OCR Text |
Show ORGANIZED LABOR'S STRENGTH. By act of congress approved in June, 189v, a commission was created for the purpose of making an exhaustive inquiry in-quiry into the general industrial and labor conditions of the United States. Its legal life will cease on December 15 of this year. The commission has visited many portions of the United Slates, and without favor taken the j largest and most extensive testimony i upon the ;uestions before it ever ad- I duced. Twenty or more volumes will j be required for the finished evidence. In one of the forthcoming volumes is . a compilation of the numerical strength i of organized labor on July 1, 1901, which is regarded as very nearly correct, cor-rect, but which the commission says may vary 50,000 o- 100,000 from the absolute ab-solute fact. It is close enough, however, how-ever, to give an adequate idea of the strength of organized labor. It is as follows: Unions affiliated with American Federation of Labor 950.000 Custom clothing makers 3,800 Lithographers 2,100 Bricklayers 39.000 Plasterers 7,000' Stonecutters 10,000 Roxmakers 5.500 Piano workers 7,700 Engineers, marine 6,000 Engineers, locomotive 37,000 Firemen, locomotive 39.999 Conductors, railway 25.800 Trainmen, railroad 40,000 Switchmen 15,ono Letter carriers 15,000 Knights of Labor and unenu-merated unenu-merated organizations, say .. 191.000 Total 1,400,000 The recommendations of the commission com-mission on what may be termed the constitutional phases of the legislation it deems necessary are not entirely harmonious. This could hardly be otherwise, as many view the testimony presented from widely divergent standpoints. Division of sentiment is most eyident regarding trusts and the manner of legislation concerning them, as will be seen by the three propositions proposi-tions submitted, as follows: First, Stricter anti-trust legislation I by the several states and by congress I without altering the present relations between their respective jurisdictions. I Second. The delegation by congress I to the states of its interstate com-I com-I merce jurisdiction, so as to allow the states to regulate manufacturing or trading corporations engaged in interstate inter-state commerce. Third. The assumption by the national na-tional government of a larger and per-i per-i haps exclusive control of all such corporations cor-porations and their 'regulation by act of congress. There are many ' recommendations on which the commission is unanimous and which are in line with the best and most liberal thought and opinions of the time. Among these the following fol-lowing are the. most important: Putting Put-ting an end to blanket injunctions during dur-ing strikes: corrective state legislation for the betterment. labor conditions: the protection of the right of organized organ-ized labor, but guarding against discrimination dis-crimination against non-union labor: the creation of laborfbureaus by states; limiting the hours of labor on public wcrk to eight hours a day: removing the truck store evil " and compelling the payment of all wages in cash: state regulation of the working day for all persons between 14 and 21 years of age in factories;, prohibiting the employment em-ployment of women and girls and children under 14 years in mines; the enactment by congress of a consistent code of laws regulating all labor on railroads; giving labor every facility to organize if it desires, and to prevent pre-vent abuse of the use of detectives and other hired bodies of men during labor struggles: Other recommendations recommenda-tions along these lines are scarcely less important. Rocky Mountain News. |