The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 29, 1919, Page 5

i _entire - expense to the for - such payments is collected by assessing em- ployers a premium for each man in his employ. Minnesota workers sought such a law at the regular session of the Minnesota legislature. Their lobbies concentrated their efforts on this one bill. Every other piece of legislation which the workers urged was thrown overboard in an effort to get this single law through. But the insurance compapnies were stronger than the labor unions and the bill was killed. The workers’ representatives themselves voted to kill the bill as it appeared in its final form. Amendments were tacked on by friends of the insurance companies and the employers which made-the measure a joke. It was so bad that the workers themselves rejected it. At the same time in North Dakota the workers of that state were asking for legxslatxon to remedy some of the- conditions under which labor was suffering. They asked for a state disability in- surance law, ‘an eight- hour day for women, a minimum wage for wom- en, state inspection of coal mines, an anti-in-- junction law, a law re- quiring the union label on. state printing, the full train crew law and a law requiring em- ployers to provide-.shel- ter for employes while engaged in the repair or construction of common carriers. The legislature was made up of farmers of North Dakota for the most part, elected by members of the Nonpar- tisan league. No expen- sive lobbies were main- ¢ tained, nothing was done to try to influence the legislators, besides plac- ing the laws before them and explaining why they were necessary. X The laws passed. The AND unions of North Dakota was $110. In the mean- time, the Minnesota trades union men, the railroad brotherhoods and ‘ the. railroad shop- men were spending thou-. sands of dollars to ob- tain passage of one law in the Minnesota legis- lature, and that law was killed. POLITICAL ACTION REPLY OF WORKERS It was the final insult to the -workers of the state. The State Feder- atiog of Labor indersed the Working People’s Political league, an exec- utive committee was or- ganized and organization ~ began. 4 The executive commit- tee meets weekly to dis- cuss plans for the or- ganization. Its presi- dent - is William Ma- honey, who is also presi- dent of the St. Paul Trades and Labor as- sembly and -one of the most influential labor leaders in the state. He is a thin, gray-haired man, with a keen but kindly face. He is an en- thusiast for political action by the workers. “It is time,” he said, “that we begin to break down the party lines. The workers need have no differences as Republicans or Democrats. As Re- publicans or Democrats they serve simply to fill the ranks of the parties. They get nothing. They are aligned against each other. ’ “It has been the habit of workers to join a po- - litical party like they might join a church, because it represented or seemed to represent their per- sonal views rather than their views as workers. But they are now beginning to realize that they must make their political power felt as they have made their industrial power. felt. “We have been shown very v1v1dly recently the THE ing a referendum election. fallacy of directs dction. 'The Winnipeg workers found that by seeking to use these methods they came into conflict with the government, which was *® not in sympathy with their aims or actions. They found that the government and the opposition to the strike, by exerting political power, could defeat - the aims of the workers. Even when the strike was conducted in the most peaceful manner and when it was shown that all the workers wanted was remedy for existing ills, their leaders were arrested for sedition, not because they said any- thing seditious, but because they upheld the strike. “As a matter of fact, a special law was rushed through the provincial parliament aimed directly at the labor leaders and meant to defeat the work- ers. Therefore, although the Winnipeg workers showed the world their economic and industrial s - IN MONTANA Go Home StLofP HOGS. . —Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris. What happened in Montana amounted to the violent murder of the people’s law—the direct primary. After 40,000 Montana voters had signed petitions against the law amending the direct primary the legis- lature was called in special session and passed another bill to kill the direct primary, this time putting an “emergency clause” on it to put the repeal into effect immediately and prevent the people from call- Such procedure is unconstitutional, power by stopping all production for weeks, they were at last defeated because the political power, which they should have held and which their ene- mies did hold, was turned against them. “All 'this has brought home to the workers the vital need of getting control of political power, of harnessing ft- to a definite object. That is the object of this association of ours, _to work together with the orgamzed farmers of the state. Interest in the new movement is growing rapidly, nor is it by any means confined to the union men. By far the most inquiries have been received by the executive committee from unorganized workers and from other progressive individuals. This is due largely to the fact that the union worker is in a position to get information outside the executive 24 PAGE FIVE & ST A B B B A I 3 e e e s e e T A e 1 T A B A A e 5 A e e e e e et e according to rulings of state supreme courts during the last five years, but to make sure that the Montana supreme court would be safe for the gang, the appointment of two extra judges was authorized.. What happened in Montana will not happen in Minnesota if the workers of that state, who are organizing politically to work with the Nonpartisan league farmers, have their way. committee and within his own union. But the fact remains that the interest is a very lively one, indeed. The unions, toe, are demanding more light on the league. There has been no indication yet of opposition in any of the union ranks, even from quarters where opposition might have been expect- ed. In order that the unions may learn first hand what the league intends to do, four official organ- izers have been sent out by the executive council. These men are going to all parts of the state ex- plaining to the unions and to other interested per- sons the character of the new political movement. ' There has been no union so far which has heard an explanation of the objects of the league which has refused to affiliate with it. Already 100 unions have been visited. Many locals have sent in re- quests to the executive council for men to come and tell them about the political league. Not only the state fed- eration, but the railroad brotherhoods have shown a deep interest in the movement. The railroad shopmen have given up their legislative head- quarters on the fourth floor of the Dakota build- ing, St. Paul, and have turned the rooms over to the league for branch state headquarters. At present the main league headquarters are in Min- neapolis. RAIL MEN ARE INTERESTED Requests have come from all the railroad brotherhood locals in St. Paul for information about the league. Fire- men in St. Paul and Min- neapolis have offered to work as volunteer organ- izers to boost the league and enroH members. ©Other states are begin- ning to investigate the step taken by the Min- nesota workers. It has becn ncces- sary to point out recently that the league is a political -organization rather than a political par- ty. Although it will have candidates at - the election next year, it will seek to nominate them prob- ably in the Republic- an party, as this is the dominant party in the state. It does _ not plan to enter the campaign with an independent or labor ticket. Its purpese is to free present parties from boss rule and reform them so they will act in the interests of the whole people in- stead of a special group. The platform in mno sense is confined to or- ~ ganized lahor. It lays down broad general prin- ciples and the remedies it asks will benefit all workers, organized or unorganized. It is rather ~a declaration of principles than a political plat- form, although there are some specific demands for general economic reforms. The restoration of the right of free speech and free press, the right of collective bargaining, a general eight-hour work- day, public ownership of public utilities and nat- ural resources, heavier taxes on excess profits and large incomes, government insurance and reduction in the cost of living—these are the main principles. The league has yet to test its strength in the political arena. By next election 100,000 mem- bers or more are expected to be enrolled. With the workers and the farmers acting together for Do- litical and industrial democracy, the New Day in Minnesota seems very near. [}