The labor advocate., October 20, 1912, Image 1

About The labor advocate. (Providence, R.I.) 1912-1915

Image provided by: Rhode Island Digital Newspaper Project

                
PUBLISHED IN THE
INTEREST OF THE
WORKING CLASS
VOL. 1, NO. 8.
A BRIEF RESUME OF REID'S
RECORD AT THE STATE HOUSE
A Few of the Bills Introduced
- -
sentative During
The following are some of the bills
and resolutions that were brought in
by Reid of the Ninth Represéntative
District during the last sessin of the
Legislature. Look them over and
sce if they would be injurious to you
or any other workingman if they f;ad
been enacted into law.
(House Bill 131.) “An Act to al
low volunteer assistancg to the fac
tory inspector in the gathering of
data and evidence.”
This bill would allow members of
the General Assembly to go into any
factory and report what he found to
the factory inspector. Ii the Ninth
Representative had this right to fol
low up the many complaints he re
ceived about the breaking 6f laws in
the mills and factories, there would
be more than one mill man fined and
many bad conditions would have
been remedied to the advantage of
the workers. '
{Hz27O.) “Act to prohibit employ
ers from fining for imperfections in
weaving.” This needs no explaining
to the weavers of Olneyville and
other mill districts,
(H 62. “Act enabling working peo
ple to go to and from their places of
employment at a reasonable cost.”
This act provided for the issuing
of transfers during the hours in the
morning when the workingmen are
going to work that would be good to
use for their ride home at niggt after
their day's work was done.
(H 162. *“Act to enable cities and
towns to distribute coal at cost.”
Considering the high price of this
very much needed article of warmth
and the high prices the coal trust is
charging, t%\is bill would have been a
goed thing for many working people.
(H 36. “An Act to prevent night
work by females and minors.”
Would we save the future and
present mothers of the race, such
Jaws as this are necessary
(Hzo.) *“Act to prohibit the usges!
suction shuttles in factories.”
It is well known that these shuttles
are prolific sources for the collection
of disease germs and their spreading
infection to those that are compelled
to use them in their daily work.
(H 16. “Act to regulate advertise
ments and solicitations for employ
ees during strikes, lockouts and -
dustrial disputes.”
This bill would force manufacturers
advertising for help to state in their
ads the nature of the trouble in their
plants. Thus people who are lured
to places away from home looking
for a job would be saved the carfare
and other expenses of travel thai
they are pyt to by dishonest adver
tisements,
(H 394. “Act to compel cars tc
carry suitable lifting jacks for use "
case of accident.”
Many persons are caught undes
the wheels of cars and have to re
main there a long time before the
wrecking crew can reach the spot. A
lifting jack on these cars would en
able the car crew to raise the weigh!
off the victim. Many an arm or leg
could be saved.
(H 84. “Act to prevent car con
ductors losing through mistakes o
others.”
The conductors now turn thei
money in without a receipt. If the
clerk who counts the money say:
they are short there is nothing to dc
but settle or lose their jobs. This bil
provides that a receipt be given then
for the amount turned in.
(H 27. “An Act to prevent rail
roads from giving free passes to th
members of the Legislature.”” Thy
Ninth Nepresentative not only sen
his pass back, but also introducec
this bill to abolish this petty grafting
(H 192. “Act to facilitate industria
peace.”
This act provides that any employ
er or corporation must confer with :
committee or duly elected represen
tative or council of his help. As i
stands now, thev insist on seeing
committee of their own help. Whes
they find out who the committee i
they fire them. If there is trouble i
the Woolen Trust mills they demanc
the right to let any one they see fi
talk for Wood and the rest, but the)
deny the right of the workers to picl
out a committee or representative
they cannot fire to talk for them,
(H2so.) “Act in amendment o
and in addition to Chapter 249 of th
General Laws, entitled ‘Of master
apprentices and laborers.””
This bill is to do away with powe
of mills to steal three days pay fron
the workers when they leave thei
employ.
(H 120. “Act regulating the sal
of furniture and household effect:
sold on payment by installments.”
This bill would give those poo
people who buy, a little down and
little each wecz. a protection agains
having their furniture taken awa)
from them after they have it nearl)
all paid for., The VAsitor had a ver)
long article commending this bill, bu
they did not mention the name of th
legislator who introduced it.
(H 26. “Act to provide for inves
tigation by the Attorney General o
the rise in the prices of the necessi
Printed and Published
PR SN
. CXRADES A COUNGIL
R .
By Union Labor &
|by the Workers’ Only Repre
‘the Last Session. %
- ties of life.”
. Journal of the House of Represen
' tatives, Jannary Session: 3
) | Tuesday, April 23, 1912,
| Tuberculosis Hospital,
H Mr. Reid introduces a Resolution,
as follows:
| “Whereas, the growth and increase
L of that devastating disease, common
1y known as consumption, is one of
|the most d.stressing conditions with
- which the state has to deal; and with
which it must deal energetically.
| earncstly and early if it does its full
duty, not only toward relieving the
lsuffering and misery of the all-ready
‘here host of victims of this dread
: disease, but alsu. the duty it owes the
future generations of protecting
| them from an inher.tance of sickness
land misery; and '
| “Whereas, we have found it pos
| sble to appropriate, at this session,
in one instance, $95,000.00 for the
Cerection of an armory for the
[ “mounted guard,” in another instance,
| $25,000.00 for a memorial monument;
‘wh ch money spent will give to the
I mass of our citizens nothing more
I than the bitter satisfaction of know
(ing that their representatives have
- opened up the possibility of a junket
ing trip for a few, and a lounging
- room for a few more; and
| “Whereas, in debate on the floor
' i.ui this house it was stated by a mem
| ber of the Finance Committee that
| said committee estimated that after
'all appropriations they expected to
| reccommend there would remain a
L balance of $200,000.00; and
‘: “Whereas, time is an essential fac
' tor in the success attending an attack
-'w this contagious contender with
| hiealth, happiness and life, it behooves
’us at this session to take the initial
l!,s:cps toward erecting the hygienic
: ‘arsenals necessary for the combat; be
it
f! “Resolved, that House Bill, 143,
|'.'\u Act to establish a State Tuber
i‘culnsis Hospital,” be taken from thc‘
| | Committee on Finance, and placed
{ jupon the calendar” - - it
”, Read.” There s not a sufficient
| number requesting that the yeas and
" the nays be called, as asked by Mr.
" keid. The Resolution is not passed.
= Tuesday, April 16, 1912, |
| Fifty Four Hour Bill,
si Mr. Re.d introduces a Resolution
" as follows:
;"* “Whereas, there is now before the
_we ommittce on Labor Legislation pe
:it tions and resolutions favoring the
. | bassage of House Bill 102, from: The
", 1. Conference Board of Painters,
!l'apcrhangcrs and Decorators; Paw
tucket Loom Fixers, R, 1. Branch of
> American lederation of Labor; Mule
I‘sl).|lncrs Association; Pawtucket and
' Blackstone Valley IFolders' Associa
" tion; Building Trades Council of
’ ‘ Pawtucket, Central IFalls and Black-
E stone. Valley and other Labor Bodies;
fand
" | “Wihereas, the Committee on La
b bor Legislation is doing absolutely
5 | nothing in the consideration of the
requests of these various organiza
.| tions; whose membership is made up
{ mostly of mill workers, who severely
feel the need of shorter day legisla
: tion; and
. “Whereas, it is the sense of this
, | House that the interests of Labor
| | should not be made secondary to the
, | division of Warwick; and 5
“Whereas, House bill 102, or even
-{ more drastic shorter hour legisla
e | tion, should be passed at this session
e| of the assembly; be it .
t “Resolved, that House Bill 102, be
-I|ing a bill to prohibit the working oi
. | women and minors more than hgfty-
I four hours a week, be taken from the
Committee on Labor Legislation and
- | placed upon the calendar.”
a Re¢ad and not passed by vote of 31
-|ayes and 59 noes, on roll call asked
t| by Mr. Reid, and others, as follows:
a | Aye, 31; No, 59; Absent and not vot-
N ing, 10.
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Wednesday, April 17, 1912,
Weavers’ Fines Bill
Mr. Reid introduces a Resolution,
as follows:
“Whereas, the fining system com
monly practiced in the weaving
rooms of the factories of this state is
unfair and unjust to the employees,
inasmuch that the so-called imper
fections for which they are fined, are
largely due to mechanical defects in
the machinery; and
“Whereas, our neighboring state of
Massachusetts has enacted laws look
ing to the prevention of this injustice
i the textile mills of that state,
hereby establishing a precedent that
should be followed by all textile pro
ducing states; and
“Whereas, the Committee on La
bor Legislation, through its chair
man, seems to think that instead of
considering labor Legislation, his
energies can better be spent in an
effort to divide Warwick and tritur
ate Wilson; and
“Whereas, there is now before the
said Committee a bill that proposes
to ‘Prohibit employers from impos
(Continued on Page 4.)
PROVIDENCE, R. 1., OCTOBER 20, 1912,
To the Voters of Cranston
Mr. Voter, are you satisfied with
the capitalist system of wage slavery
which the Republican, Democratic
and Bull Moose parties represent, or
do you want a change? Then do not
DR. ALBERT [. DE KORT
Socialist Candidate for Mayor
vote crooked, but vote the Socialist
ticket, the workingman's party.
Mr. Voter, do you realize that
drunkenness, distress, evil and vic¥’
are caused by poverty and idleness
through capitalism?
Do you realize that poor sanitary
FREDERICK SMITH
Socialist Candidate for State Repre
sentative, Third IDistrict, City of
Cranston,
conditions are the cause of tubercu
losis and other diseases?
For the last 15 or 20 years you have
been digging deep into your pockets,
through the high cost of living. Mr.
Taft, through his national committee,
appeals to the working class, stating
that Mr. Taft is not responsible for
the high cost of living, but that it is
caused by a smaller number of men
produting the commodities of life and
a larger quantity Dbeing consumed
through the increase in population of
this country. But they refrain from
telling you the truth. They don't tell
you why a smaller number produce
these commodities. They want to
keep you in ignorance. Mr. Voter,
think for yourself, and you will
realize that the smaller number they
mention ig caused by the corporations
and their machinery.
~ Mr. Worker, 365 days of the year
you worry through fear of not being
able to meet your obligations; you
injure your health, mentally and phys
ically, through fear you cannot buy
the necessities of life for your family.
Your sleep is restless. You fear that
your job will not be yours on the
following day.
It is a common remark of working-
Reid Rooters,
Attention !
The committee on street corner
meetings have arranged three rallies
for next week. Monday, October
21, Hendricks street and Mount
Pleasant avenue. Wednesday a meet
ing will be held at the corner of Jos
lin and Amherst streets; Friday; cor
ner Manton avenue and Amherst
street. Advertise these meetings and
be on deck yoursell, R
Bill Johnson was a red hot Social
ist, He was a fireman in the boiler
room of one of our large department
stores. It was about ten o'chck last
Monday morning, and Bill, realizing
that the letter-carrier was about due
on his morning rounds, threw a few*
more shovelsful of coal into the
roaring furnace, filled and lit his
pipe, brought out two old broken
chairs, and seating himself upon on'e,
leaned wup against the side of the
building and assumed an attitude
which seemed to indicate that he
was ready for any kind of a debate,
THE CONVERT
BY ALFRED
men, “[low can we change this sys
temf." Here is your solution, Mr,
Voter: Read the Socialist literature
that is distribued each week by our
comgpades for your education. Study
it "cézfully, and you will be convinced
beyond a doubt that your duty is to
go to the ballot box on Nov. 5 and
vote a straight Socialist ticket.
In the city of Cranston on the Dem
ocratic ticket you will find as 3 mem
ber ©f the ward committee and as
delegate to the State and Congres
siohsl conventions, William Richard
som, ' Jr, a master plumber, a repre
sentative of the employing class, and
you | well know that the master
plumbers are opposed to organized
. GUSTAV rINGERLIN.
Socialist Candidate for Treasurer,
labor. What do you, workingmen
expect of him and his running mates!
On the Socialist ticket you have union
men representing you, men who are
fighttlg every day to better your con
dition.
In our Legislature every bill fa
vored by the delegates representing
labor to better the condition of the
wor’ing class "has been pigeonholed
by the men you, Mr., Worker, have
Socialist Candidate for Overseer of the
Poor.
sent to represent you. I'rom the city
of Cranston you sent as your repre
sentatives to the State House four
representatives, and three of the four
voted against the s4-hour bill. You
see how impossible it is to serve two
masters. They are put there through
the capitalists and they must serve,
Can't you see that if they favored any
bill in favor of the working class,
they would be injuring the capitalist
class, which put them there?
DR, ALBERT I. DEKORT,
Candidate for Mayor of the City of
Cranston. b %
Press Committee
Meeting
Labor Advocate Press Committee
will meet Friday evening at 8 o’clock.
Importantg business.
Cast your old party vote on the
political waters, and after a very
few days it will return and take
the bread away from you.
O. PHILIPP.
Sam Watson, the letter-carrier,
was taking his usual morning stroll
for his health, and incidentally to
distribute some mail matter on the
way. Now Sam was the most stub
born man that Bill had ever attemglt
ed to convert to Socialism, e
wouldn't give in under any circums
stances, and no matter how badly he
was worsted in an argument, he al
ways swore to come back and
avenge himself by “showing Bill up.”
“Say, Bill,” he commenced, after
throwing off his mail pouch and
(Eontinued on Page 4.)
MAYOR LUNN
INSISTS
Socialist Mayor and His Wife Both Arrested for Addressing
Striking Workers in Little Falls, N. Y.
Little Falls, N. Y, Oct. 17.—Mayor
George R. Lunn, the Socialist Lxecu
tive of Schenectady, who came here
last Tuesday to aid the strikers in the
Phoenix Kanitting Mills, and who was
arrested shortly after he arrived while
addressing a meeting of strikers 1
Clinton Park, was again arrested to
day.
Promptly after Mayor Lunn was
dragged off the platform, s wife
‘mounted it. She began rcading an
editorial from a newspaper bearmg on
the local situation when she, too, was
arrested. Two others were arrested
with them.
Shortly aftey Mayor Lunn and Mys.
Lunn werg¢ arrested, Robert A\, Dake
man, a former mimster, who 1s con
nected with the Socialist admmistration
at Schenectady, began reading to ihe
crowd from the Bible. He was arrest
ed., This makes the third time tlnat(
Bakeman has been placed under arrost
for exercising the right of free speech, ‘
The attempt of the local authorities
to suspend the right of freedom of
speech and assemblage has attracied
widespread attention and the ofhicials of
this city have been generally the sub
ject of condemnation,
As an indication of the fact that
there are many citizens who do not
mtend to submit tamely to the peity
tyranny of the local police and other
officials, there ils a movement afoot to
flood the city with persons who will
insist upon their right to speak in pub
lic to peaceable assemblages, even 1
they fill every jail in the county of
Herkimer as a consequence,
Special trains have already Dbedn
chartered by groups of {ree speech
fighters. = On Saturday they will leave
from many points n the Mohawk
Valley and deposit their passengers in
this city.
James J. Barry of Schenectady ap
peared as counsel for Mayor Lunn at
the trial yesterday. e was one of the
four men arrested at the park during
the noon recess. .
At the meelng Lunn declared: “li
we cannot meet here under God's blue
skigs and speak our thoughts as Ameri
can citizens without molestation from
the police, then liberty is dead and you
</WHO 15 JOHN SCHRANK, WOULD-BE ASSASSIN?
Although some of the capitalist
newspapers have maliciously report
ed that John Schrank, the man who
«hot Theodore Roosevelt, was a So
c.alist, the real facts are as follows:
1. Schrank is a Democrat,
2. Schrank 1s a Tammany man,
3. Schrank never voted the So
cialist ticket,
4. Schrank several times voted the
Dr. Sen’s Suppressed Speech
Below 1s printed the suppressed
speech of Dr. Sun Yat Sen in resign
ing the provisional presidency of the
Chinese republic. In it he announces
himself a Socialist.,
Only confused rumors of the
speech have been printed in the cap
italist press of the world. The matter
printed below is a translation by The
Coming Nation f{rom Berlin Vor
waerts:
The republic of China is now es
tablished. In resigning my position
as provisional president of the yepub
l.e it does not mean that I have
ceased to tight for our cause. On the
contrary. In laying down the duties
of this oftice 1 have gained the lib
erty and the leisure to apply my
strength to far greater tasks. For
270 years China has been beneath
the rule of the Manchus. During this
time repeated efforts have been made
to obtain independence. The Taiping
rebellion, a half century ago, was
one such an attempt, But that was
only a race war,
Even if that uprising had been suc
cessful the country would still have
been suffering under an autocratic
government,
Not many years ago a few of us
came together in Japan and founded
a revolutionary party. This was
based upon three great principles:
(1) 'Fhe freedom of the Chinese
race, 1% ;
(2) The government of the people
by the people,
(3) Lbsolute control by the peo
ple over the product of the land and
their labor,
The first two principles have been |
realized by the overthrow of the
Manchu dynasty. The economic
transformation remains for us yet to
accomplish, It is to-day a subject of
universal discussion, but the majority
of the Chinese people do not, as Ket,
understand its full significance. They
take it for granted that the object of
the political regeneration could take
its place on an equality with the mili
tary states of the west. But that
was not the goal of our efforts,
There are to-day no nationsg that
ONE CENT—SO CENTS PER YEAR
Ur SGHENECTADY
UPON FREE SPEECH
might as well bring on your shackles.”
(Applause and cheers.)
All during this brief talk of the
Mayor, Chief Long stood directly in
front of him, interrupting and threat
enimg all the time to arrest him
again. - Bakeman urged the Mayor to go
on, swhile the strikers, probably num
berimg forty or fifty, cheered.
Pomting his finger at Bakeman, the
Chief shouted: “If you say a word here
L will arrest you again, Surely you
have had enough.” *“No, I haven't had
enough,” retorted Bakeman. “We are
going to see this thing through to the
end.”
It was brought out by several wit
nesses for Mayor Lunn during the day
that the Mayor was arrested while he
was in the act of quoting from a speech
by Abiaham Lincoln said to have been
delivered at a strike in New Haven or
i Lynn. Lincoln is declared to have
said: "1 am thankful we live in a
country where we have a right to
strike.”
In his speech to the court yesterday
Mayor Lunn said:
“This is the time when we need a
Lincoln. By your chief of police to
day Lincoln would be classed as an
agitator and undesirable. Suppress free
speech and the right to public assem
blage and you merely encourage vio
lence. There 1s in this nation to-day a
stirring of unrest caused by poverty and
injustice that all patriotic Americans
must face. These problems have to be
discussed in public meetings.
“Your honor, 1 recognize the diffi
culty of your position. If you decide
this like many foolish judges, you will
do as the men of property want you to
do. You will find me guilty and place
the dollar above the man,
“l charge that this strike in Little
I'alls 1s a starvation strike, and if the
mill owners win it will be the disgrace
of Little Falls and Heirkimer county
and the State.
“1 have all my life preached the gos
pel of peace. 1 believe the Civil War
was a great calamity, but before I will
surrender one iota of the principle of
the vight of free speech 1 will rot in
your city Bastile.”
Republican ticket,
5. Schrank read exclusively the
New York Herald and the New York
World, .
I hese facts have been learned dur
g the examination of Schrank by
State's Attorney Zabel at the ar
raignment of the would-be assassin
betore Judge Neelen at Milwaukee
on October 15.
are richer than England and America,
and none more highly cultured than
France, England 18 a constitutional
monarchy, and America and Irance
are republics. Nevertheless, in all
these countries the chasm between
the poor and the rich is great and the
idea of revolution flows in the veins
of its citizens. If a social revolution is
not brought about in these countries
then the majority of the people must
remain excluded from the well being
and joy of life. To-day happiness is
confined to a few capitalists. The
mass of the workers suffer bitterly
and can look forward to no peace.
I'he revolution of a race, or a politi
cal transformation ig easy to accoms
plish, but the transformation of a so
ciety is more difficult, Only a peo
ple of great ability is capabl{ of car
rying out a social revolution,
Some say to us, “Up to the present
your revolution has geen a success,
why are you not satisfied now and
willing te wait? Why do you see}
to accomplish what England an
America with all their wealth and
their knowledge have not attempted
to undertake?” To follow the advice
that these questions imply would be
poor policy, for in England and Amer
ica civilization and industry have de
veloped intertwined, and a social
transformation would therefore be
dificult, We, in China have not yet
progressed so far. A social revolu
tion is for us comparatively easy; it
is possible for us to forfem{ the cap
italistic stage,
In capitalistic countries the existin
interests are powerfully defendecf.
and it is difficult to attain to any
other foundation, In China there is
not up to the present either vested
interests or capitalists, and for these
reasons a social revolution is com
paratively easy.
I am often asked if such a trans
formation must necessarily be ac
companied with violence, For
America and England [ answer, yes;
but not in China. The strike of the
British coal minerg proves my state
ment. Yet this was no revolution,
(Continued on Page 4.)