Newspaper Page Text
The columns of this paper afford an excellent advertising medium for all kinds of merchants. Printers Ink says that space in a labor paper is superior to that in any other publi cation, reaching the consuming class —and the rates are much lower. CLAIM AGENTS FIGHT FOR LIVES APIPOOMED IN STATE 7 Ar» toi- When the Washington state law had een in force for a trifle over a year powder mill was blown up. There vas but one in the state. The law "provided that all industries should be •.lassified according to hazard. This one powder mill was in a class sepa ate and distinct from all other in lustries. There was not sufficient aoney in the powder mill fund to pay he losses sustained from the e^plo ion, and from that day to this the rivate companies have never lost an portunity to parade the fact as a failure" of state insurance. The Washington. They Pass Up Ohio. But the insurance people seldom re sr to the successful operation of the 'hi'o state insurance law. A repre jntative from that state met them in t. Paul two weeks ago and com Ietely floored the whole posse with nanswerable ^arguments in favor of ate insurance. The Duluth employ 's who permitted themselves to be ifluenced by the local insurance men uesday afternoon when they de ared against state insurance will be shamed of themselves in two years the legislature passes a state insur __ice law. There isn't an employer in hio who would go back to private surance since he has had experience ider the state fund plan. Organized labor is in favor of state surance, not that it wants the state enter private business, but because ^recognized that the state can ad Inister workingmen's compensation a much lower cost than can the ivate companies. The state cost of ieration should not exceed 10 per nt. The private companies must ,ve 40 per cent to make i-nything of the business. This saving in st will permit the state to pay more mpensation to injured workingmen thout increasing the cost to indus- C"»| Every Disinterested Student of «npensatioii in World Strongly Advocates State Industrial.jurance. Minnesota Employers Make Mistake. The private insurance companies in Minnesota are fighting for their lives. As Representative Hugh Fawcett put it last week to a group of friends: "It has resolved into a bread and butter question for the insur ance agents." If the state fund plan is adopted they will be forced to apply their energies in some other direction. And that is all there is to it. Every disinterested student of work ingmen's compensation in the world, and this is without exception, is an advocate of state insurance. The injured workingman has never been able to get a square deal in any country or in any state in this country where a private insurance company operated for profit stands between the injured workman and his settlement of a claim. The insurance com pany does not care anything about the future of the injured man. Its chief interest is in getting the claim off its books. If the workingman does not get a square deal it falls back on the law and holds that it pays all the law requires should be paid. Got the Daily Papers. The Duluth insurance agents have finally gotten the ears of the Duluth daily newspapers. The News-Tribune, heretofore a pronounced advocate of state insurance, now that the issue is before the legislature, has begun to quibble over elective and compulsory insurance. It is not against elective state industrial insurance, but it is opposed to compul sory insurance. The Herald, always for reform, away from home, came out flat footedly the other night for the first time against state insurance. Wc have been expecting such an editorial as appeared in Tuesday's "Evening Catalogue." We have been expecting it for several weeks, ever since the insurance company designated Col. W. F. Henry as Acting Post master. It was part of the game. It is the price the Herald is paying have its business manager serve as acting postmaster of Duluth. Such an emphatic statement would not be made by The Labor World if the proof could not be furnished. A denial is challenged. Business is Doomed. As a matter of fact the insurance sompanies have not a foot to stand on. Their business Is doomed. They should lave gone out of business with the passage of the first workingman's compensation act. Every argument idvanced in their behalf has been met ind disposed of by foreign countries ong before the first American state lared to venture into the business. Vashington law has since been mended to prevent any such deple ion of a fund in the future. The lerald took the word of the insur nce men the other evening and re srred to the matter, without stating iat the same could not occur again This is a feature of state insur- ce that employers should recognize. State Should Bear Cost. Objection is made to a provision in a bill now before the legislature re iring the state to bear a portion of cost of administration. Why juldn't the state bear this cost? The ney that will be saved in handling ury cases in this new manner, and vast amount that has been saved the taxpayers in doing away with •y trials in master and servant es justifies the advocates of state urance in asking that the state re /e employers of the whole burden cost. —Then the insurance companies raise •. point that the plan should not be de compulsory, and this in spite of fact that one of their representa 3S introduced a bill fn «fce legisla which if passed would it npulsory o£ every employer in the te to carry private insurance. There but one monopoly which is justifl —~"~e and that is a monopoly conducted TURN TO PAGE TWO. The insurance pact don't want any kind of state insurance but if it can not swing the legislature entirely, then it will attempt to save itself by agreeing to state elective insurance, a plan under which employers may either insure with private companies or with the state. This plan of in surance has not been a marked suc cess in any state, or in any country wh#re it has been tried. A private insurance company has the option of accepting or refusing to write any person's insurance. The state has no such option. It can not discriminate. It must accept all com ers. Now where elective Insurance has been adopted the private com panies take only the ordinary risks. They refuse the hazardous risks, and the state is left no alternative but to accept them. For this reason and with the bad risks out of the way, which every insurance company is glad to get rid of, the companies are able to write such insurance as they are willing to take at a lower rate than the state can accept them and at the same time carry all the hazard ous and extra hazardous risks. Mislead the People. The insurance interests, in combat ting state industrial insurance, pur posely mislead the people, by giving comparative figures on state and pri vate insurance rates applying in such states as have the elective plan, but they dare not compare their rates such as are charged employers in Minne sota with the rates that are charged to employers in Ohio where the compul sory state fund plan is In operation. The Herald fell for the stock argu ment of the insurance pact the other evening. It attempted to confuse its readers by quoting rates in states hav ing the elective plan of state insur ance, by showing that the state rates were higher than the rates charged by the insurance companies. It re ferred to a bulletin issued by the Fed eral Bureau of Labor showing that seven states in 1916 had elective in surance. But it failed to enlighten its readers with the fact that one of these states, Ohio, had since changed from the elective to the compulsory plan. Fear the Ohio Rate. INSURANCE PACT HAS NOT SINGLE LEG TO STAND ON How tt Use thelittle Old Woman of First Street1to" Mislead the People by Quoting Elective State Insurance Rates to Bolster Private Companies. The Herald didn't mention anything about the low state rate obtaining in Ohio. It knew better. Its insurance advisers failed to let the Herald in on the matter. Had they done so its editorial tone would have been much different. It would have attacked the question from another angle. We dare the Herald tc make a comparison of the Ohio rattfe with the ranl» charged by the private companies in other states where they are still permitted to do business.' They dare not do It. But we will do it for them. Take the steel erection business. It is most hazardous. In 1917 in cost & con ,v r: .,« ,•- ., ~, r.'t 'lyr VOL. 26. No. 30. DULUTH AND SUPERIOR, MARCH 8, 1919. Farmer-Labor Legislature Gives Accorded in America. S. S. McDonald, president of the North Dakota State Federation of La bor, is loud in his praise of the legis lation secured by labor from the la bor-farmer legislature which recently adjourned in that state. In a letter to The Labor World, Mr. McDonald says: "The labor-farmer legislature passed every bill we asked them to enact, and we only had two labor men in the legislature, a miner and. a barber. We have the best laws of any state in the Union. This is what we got: "A workingman's compensation in surance fund, making it compulsory for every employer of one or more employes to take out insurance with the state. "An entire mining code legislating for the health and safety of the lig nite coal miners. "An ar^tl-injujnction law, prohibit ing the courts from interfering with orderly strikes over reasonable dis putes, similar to the Clayton act. "A full crew regulation for pas senger and freight trains. "An eight-hour day, or 48-hour week for women workers. "A minimum wage scale for women engaged in various occupations. "The placing of the union label of the International Typographical union on all state printing. "The providing of shelter for work ers engaged in the construction or repair of the equipment of railroads and other common carriers." tractor in Ohio for instance, where they have compulsory state insurance, $6.37 for each $100 .on his pay roll. The same contractor doing business in Illinois where the private companies still thrive, paid $15.50 for the same class of work. Employes Get More. The employes in case of accidents received about 26 per cent more in Ohio with the lower rates than in Illinois with the higher rates. Since Mine Owners Fail to Live Up to Liberty Loan Promises to Workmen. BURKE, Idaho, March 7.—Organ ized mine, mill and smelter workers have appealed to the Idaho state fed eration of labor to assist them be cause of the refusal of employers to fulfill promises made during the lib erty loan campaign. The unionists say they were assured steady employment if they bought bonds on installments and that where the worker could not continue pay ment the- employer would refund the amount paid thereon and take the bond himself. The mines are now shut down and the employers reject their agreement. Many workers find themselves with' a partially paid bond and no employment, with the alter nate of borrowing money at excessive rates or losing the bond. The unionists say they know of in stances where a $50 bond was sold: for $20 to enable the worker to seek employment elsewhere. ^.'111,11 Hill Ij.fii I FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, ECONOMIC REFORM AND POLITICAL PROGRESS LABOR HOPEFUL OF ELECTING ABLE UNION MAN MEMBER CITY COMMISS NORTH DAKOTA UNIONS HAPPY: VOTE IN FAVOR OF There Can Be Little Objstfan to Instructing Commissoners What to Do. "Does Duluth want to buy the street railway plant and run it as a city enterprise?" asks the Herald, and it votes "no." "Does Duluth need the street rail way plant, to run it as a city enter prise?" asks The Labor World, and it votes "yes." It is a 50-50 vote and it will take more than the opinions of the two newspapers to decide the question. Fortunately we cannot decide it, for the Herald is always against public ownership—at home, while The Labor World is always for it, at home, and everywhere. The people of Duluth are open minded on the question of public own ership. Sometimes they have voted for it and sometimes they have voted against it, but they have voted in favor of public ownership'more times than they have voted against it, and we have every reason to believe they will vote in favor of public ownership this time. They at least have a greater reason for voting in favor of purchas ing the street railway plant than they have h.ad for buying any public utility in recent years. Talk Price Later. In other days the Herald did not quibble over the price to be paid for purchasing a private nlant. It was willing that we should pay twice its value for the old gas and water sys tem. Now it is fearful lest we will pay a big price for the property of the street railway company that we will pay for the plant and for its watered stock and bonds. That is a question we "can well leave to the city commissioners just now. If the people vote to purchase it will I be up to the commissioners to drive as depend upon their capability of mak ing a good business deal. What do we elect them for anyhow? than tl^^^^^cEd^a^ua^^^^for the plant. We would not seriously object to doing so. It wouldn't be bad busi ness. It may be worth it to get the private company out of the way so that we can make extensions to Ken necessary extensions. Help Duluth Expand. Real estate dealers will find it good business to favor public ownership, and most of them are in favor of it July, 1917, the Ohio rate has been this tjme, because they know on which reduced to $6 and the Illinois rate has wide of their bread the butter should been increased to $19.74 by the lia- be spread. They have had their deal bility insurance companies. This single ings with the present management of example is sufficient to warrant every the street railway company, and they fair minded man to look with favor are satisfied that Duluth's only hope on compulsory state industrial insur- for spreading out is in the public ownership of the street railway sys tem. ance. The insurance interests have been driven to their last trench and they are fighting with the desperation of despair. They haven't a foot to stand Workingmen will favor public own ership because they have to ride* on the cars, and they are tired of being on. They are new in the working- packed in them like so many sardines men's compensation business, and every morning and night. They want they are trying to make the people some free air while going to and believe they have a vested interest in coming from their work. Business the business which they have not. 1 They were organized to meet employ ers' liability and not workingmen's compensation. They have lost and none know it better than they do themselves. I0AH0 WORKERS FACE DISTRESS men should favor public ownership because they want the folks to get into town and buy goods. So when all is said only the two daily newspa pers and the crowd that is usually with the public service corporations will vote "no" with the Herald. The great bulk of Duluth voters will vote "yes" with The Labor World. UNION LABOR WILL PUT TICKET IN THE FIELD BRAINERD, March, 5.—A mass meeting is scheduled Sunday after noon, March 9, at Trades and Labor hall for the purpose of nominating men for city office, Including mayor, treasurer, -assessor, municipal judge and aldermen on a union labor ticket. Considerable speculation is rife as to what men the labor organiza tions will nominate or indorse for for office. F. E. Little is receiv ing mention for the office of mayor. D. A. Petersen, now city treasurer, is a member of tbe Clerks' iminn. The present city council carries ccn siderable labor representation. WELSH MINERS DECLARE FOR BI6 GENERAL STRIKE LONDON, March 6.—The first vote taken by the miners of the Welsh dis trict regarding the question of calling a general strike-to force! the demands recently formulated, resulted in an overwhelming majority in favor of a strike. The vote was taken at the Glam organ colliery and resulted 1,741 for a strike and 448 against IRON HOLDERS GO ON STRIKE Foundry Employes at Glyile and National Shops Seek Better Conditions. All the employes in the foundries of the Clyde and National Iron Works went on strike Tuesday morning. They ask for a minimum wage of 80 cents an hour, the eight-hour day, and the abolition of women as core makers. It is said that women are employed only at the Clyde. The National has been operating on a nine-hour basis for some time The ten-hour day ob tained at the Clyde. It is also said that about one-third of the me:, are now receiving 80 cents an hour. The management of the Clyde declares that the average wage in the foundry is 76 cents an hour. The officials of the union state that the demands have been met by three shops in Superior and one in Duluth outside of the shops engaged in the shipbuilding industry, and that only two local shops are involved by the strike. The union has 144 members in the two cities, of whom 53 are said to be employed at the National Iron Works and the Clyde Iron Works. There has been no change in the strike situation during the week. Both sides appear to be firm. This is the first strike to occur in Duluth since the end of the war, and labor men are very much concerned lest it may spread to other workmen. There is a possibility that confer ence between the employers and the union will be held in a day or two and a settlement of the strike will be affected. wood and other outlying places with- commissioner, Vice President C. D. out having to spend more than the Goldsmith of the Fire Fighters' union interest every year on the "good will" beld down the chair at the regular price in trying our cases in court to semi-monthly meeting of the Feder compel the private concern to make ated DULUTH LABOR MOVEMENT CO In the absence of President William F. Murnian, labor's candidate for city Trades Assembly last Friday eve- ning. Mr. Goldsmith made a first class presiding officer and ran through the business with promptness and despatch. President Murnian arrived at the hall before the meeting ad journed and was given an ovation. Several New Delegates. Several new delegates were seated as follows: Thos. J. Egan, Electrical Workers' union No. 524 Martin Rude, Boilermakers' and Shipbuilders' union No. 617 Hugh Young, J. Jenkins and J. A. Richardson, Marine Fitters' union No. 677 B. T. Woolweever, Blacksmiths' union No. 23. A communication was read from G. W. Lawsoft, secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota State federation of La bor, urging the Duluth union., to write their representatives and senators to support a bill now pending before the legislature providing for one day's rest in seven. The letter stated that the employers were most active in op position to this bill. It was referred to the legislative committee. Jack Carney, editor of "Truth," in- HAVE 6R0WN TOO BIG TO HANDLE Victor Murdock Declares Five Big Packers Appear Stronger Than Government. WASHINGTON, March 7.—A fear that the five big packers (Armour, Swift, Cudahy, Wilson and Morris) have acquired so much power that even the government might not be strong enough to combat it was ex pressed by Victor Murdock, member of the federal trade commission, testi fying before the house Interstate com merce committee. The witness urged government control and regulation of the meat industry. Legislation along these lines, known as the Sims bill, is now pending in congress, it is supported farmers' organizations, and provides**, that the packing industry, as such, shall re main in the hands of private parties, but that refrigerator cars terminal and belt railroads, icing plants and other equipment shall be controlled'by the government. It is: believed that this policy will place independent packers on an equal footing with the "big five" packers. •. fr"* I?.:: Delegate Henry Pereault of the or ganization committee reported that a local, union of.heavy truck drivers had been formed with a charter member ship of 4,5. The unioa will be installed upon the receipt of the'charter, when it is expected at least 100 members would be initiated into the new organ izaztion.' The committee also has an other organization in hand, but its name would not be announced until after the union shall have been well organized, on account of certain op position to its formation. Employment for Soldiers. Delegate Peter Schaeffer of the spe cial committee appointed at the pre vious meeting to inquire into the re employment of returning soldiers re ported that approximately 4,000 men had returned and 600 were given their old jobs back. In addition to this number fully 300 soldiers from other places had been put to work in Du luth. One delegate reported that the Universal Portland Cement company of this city was refusing re-employ- McEwen Invited to Speak. ment to returned soldiers. W. E. McEwen, editor of The La bor World, was invited to address the delegates. The speaker touched on the labor situation and urged work ingmen to organize in the tried and tjue trade union--way.. He also re- t1 'gu .WorW4« 4df»vQrJof to ^sf lty l^rfUiR nSedto vitarOT66taHi yf eKija 'wel» rd/~*^nhje~l^bpr j^sffmust be sup 'top wo«ers^ther8fore subscribe-*-'91 a^yegr. LEADING CANDIDATE IN RACE Workinpen Stand Solidly Be hind Their Choice tor Commis sioner Attempts to Divide Them Fail-labor Plat form Appeals to the Average Voter. The political stock of William F. Murnian, labor's candidate for city commissioner, looms higher with the close of each day. Union labor is solidly behind him. Union men are making just such a fight for him as they did for W. L. Carss for Congress last fall. They are dead in earnest in the game, and they expect their candidate to be one of the top-notchers when the votes are counted after the primary election to be held next Saturday, March 15. John E. Jensen, of the Painters' union, who is in active charge of Mr. Murnian's campaign, is very optimistic over the outlook.' Encour aging reports are coming in from every section of the city, and in many districts where straw ballots have been taken Murnian leads all ether candidates. This is particularly true with reference to districts in which workingmen reside. $#saipts to Divide Workingmen* Every effort 4s being made to split the union vote. Cunning poli ticians are at work in an attempt to trump up reasons why workingmen should not vote for W. F. Murnian, labor's own candidate for commis sioner. But they are standnig pat. They approve of his platform. They know he is one of them and that he can be depended upon to stand true to every principle of organized-labor. The labor platform declares for the municipal ownership of the street railway system, now the establishment of a city hospital with free clin ics the establishment and maintenance of city markets the perform ance of city work by day labor wherever possible a living wage for city employes a pension system for aged and infirm city employes,, and the repeal of all ordinances which tend to prevent municipal employes of the right to seek redress of grievances. Mr. Murnian stands squarely on this platform. He believes in it and will, when elected, do all within his power to carry out its provi sions. During the period of reconstruction it is important that working men be directly represented in the city government. Mr. Murnian under stands the needs of labor and being a builder he knows hoxr to' gd about things to get for Iaboy. the' things it wants and needs. |Wndoi|Oll§: I vited all union men to attend a mass meeting at Woodmeh's^ hail^it&iKlay afternoon to whi6h all candidates for commissioner had been invited. Two Xew Unions. Lived Here 25 Y«&rsp Labor's candidate for eitsT commis sioner has been a resident. of Duluth 25 years. He was born at Charlotte town, Prince Edward's Island, 54 years ago,, ^JJaucame. to the United and worlcea as a ivoddsmajir In Maine for five years. He then nlov£d to Saginaw, Mich., and worked out of that city following the work^of a woodsman for 11 years, CQiriafe to Duluth in 1894. He followed his Oc cupation in the northern Minnesota forest for the next three years, and then became identified with the elec trical business. He joined the Duluth Electrical Workers' union in 1897 and has been an active member ever since. He served as president of the local union for six years, and has been secretary treasurer for eight years. He repre sented his union in the Federated Trades Assembly for many years, and has been president of that body for five terms, which position lve still holds, no other persons having served as president of the local central body as long as he. Performed Patriotic Service. Mr. Murnian is also a vice president of the Minnesota State Federation of Labor and during the war he served his country as secretary of the Fourth District Exemption board, handling over 12,000 appeal cases. He Is mar ried and resides In the center-"of the city at 228 Second avenue west. The workingmen of the state are watching the Duluth election as will be seen from tlie following editorial taken from the Minnesota Union Ad vocate of St. Paul: .i A Fine Tribute. "Trade. unionists in St.. Paul and many other parts of the state are very highly gratified with the knowl edge that William Murnian is a candi date for city commissioner in Duluth, and that hosts' of voters outside of organized labor circles are earnestly supporting his candidacy. Mr. Mur nian has long meen prominent in the labor movement of his home .city and 1 ferred to the city campaign and ad' vocated that every loyal union man get behind the candidacy of W. F. Murnian. He spoke on state insur ance and other legislation now pend ing in the legislature. Organizes Track Men. W. I. Forest, organizer for the Maintenance of Way Employes, who is organizing the railroad trackmen and shop laborers in and about Du luth, was a. visitor at the meeting. He was invited to address the assembly. He said the membership of his union had increased 150,000 during the p,ast year. There wtsre now 200,000 mem bers in the international -organization and there- were 600,1 M) prospects in the country. Mr. Forest stated that these.men who owned no pi&perty had: been neg lected by the American Federation' of Labor itt' the gaiiizing in largej! iiumbers» ahd they .would form the baiis.of the social rev olution that he predicted was on. its way in this country as it la through out the world. He lauded'Bolshevism in Russia and urged Hie wqrkingmen of Duluth to. form a soviet ^governiaent here and move t&e 'citjr'hfell' tfofos to the trades and' labor assembly head quarters.- for some years has served0" feealously and helpfully as one of the vie© presi dents of the State Federation of La bor for the Eighth Ccfj^ressional: dis trict. He has proved himself to be a gentleman of intelligence, probity, pTogressiveness and' practical con structive ability. His election to the office hef is seeking will be a. triumph for good gpvernment and an assur ance that the welfare of all the people in Duluth will be promoted along sane and wholesome lines of advancement. The Minnesota Union Advocate wishes Mr. Murnian success in his" laudable ambition with all its hear£ and con gratulates Duluth jon ita% Qpporttgitty to obtain the services, of so capable and satisfactory a publi£ official aii he will prove to be if elected." RAILROAD rV CHARLESTON, W. Va.\ M4r^h"^— Railroad workezp have asked.t)(*ftttte legislature to m0e It uhlain^'-for any railroad tb operate •of SO Tteer, two brakemehj or a^t^n-bjt tnan 30 cars ^ttr:il£.fejrirfttitaiL *VtVk .A'*" 1 1 I g 3 il & "•-J