The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-08-14

Is months to three years. Their requests
were looked on as criminal offenses and
so treated. Two years later committee
in New York made similar requests and
received similar treatment; but where
persecution enters ideals thrive, and the
principle has survived and fourished.
The A. r. Of L. to-day numbered
100000 working man and women, all
banded together to make not only better
working conditions, but to make this
country better country than it is to-
day "We recognize" continued the speak
err, that 1t is the greatest country on
Gods footstool, and to make it better
country we propose to have a larger
voice in its politics and industry. The
people of to-day are thinking more clear.
ly and talking more openly than ever
before. The dominant factor in this
country to-day is the everyday man and
woman, who recognize the position they
hold. Without labor, nothing can go
forward. The great world war has
taught us that lesson. The brayest of
soldiers would be as naught If they did
not have back of them loyal workers in
the factories and shops.
"The wage scale system has served its
purpose, but something new must come
in shortly to take its place. l am bring
ing these things home to you in that
way that you may know what is trans
piring. The average workman is only IL
weeks from the poorhouse. Flat on his
back with sickness for six weeks, he is
so badly in debt that it will take him
months to get out. The ideal of indus
trial democracy is not revolutionary"
The speaker referred to President Lin
coin, arbitrator Of the shoe strike in
Lynn in $780, as one who saw the vision.
Referring to the railroads, he said that
they would never 90 back to the old or
der and that the workmen would have
equal representation with capital on the
board of managers under government
supervision, irrespective of hostile con.
gress and hostile subsidized press. It
would be this or something else, and he
did not call this radicalism.
There was the hoice Of the Ameri.
canism of the American Federation OF
Labor, which believed in orderly govern
ment and stood back of the government
to the last or the turmoil Of Russia and
the central powers. There was the choice
bolshevism running wild; cooperation
with capital and industry or seizing the
whole industrial machinery.
He believed the time was coming when
workers on the railroads, in the pack.
ing industries and in the mines would
have equal representation on the boards
of directors with capital and that they
would be conducted for service and not
for profit The speaker touched upon the
work OF the international labor congress
and the cooperation between labor in all
parts OF the world Twenty-seven coun-
tries were represented in that congress,
and characterization Of industries was
now going on in many of them.
Mr.. McGrady is a former president Of
the Boston central labor union He was
acting director of the H. s. employment
service during the war and is now en-
gagged in w S. s. service for the gov.
eminent. He is a newspaperman.
Other Speakers of the Evening
The other speakers were Fred w. Suit
or, president OF the Vermont branch,
who reviewed the history OF labor leg.
| islation in Vermont. Until 1915 there
were practically no labor laws on the
statute books. At that time the work
mans compensation act and the factory
inspection act were put through together
with the child labor law and the law lin.
iting the hours of women and children.
| Vermont, while. considered an agricul-
tural state, had 10000 employed in its
industries. Trade unionism had made
progress. Seventeen organizations had
affiliated during the year He made a
plea for greater effort and cooperation.
William Standcumbe Of Boston ad
dressed the meeting on the use of the
union label Mr.. Standcumbe came as a
representative of the cigar makers un-
ion, and he explained conditions grow.
/ ing out OF the Boston strike, Certain
cigars which had gained a New England
reputation were now being manufae-
tured outside of New England, where
/ they could employ women and children.
4 The makers would seek to retain their
New England prestige. One factory with
500 cigar makers had moved to New
Jersey, and he hoped that union men
would make 1t plain enough TO them so
that this factory would be brought back
to Boston. He thought cigar makers had
| profted the least of the trades, because
cigars are something that men could do
without If they were obliged to, and II
was therefore difficult to increase the
price without reducing the production.
Louis n Jerue, president of the Mont
/ pelier central labor union, presided at
the meeting The attendance was small.