Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-09-25
illinois EMPLOYERS
MAKE FUTILE EFFORT TO
GET BACK At WORKERS

out way in which to take an effect
i've crack at the Illinois labor move
ment and Governor Len Small in order.
to get hulk" for the trimming that
John M. Glenn, chief lobbyist for the
manufacturers outfit, received at the
hands of the Illinois General Assem-
bly, last winter and spring.
| Glenn loudly announced about a
month ago that he was circulating a
document denouncing Governor Small
for pardoning trade union officers who
had been convicted and sentenced to
prison on framed-up charges.
Finds Il Hard To Get Signers
Glenn was certain that he could OBJ
tain a million signatures to his de-
mandatory effusion of the Governors
pardoning policy. The doughty COM
manding general of the forces of
Mamman is not so sure about that
million signatures after a month of
effort. He now says that he has OBJ
tanned 10000 signatures and hopes to
run the figure up to total Of 10000
in the whole state of Illinois If all of
the $4,000 members of the Illinois
Manufacturers Association will only
put their shoulders to the wheel and
push real hard.
But that was not the only trick that
Glenn had up his sleeve. He ordered
Colin C. H. Fyffe, attorney for the
Illinois Manufacturers Association,
to write an opinion which would be
q knockout blow for the Illinois wom-
ems 10-hour law. Fyffe, who has am
billions to be governor of Illinois or
mayor of Chicago, and so announces
quite frequently, obediently carried
out orders and wrote the ukase, which
was quickly consigned to the ash can
by Attorney General Carlstrom.
Fyffe in his opinion said that the
woman's ten-hour law of this state
was unconstitutional, out of order and
contrary to Hoyle because q comma
was missing in Section of the act.
The act has been enforced by the
division of factory Inspections + the
Illinois Department of Labor ever
since 1909, and no one ever noticed
the missing comma until Fyffe came
along and got on the job as proof
reader.
Argument Punctured
Oscar Carlstrom, attorney general,
also did a little proofreading on the
act, and he has arisen in meeting and
said out loud that Attorney Fyffe is
talking through his hat and does not
know much about legal punctuation,
or words to that effect.
| Inasmuch as Carlstrom is the at
torney general of the state, and Fyffe
is only an attorney who is ambitious
for public office, the factory inspec-
tors are going right ahead in en-
forcing the law, and the members of
the Illinois Manufacturers Associ-
alton are evincing a willingness to
abide by the opinion of the attorney
general of the state rather than to
take chance on following the advice
of their attorney with the trick name.
Section l of the woman's ten-hour
law reads as follows:
| THAT no female shall be employed
in any mechanical or mercantile es-
Establishment, or factory, or laundry, or
hotel, or restaurant, or telegraph or
telephone establishment or office
Thereof, or in any place of amusement,
or by any person, firm or corporation
engaged in any express or Transport
tation or public utility business, or by
any common carrier, or in any public
institution, incorporated OF. unincor-
porated in this state, more than ten
hours any one day."
Gives Rule For Constituting Law
Attorney Fyffe contends that, be-
cause comma is missing after the
word establishment" the act only
applies to the office help of telegraph
and telephone companies and does not
apply to other kinds of business emu
merated by the act.
Attorney General Carlstrom an
swers this contention in part as fol-
lows:
"The great fundamental rule in
constituting the statutes is to ascertain
and give effect to the intention of the
Legislature. Punctuation is subordi-
nate to the text and as a rule of con-
struction must yield to that intent.
In the application of the general rule
that the Legislative intent is the pri-
mary consideration, courts will dis
regard the punctuation of a statute or
repunctuate, if need be, to give effect
to what otherwise appears to be its
purpose and true meaning.
Statute Is Not Class Legislation
Notwithstanding the awkward
phraseology of Section / of the act,
think it is apparent, from an in
spection of the whole act, that it is
directed against the employment of
females for more than ten hours dur
ing any one day in any department,
including the offices, of the various
industries mentioned in said Section 1.
To construe the phrase 'or office
thereof as applicable only to the fe-
male employees in telegraph and tele-
phone offices, would be to construe the
act as class legislation, forbidden by
the constitution.
cit seems clear that there is no