The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-06-09
39TH ANNUAL
CONVENTION
IN SESSION
PROSPECTS FOR LABORING MAN
WERE NEVER BRIGHTER THAN
AT THE PRESENT TINE
(By Associated Press.)


Atlantic City, N. j.. June 9.-Im-
portant projects for the advancement
of labor and improvement of working
conditions, as we'll as comprehensive
outlines Of what has been accom-
plished on labor's behalf during the
last year, are set forth in the report
OF the executive council of the Amer
tcan Federation of Labor, submitted
today to the officers and delegates at
tending the opening session of the
thirty-ninth annual convention.
The advent of peace is taken by the
council to hold out bright prospects
for labor. OF the peace treaty itself
the labor executives forming the
council. after endorsing the triumph
Of freedom and justice and democ-
racy as exemplified in the covenant
OF the League Of Nations" says that
the labor sections are a compromise
but that 1t must, however, "be q
source Of deepest satisfaction to the
American working people to know
that the American position and the
American declarations as presented
for insertion in the treaty ranked
above all others in point of progress
measured and In point of actual and
practical application in the lives of
working people. Whatever of COM
promise appears was made because
of the claims that other nations Of
the world could not pledge them
selves to an immediate and definite
acceptance of the standards main-
tained by the American labor move.
ment as the established practices OF
our day"
Foremost among the matters sub.
mitted by the council to the conven-
tion are suggestions dealing with leg
islation to prevent any invasion OF
the rights and prerogatives OF the
legislative branch Of our government
by the judiciary" The report of the
council on this subject was made In
accordance with resolution adopted
at the st. Paul conference. In that
resolution the council was ordered to
study the successive steps taken by
our federal and supreme courts
which, without constitutional author
ity and in oppt Atlon to the action Of
the constitution convention they
laid hold upon pc er which they now
exercise"
The study has " been partially
completed and rem iial suggestions
made by Jackson II Ralston. attor-
ney for the American Federation Of
Labor. Three propositions are sub
mitted in the report for the consid-
Grafton OF the convention each pro-
posing that authority of the supreme
court to pass upon acts OF Congress
should be cancelled or abridged.
Arguuents for and against the pro-
posals are discussed at considerable
length, Mr.. Ralston giving It as his
opinion that, coupled with judicial
reforms, there should 60 hand in
hand the initiative and referendum,
proportional representation and the
preferential BALLOT without which,
he says, methods of attaining justice
will lack much OF completeness.
This section OF the report closes
with the statement that the writer is
convinced that in this subjee the
executive council has had before It
"one Of the gravest fundamental
questions with which we will have
to deal-the preservation of a truly
democratic government against what
has cften been called the 'arlstocracy
o. the robe"
= Considerable attention is devoted
by the report to labor legislation. 1t
is said that some rule shoaid be
adopted in Congress which would pre-
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