The Connecticut labor news., 1923-02-02

conditions and the humane manutac- turer was relieved of the unfair com petition of the less humane compet- itor. We have helped the present generation and we have provided for the future.
 There are those who call this kind of legislation radical. There are those who would deal with labor as com
 modity who forget that flesh and blood and the divine spark of immor- tality can not be classed with ma chine, or pile of bricks. While or ganized labor, as organized labor, has not become affiliated with any politi cal party, we have to thank the Demo- The Department of Labor as a Cab inet post was established by Demo-
 cratic Congress and the first appoint ment made by Woodrow Wilson. That great president was ever alert for the rights of the working men and working woman. The Democratic platform has ever been to us source of consolation. Its utterances have
 been the embodiment of many things
 that we desired. Its fundamental be-
 lief of equal rights to all and special
 privilege to none is all that we desire
 or ask to be incorporated into the
 laws of this country.
 Here in New York, the present gov
 ernor of this state has advocated pro-
 gressive legislation conforming to
 what we ourselves would desire. Gov
 ernor Smith in his message to the
 legislature has redeemed his platform
 pledges. l cite him, not as an excep-
 ton, but simply because this meeting
 Is held in his state and 1 come from
 another state. It has been our exper-
 fence that democratic executives have,
 almost without exception, been true to
 the principles of liberality and of pro-
 gress.
 A labor controversy is essentially
 economic and therefore political. We
 believe that the issues must be decided
 by public opinion. The questions are to be fought out and the solution
 ousness. Political parties as l have
 said are necessary in our form of gov
 ernment. They have two main func-
 tions-the promotion of argument of
 their principles and the carrying of
 elections. It is only by the success
 of the latter than the former may be
 enacted into law There are people who believe that labor is only inter
 ested in short hours and high pay. They forget the struggles that have been made for the improvement of public health, for the establishment of children's courts, for the abrogation of labor as chattel, for the minimum wages for women, for the establish ment of women's bureau in the De- partment of Labor, for child labor
 laws, for vocational training, for the
 interest that labor has taken in the generous and continuous care for sick and disabled soldiers, for seamen's acts to give liberty to those who la Dor on the high4 seas, for the direct the advocacy of direct primaries, the interest that has been taken in farm CTS and farm associations not to men tion taxes, schools and general legis- lation which serves the common good. Labor as such is more interested probably than any other class in an educational system that will allow adequate training of the young. It realizes that it's children must be trained at public expense while others l may educate their children because of their abundance of this worlds goods, l which would allow them to do so pri- vately. Labor stands for the Ideals l of America for the right of men to l be free. It only asks for good gov l ernment with equal rights for all and | special privileges to none. It has been my experience and the exper- fence of many of my colleagues in the 1 labor movement that the Democratic l party Is best constituted to serve our 1 interests and the interests of our selves with forward looking men and he nf themselves except as they receive 1t as good for all We believe in the principles of Jefferson and of Wilson. We feel that our party IS the party of iberality and represents the aver age man and the average woman bet ter than any other party. We realize that no human institution is perfect and that neither our party nor our government is or ever can be all that all of us would desire. We can only judge a party as we would an in dividualvby it's past performances and we believe that the universal sui frage that has now become an accom- plished fact will tend to make both the Democratic party and America bigger and broader and better.
 The idea of family is the unit of society It is ages old. If there IS any such thing as an inherent right l it is the right to marry and to rear children, to own plot ot ground and to build a dwelling and to establish a home. The love of home, the love of family, and the love of country is the blessed trinity that makes any com munity or any country great. We ask our party and our country to make 1t easier for the average man and the average woman to have a home and to have family and we ask for laws that will tend to conserve the family unit, to keep the orphan child with
 it's mother wherever and whenever possible, even at public expense to provide for those who are least able l to Drovide for themselves We would |