farmers from all sec
tions of Minnesota were holding ban
quet at the Ryan hotel at St. Paul
to celebrate the winning of the first
round in the street car lockout.
"Frame-Up" Victims Cleared.
This was the vindication of James
Manahan, former congressman-at-
large from Minnesota; Oscar f. Keller,
commissioner of public utilities in St.
Paul, and Thomas J. McGrath, mem
Der of the Minnesota Legislature, in
tended victims of the "frame-up," who
We're recently indicted by Ramsay
county grand jury, after pressure had
been brought to bear by the Mime
sofa public safety committee, on
charges of melting riots thru speeches
which they made at a union labor mass
meeting in St. Paul on December ,.
Union labor was absolved of all re-
sponsibility for the disturbances that
followed. but these men, all staunch
supporters Of union labor and the or
ganlzed farmers, were indicted despite
an overwhelming preponderance Of
testimony which showed that their re
marks were in no way improper. The
public safety commission pushed the
prosecution. but after the states eyi-
dencc was all in. District Judge Dick
son dismissed the case, announced in
open court that no defense was needed
and that II was absurd 10 continue the
trial After this stinging rebuke the
cases against McGrath and Keller
were dismissed
Pledged Wilson Support.
But the 100 representatives Of the
organized workers from the city and
country did more than merely cele-
brate this victory. After pledging un-
qualified support to President Wilson
in his efforts TO protect democracy
at home and to establish its triumph
abroad they unanimously adopted
| resolutions denouncing the Minnesota
public safety commission for its Ill
| legal, autocratic and arbitrary acts"
and demanding that Governor Burn
quist remove John F MCGEE and H
W. Libby from the commission and re-
place them with one representative
recommended by organized labor and
| another representative recommended
| by the organized farmers so that the
people of Minnesota may be allowed
to cooperate with the federal govern
ment in the furtherance of the war
without the unlawful pernicious and
strife provoking interference of the
public safety commission as it is now
constituted.
McGee l. Union Halter.
John F. McGee of Minneapolis is
standpat politician notorious for his
hatred of union labor and he was
quoted shortly after his appointment
as stating that one of his first acts
would be- "to get" Mayor Thomas Van
Lear, Minneapolis union labor eNecu-
tive. Libby was recently ousted from
his own union because of disloyalty to
that union.
Ii was also resolved that If Gov
ernor Burnquist refuses to perform his
patriotic duty and protect the rights
of the citizens of Minnesota against
the unwarranted and Illegal interfer-
ence of the public safety commission,
and refuses to make such changes in
the public safety commission as to
render it medium thru which the
people of this state may cooperate
with the federal government in the
conduct of the war. that then the or
ganized workers and organized farm
crs of Minnesota take steps to obtain
federal investigation of the public
safety commission and petition the
federal government to take such ac-
tion as will make it possible for the
people of this state to be protected
in their rights"
Outrages Cause Protest.
This action on the part of the or
ganized workers of the city and coun-
try was caused by long series of ille-
gal activities and outrages directed
against the workers of the state. The
public safety commission first showed
its hand when it ordered 1000 mem
bers of the newly formed Twin Cities
Street Car Mems Union to remove
their union buttons after they had
been locked out by the street car
company. When the men refused to
obey this illegal and unwarranted or
der, the public safety committee up
held the street car company when IT
discharged all employees who refused
to settle the trouble by arbitration,
Governor Burnquist virtually telling
the federal government to mind its
own business when it offered the serv-
ices of the federal mediation board, in
an effort to avert n strike. The one
thousand street car men are still
locked out" and for ten weeks uu-
employed. Later the public safety
commission summarily removed n
sheriff fair to union labor and put in
his place millionaire's son who called
out the home guard and boastcd that
he would "hang crepe on the doors of
the union men"