The Connecticut labor news., 1923-06-08

1 protect the working people against disease and other unwise conditions, ! given no consideration. 1 might men ton that no matter what criticism 1 ! may court by this statement, but the l facts are with us, that the State of ! Connecticut is doing practically noth- ! ing as compared with the necessity, ! with the afflicted tuberculosis people of the state; the disease is gaining each day amongst the people. We find one of the most humane efforts ever attempted in this state i discarded. I refer to the Old Age Pension Bill proposed by the Frater- : nal Order of Eagles and backed by the Connecticut Federation of Labor, which was part of our plans for years back; still there are foreign states that have such legislation for the past 50 years. l the committee on labor reported out ] the proposed law to reduce the hours of women and children in industry in
 Connecticut as being one of the ad-
 verse variety.. This bill was one of : the most important that the Fedora ton had in hand this session. Political Activities. l Since last we met in convention : the state branch was as active as could be expected along the line of i the non-partisan effort of the trade union movement, to have those elect
 ed to public office that would be fair to us.
 l "I might state that we were we'll pleased to have the success that we did in 1922 for there were many of
 such people elected to the legislature, but their numbers were small com pared to the numbers in both branch teS.
 We must enter into an intensive
 campaign to organize all the people that work for wages, for 1 say to you ltoday that Labor unions based on the lprincip1e of charity are the greatest
 economic necessity of the day.
 "I am sure that 1t is high time for the workers of these United States to study the industrial, economic and political needs of the people.
 Might 1 ask you to observe the latest injustice against the people by the sugar trust. It has been esti- mated that it brought to the pockets of financial thieves five hundred mil lion dollars.
 Have you studied out why 1t was ; that after the government of the 7 United States forbidding the immense f combine in the meat and meat by product business that the combine went right along and organized. This is telling the government to mind
 their own business, is it pot? What t has been done by Attorney General Daugherty about this disregard for law? Since last we met in convention do you realize that the biggest steal l ever put over on the people was the 7 Fordney-McCumber Tariff Bill, which f saddled a bill on the consumers of T three thousand millions of dollars. l "Of course we have not forgotten
 the sufferings of the people last win = ter, when the government of the = United States permitted the coal op-
 orators and railroads to steal millions
 of dollars, and yet this does not mean of the sickness and deaths that !. came about through the illegal control = of a necessary commodity.
 e We can remedy many of the ills
 noted above through organization
 properly conducted.
 = And the sooner the wage earner y realizes that they must organize just r so much sooner will be progress.
 "You note that the open shoppers of this state are thoroughly organ u ized and they tell you that they are n willing to employ you whether you e are a member of trade union or not e still the facts are with us that they e are spending fabulous sums of money ' through their : publicity campaigns = and legal departments to destroy la. e Dor unions already in existence, ano
 to forbid the formation of any new ,- organizations of the workers
 ,si Keep 1t constantly i'll mind tha '0 the open shopper wants you to worl l, for him, but he denies to yol 't through his organization the same
 right that he is enjoying himself. - Educate your fellow worker. i' g the trade union of his or her craft g. use organization propaganda ever. le minute of the day and night ,and goo' - results are bound to come.
 Immigration Problems.
 'We must interest ourselves iron
 now on in question that IS of ut es most importance to every person tha " works for wages, and this question e. is one of the immigrant from forelgl SC countries. You must begin to stud it this problem, in order to be conver ,n sant with at least the seriousness o le unrestricted immigration.
 V. We must insist that the presen of restrictive laws which have worke'
 quite satisfactorily be retained.
 "You have read in the daily paper
 of the speech made by the speake
 of the present house of representa- If tives which statements pertain to tn in above subject.
 Tt Here is a man nominated for tn n- position of judge of the superior cour k. of this state, and as time goes ol 4 will probably be successful in goinl
 Ito the highest position in the judic