The Connecticut labor news., 1923-04-20

Qlnner or rallrOau DrOtncrnOOQ 1na2a- zine editors held at the Hotel Ebbitt Washington, recently.
 Those who ride in private cars have had things their way in govern ment long enough" he said It was as a United States senator, and was happy that the occasion brought him into the company of those who per form such auseful service in behalf of humanity. Toastmaster Edward keat- ing introduced him as the man who as health commissioner of New Y Ork city, saved baby lives by the mile"
 The senator frankly declared him self i'll favor of progressive legislation and an advocate of the organized la bor movement If 1 were a mech anic instead of being doctor l would be member of a trade union and fight to the last ditch for it's princi- plcs," he said.
 Following is a portion of the sena, tors. address:
 When we think of those people who travel in day coaches 1 always think about the health conditions first. 1 think about the fact that the child labor law has been declared unconsti- tutional, and 1 think about the amount of child labor being employed in this country. 1 resent these condi- tions every minute, and l think we should all give the widest publicity to the fact that these things happen. Inc babies must be cared for. They are the foundation of the human race. In this country we spend about $4,ooo,- GOO a year for hog cholera, and $5o,- GOO for the care of babies. You can not choose to be born hog, but you have more chance if you are. It is safer.
 But we need to give consideration 10 these things. Then we have to think about housing. In my city of. New York we have one square mile where live 5oO,ooo persons. Think of it. It Is the most thickly congested portion of the earth's surface. 1 can take you to homes where I2 jersons sleep in three rooms, where four peO pie sleep in the kitchen every night. How can you make American citizens out of such people? We have got to see to 1t that every family Is decently housed.
 q had investigated the facts. As health commissioner l had been study ing the situation. 1 was entirely ia miliar with the problem of the coal supply. Before 1 said anything in public 1 had men sent into Pennsys- vania, where the coal comes from. There they found great piles of coal mined and thousands of cars loaded with coal, but the coal did not move because the motive power was out of order. The Lehigh Valley and the oth- CT railroads did not have the locomo- tives to move this coal. 1 wrote to the Interstate Commerce Commission and learned from them of the condition of motive power in this district. And then I wrote ito the President of the United States, and he responded that he was well aware that certain rail roads had not lived up to their obli gations regarding the movement of coal
 "I think itl is a crime and disgrace that certain railroads are permitted to inconvenience the public, to cause death, simply because they desire to fight out an economic principle at the expense of the public. These men the shop crafts-have been willing to go back to work There was no dis pute as to the hours of labor or as to the condition of labor. They were locked out by a group of railroad of hcials who refused to deal with unions collectively. The men must come back as individuals, they said, and in order to fight out that economic principle they cause us all to suffer.
 "Why should few railroad officials be permitted to foist their economic ideas upon the public, when other great railroad systems have made peace and the men have gone back to work?
 q believe in the union. I believe in collective bargaining. And if were a laboring man I'd be in the front lines tf the union fighting for that principle to the last drop of blood 1 possess.
 "I want to see the time come in this country when our business men will recognize the right and the econ omic superiority of this method of dealing with their employees. I want to see the union recognized and adopted universally throughout the lan1.
 q think about all these things that have 10 do with the happiness of la bor, and these things have to do with the soul of labor, for unless labor IS happy and contented, unless labor is recognized and given the same consid- eration in the economic world that business IS, unless the body and soul of labor are considered, there can be no contentment, there can be no hap piness, there can be no progress in our country.
 "We are living in strange day and a strange time. I am glad there are far-seeing men here. I want to say to you, Senator La Toilette Senator La Toilette was in the audience) that have been one of your admirers in the background for long time. have not always agreed with you, and will probably disagree with you in some things in the future. But you place humanity above the common things of life. I would not believe in any kind of law that was not law to make it better for human beings and make life easier for them