Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-09-12
Humanity In
Government
BY JAMES j. DAVIS
Secretary of Labor
THE WELFARE OF THE WAGE
GARNER
Introducing the Department OF
Labor

Inc purpose VI lliC
of Labor shall be to foster, romot
and develop the welfare of the wage
n of the United States, to i'm
prove their working conditions, and
to advance their opportunities Tor
profitable employment"
With these words, congress in the
law which created the department
of Labor, in 1913, fixed the high
aims which govern the activities of
the branch of the government de-
| voted to the service of the working
folk Of the nation. This act wrote
into statute law practical recogni-
ton of the rights of the body of
workers who make up the great
majority of our people. 1t accepted
the principle that a happy. content
ed, progressive group of working
men and women was fundamentally
necessary to the progress of our
country. 1t demonstrated that pop
ular government has finally n jr-
r~evocably committed itself to the
doctrine for which the working men
and women of the world have strug-
gled through all the centuries since
it was laid down by the Carpenter
of Nazareth-the doctrine that the
laborer is worthy of his hire.
In the welfare of the wage-earner
lies the future of the republic. The
basis of the best patriotism lies IN
the homes of the people, n the
vast majority of the people of
America today are the wage-earners.
A contented, satisfied workman,
happy in his work. earning a wage
sufficient to insure comfort and ad-
Vancement to his family is a social,
economic and political asset to his
community and to his country. In
the direction of making every wage
r in the United States this kind
of a citizen lies the work of the
Department of Labor. 1t is a task
hat calls for the full cooperation IF
every American. 1t is a movement
for the betterment of the individual
and the nation that calls for con-
certed effort by all of the people.
The government cannot accomplish
it by legislative action, executive
order or judicial decree. The gov
eminent representing the people can
only encourage. The people must
aid. 1t is with the purpose of giving
the people a clearer understanding
of the purposes n methods of the
Department of Labor, and of enlist
ing the support of enlightened pu5-
liz opinion that these articles are
"llllt1. IL tlcy StINe " dCQudIIl
any considerable fraction of our
people with the opportunities. and
services that are offered to them
through the Department of Labor
they will ave done their duty.
In it's purpose to foster. promote
and develop the welfare of the ma
tons wage-earners, the Department
of Labor has no authority to foster
any special privileges for the wage
Garner. The safeguarding of the
rights of labor, the betterment of
working conditions, the advance
ment of opportunities for profitable
employment, these are the objects
of the department. In the pursuit
field. Under the beneficient juris-
diction come not alone workingmen
and workingwomen, but the children
of w~orkingmen and women, and the
unfortunate little ones who by press
of economic circumstances have
been forced into the stern path Of
labor before their time. Its great
are is humanity-men, women and
children.
The present Department of Labor
with it's wide field of activity was
the outgrowth and development of
an agitation that began shortly af-
ter the civil war. when recognition
in the federal government for the
great group of w~age-earners of the
country was first sought. This agi-
tation resulted in the creation of the
Bureau of Labor in the Department
of the Interior in 1884. The law
creating this bureau was approved
by President Arthur. This bureau
Vas later enlarged and in 1888 was
| p1aHa on ndanendon aSfa h1jSh M MT
of the government, with its head re-
porting directly to the President. In
1908, under the administration of
President Roosevelt, the Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor was
created and the Bureau of Labor
was transferred to the new depart
ment. A continued and insistent de-
mand that the wage-earner be ac-
corded representation in the cabinet
Of the President resulted In the en-
actment of a law, approved by Pres
ident Taft March 4, 1913, creating
the Department of Labor and trans
ferring to it the Bureau of Labor,
now the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the Children'S Bureau, the Bureaus
of immigration and Naturalization.
The law also gave the secretary Of
labor authority to conciliate indus
trial disputes submitted to him.
During the war the activities of the
department were widely extended,
and many wartime bureaus were
added to the organization. With the
department back on a peace basis
the Woman's Bureau and the Unit
ed States employment service have
been developed as normal and nee
esc .ry services, based upon the skel-
eton organization left from the war
work. The United States Training
Service also is continued to some
extent through the Junior Division
of the Employment Service. Only
the Bureau of Industrial Housing
m Transportation of the strictly
wal services remains in existence to
dispose of the many millions of dol
lars in property which it acquired.
Today these make up the Depart
ment of Labor.
Each of these bureaus pursues a
definite. clear cut line of service in
the department purpose of fostering
the welfare of the wage-earner. The
Bureau of immigration guards the
gates of the nation, and under the
laws passed by congress protects the
American workman from injurious
competition from abroad. II seems
hat aliens coming t o America iii
the standard fixed by our laws as
proper for the preservation II
American liberty and progress. The
Bureau of Naturalization undertakes
to turn the aliens Who come to u:
into liberty-loving, self-respectine
citizens entitled to take their place
with our great group of waee-earn