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TRE SOCIALIST PARTY 
 
 Telephone Haymarket seeo 
 
 National Gxeoutive Committee 
 
 803 West Madison Street 
 Chicago. Illinois 
 
 VICTOR L. BERGER 
 
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 ADOLPH GERMER 
 
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 Hay 25, 1914, 
 
 Executive Secretary 
 
 WALTER LANFERSIEK 
 
 Literature Depar/.Sient 
 
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 MANAGER 
 
 Information Department 
 
 carl d. thompson 
 Director 
 
 Woman's Department 
 
 WINNIE E. BRANSTETTER 
 GENERAL CORRESPONDENT 
 
 Yonnft People's Department 
 
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 DIRECTOR 
 
 The Party Builder 
 
 WALTER LANFERSIEK 
 EDITOR 
 
 A. W, RICKER 
 CIRCULATION MOR. 
 
 Translator-Secretaries 
 
 FINNISH. GERMAN, JEWISH. 
 POLISH, SOUTH SLAVIC, 
 BOHEMIAN, HUNGARIAN, 
 SCANDINAVIAN. ITALIAN, 
 SLOVAK 
 
 ^c take pleasure in imiling you, under sep- 
 arate cover, a nopy o.f bulletin nunber one of our 
 lnroTxnation^D<.p^rt^^t-, on "Legislative rzDgrar.i of the 
 Gocialist Party." Xle trust that you x^y find it of 
 interest and value to your library. 
 
 T3^ ho^e to be able to puDlisjn other studies 
 in our special field iron time to tine, and shall be 
 glad to send you copies in return for such assistance 
 as yau have given us, and as you nay care to give us. 
 We are eager to co-operiite .vith libraries, legislative 
 and mnicipal reference departnents, and other- agencies 
 t hat are gathering infori^ition and material, that will 
 be of value in constructive reform. 
 Very truly yours,. 
 
 T-;3 
 
 33irector Infornatioj/ Department . 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030333243 
 
BULLETIN NUMBER ONE 
 Information Department, Socialist Party of America 
 
 CARL D. THOMPSON, Director 
 
 Legislative Program 
 
 of the 
 
 Socialist Party 
 
 1(ecord of the Work of the Socialist Repre- 
 sentatives in the State Legislatures of the 
 United States, 1899-1913 : With account of 
 Efforts of the Party in Direct Legislation 
 
 By ETHELWYN MILLS 
 
 Published by THE SOCIALIST PARTY 
 
 NATIONAL OFFICE— 803 W. MADISON STREET, CHICAGO 
 1914 
 
 25 cents 
 

 \ i 
 
 Legislative Program of the Socialist Party 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 Introductory 3 
 
 I. Early Efforts 5 
 
 II. Successful Measures in Wisconsin 6 
 
 III. Socialists in Nine Legislatures in 1913 10 
 
 IV. The Present Legislative Program of the Party 11 
 
 V. The Story by States 22 
 
 VI. Total Gains to Date — 141 Successful Measures 39 
 
 VII. Socialism by Direct Legislation 41 
 
 1. Amending the Constitution in Missouri. 
 
 2. Universal Eight-Hour Law in California. 
 
 3. Minimum Wage Bill. 
 
 4. Eight-Hour Laws in Michigan and Washington. 
 
 5. Montana Workmen's Compensation Act. 
 
 6. Child Labor Bill in Arkansas. 
 
 7. Plans in Other States. 
 
 VIII. Indirect Gains 44 
 
 IX. A Comprehensive Program 46 
 
 Conclusion 48 
 
 >|< :]e ;|e :(: N' ^ 3|< 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 1. Workmen's Compensation Law SO 
 
 2. Public Ownership Measure 56 
 
 3. The State as a Purchasing Agent 57 
 
 4. Draft of State Constitution 59 
 
 B733 3&>^ 
 
Legislative Program of the Socialist Party 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 There is nothing more vital to the socialist movement 
 than its constructive program. To be able to point out in 
 definite terms and in concrete measures the actual steps by 
 which the goal of socialism may be reached is not only of great 
 interest — it is an absolute necessity. 
 
 Wilhelm Liebknecht realized this when he wrote: "The 
 important thing for us is not to paint a picture of the future — 
 which in any case would be useless labor — but to forecast a 
 practical program for the immediate period, to formulate and 
 justify measures that shall serve as aids to the new socialist 
 birth." 
 
 And if that were true in Germany many years ago, it is much 
 more true in the American movement today. 
 
 Moreover, as the socialist ideas win acceptance among the 
 people, and the party by its growth and success comes more 
 and more into the control of official positions, this problem in- 
 creases in importance. The capture of a single city, the election 
 of a few representatives to a state legislature, brings the party 
 face to face with the problem of reducing its theories to a con- 
 structive program, its propaganda proposals to the cold letter 
 of the statutes. And thus, whether we will or no, we must 
 grapple with the inevitable problem of how to inaugurate so- 
 cialism, how to formulate the measures that will bring about 
 the change we seek. 
 
 It is evident that this task will not be the work of a few 
 months, or even years; that no single group of socialists will 
 be able to work it out alone. It will require years of thoughtful 
 and careful work, wide research, legal investigations, a study 
 
of comparative legislation, constitutional problems and the vary- 
 ing conditions prevailing in the different states. It is evident 
 that the development of the legislative program of the Socialist 
 party will come about as the result of the co-operative study 
 and experience of the socialists in all the states, concerning the 
 many different problems which the different states present and 
 covering years of thought and activity. 
 
 In view of the importance of this work, the Information 
 Department has given this matter especial attention from the 
 first. In order that the results of the work of the socialists in 
 the state legislature of one state may be known and available to 
 those in the legislatures of other states; in order that the party 
 itself may have a knowledge of the problems involved and the 
 actual measures advanced; in order that the socialists of foreign 
 countries may have copies of our measures for purposes of 
 comparison, criticism and suggestion; and finally, that all may 
 know with some degree of accuracy just how extensive the 
 legislative work of the socialists has been, and what degree of 
 success attends the political action of the party as it develops, 
 we have undertaken to compile as complete a record as possible 
 of this work. 
 
 The present pamphlet is a sort of report of the work so 
 far. It is a report of "progress." Other reports will follow 
 from time to time, we hope, as the work develops and requires 
 it. We hope that its publication will prove of value to those 
 who sincerely seek to know just how the problems of socialism 
 are being wrought out. We hope, also, that its publication will 
 serve to emphasize in the minds of the members and officials 
 of the Socialist party the importance of this phase of our work, 
 and especially the importance of maintaining a basis of co- 
 operation among the states through the central bureau of in- 
 formation at the national headquarters. 
 
I. EARLY EFFORTS 
 
 In 1899, the present Socialist party elected its first repre- 
 sentatives to the state legislature in Massachusetts. From that 
 day to this, the party has been fighting a continuous battle for 
 the cause of labor in the various state legislatures, and the 
 story of the enactments won by them has been a steady cres- 
 cendo. 
 
 Gathering strength slowly in every state, the party finally 
 breaks through here and there and elects a representative to 
 the state legislature. Generally it is a single representative at 
 first, or at best, two or three. 
 
 In Massachusetts, James F. Carey was elected in 1898, and 
 re-elected each year for a time, serving until 1903; and in the 
 same state F. O. MacCartney was elected in 1899, and served 
 four terms. It is impossible to gather the complete record of 
 their work, but such records as are available show that in 1901 
 three, out of fifteen or more bills of importance, were passed. 
 One shortened the hours of state and county employes ; another 
 took the burden of proof from the employe and shifted it to 
 the railroad company in a suit to recover damages in case of 
 injury or death, and the third amended the law in regard to the 
 price to be paid by cities or towns in the purchase of electric 
 light or gas plants. In 1902 two more bills were passed, one of 
 which had for its object the appointment of a committee to 
 further the adoption by the states of a uniform law making 
 eight hours a legal day's work. Several other bills received a 
 majority of the votes cast, but not the necessary two-thirds 
 required for passage; some others still passed the house, and 
 were rejected by the senate. 
 
 The party was then without representatives until 1909, when 
 Charles H. Morrill was elected in Massachusetts. He still holds 
 office. In New York, the first representative, Herbert H. Mer- 
 rill, was elected in 1911. In Pennsylvania, the socialists won 
 a seat in November, 1910, electing James H. Maurer. One 
 representative had been elected in Florida some years before, 
 and Nels S. Hillman of Minnesota was elected in 1910, and has 
 served his second term. In 1911, Rhode Island sent James P. 
 Raid to the legislature, and he served for a term of one year. 
 
In Wisconsin a group of socialists has been elected to the 
 legislature for five biennial terms. In 1905, W. J. Alldridge, 
 E. J. Berner, Fred Brockhausen and August Strehlow were 
 elected to the house, and Jacob Rummel to the senate, by the 
 socialists. In 1907, the socialist representatives were Alldridge, 
 Berner, Brockhausen, Carl D. Thompson and Frank Weber in 
 the house, and Rummel in the senate. Berner, Brockhausen 
 and Weber went back in 1909, and Winfield R. Gaylord was 
 sent to the senate. In 1911 the number was considerably in- 
 creased; a round dozen socialists were sent to the assembly, 
 and Gabriel Zophy and Gaylord to the senate; the assembly- 
 men were Berner, Max Binner, Brockhausen, W. J. Gilboy, 
 Jacob Hahn, Arthur Kahn, Michael Katzban, E. H. Kiefer, 
 George Klenzendorff, F. B. Metcalfe, J. H. Vint and Weber. Of 
 these men, Brockhausen was the secretary of the state federa- 
 tion of labor, and Weber was the general organizer of that 
 body. 
 
 Finally, in 1913, there were twenty-two socialists elected in 
 nine different state legislatures. 
 
 Thus gradually, but surely, the power of the Socialist party 
 is growing, as the number elected to the legislatures increases. 
 But it grows in another respect: the program is being de- 
 veloped and made more comprehensive, while everywhere 
 members of the party are assembling the facts and information 
 that constitute the arguments in favor of their measures. 
 
 It has been impossible to gather complete data on the work 
 of the early representatives of the party in the various states, 
 but copies of the bills they introduced and such records as we 
 can discover show that they stood for the usual socialist meas- 
 ures, such as the initiative and referendum, woman suffrage, 
 etc., for improvement of labor conditions, for public ownership 
 of public utilities, and other measures leading toward the so- 
 cialist goal. 
 
 II. SUCCESSUL MEASURES IN WISCONSIN 
 
 The records of the legislative activities of the socialists 
 are more complete and have been more carefully kept in Wis- 
 consin than elsewhere, so we naturally turn to that state first. 
 The socialists have had a group of representatives in the state 
 legislature for nearly ten years. The measures introduced and 
 the work done by these representatives were much the same in 
 
each session. Indeed, as will be seen above, the personnel was 
 much the same. 
 
 In 1905, the socialists fought for the passage of a consid- 
 erable number of bills, at least twenty-four of which were of 
 especial importance, and all of which were defeated. These 
 aimed to better labor conditions as to hours, health, compensa- 
 tion, legal aid, restraining injunctions in time of strike, regulat- 
 ing women's, children's and convict labor; others provided for 
 municipal ownership and municipal initiative and referendum ,- 
 and still others would have brought about the state ownership 
 of land and natural resources. 
 
 In 1907, the socialist measures were typical and serve to 
 illustrate the nature and extent of the work. The socialists 
 introduced 72 different bills during this one session. Fifteen 
 were finally carried. Among the successful measures were the 
 following : 
 
 1. A bill which provided for the erection of guards and 
 railings over dangerous machinery in factories. 
 
 2. A bill which provided that all metal polishing machines 
 shall be equipped with blowers and sufficient draft to remove the 
 metallic dust. 
 
 3. A bill requiring railway companies to equip all trains 
 with sufficient men to handle the work without overburdening 
 the train men, known as the Full Crew Bill. 
 
 4. An eight-hour telegraphers' law. 
 
 5. A greatly improved child labor law. 
 
 6. Certain measures securing a greater degree of justice 
 to labor through court processes. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that as early as 1907 the socialists 
 legislators were beginning to force considerable concessions from 
 the legislatures. By the time the 1911 legislature closed its 
 session, the number of successful socialist measures had in- 
 creased remarkably. 
 
 In 1909, the principal socialist bills numbered 42, with 16 
 resolutions. Two of these bills passed ; one provided for a state 
 investigation of the unemployment situation (the measure, how- 
 ever, passed only in an amended form, which did not carry with 
 it an appropriation for this investigation), and the other success- 
 ful bill provided for the safety of workmen in the construction 
 of buildings. As was often the experience, some others passed 
 the house, but not the senate. The labor measures covered the 
 
matters above mentioned, and others were designed to abolish 
 contract labor, and to enforce weekly payment of wages. The 
 bills dealing with municipal affairs provided for home rule, 
 housing, purchase of land, and the usual municipal ownership 
 and direct legislation program. Other bills aimed to regulate 
 the public utilities, fixing responsibility for railroad accidents, 
 increasing safety on street cars, and making the telegraph com- 
 panies liable for the non-delivery of telegrams. The resolutions 
 were mostly memorials to the national congress, asking for the 
 establishment of the socialist demands which would come under 
 the scope of the national, rather than the state, government. 
 They covered the parcels post, the postal savings bank, old age 
 pensions, public ownership of the railways, express, telegraph 
 and telephone, international peace, a constitutional convention, 
 the abolition of the senate, woman suffrage, government relief 
 for the unemployed, popular election of federal judges, and the 
 right to work. 
 
 In the session of 1911, the 14 Wisconsin representatives in- 
 troduced in all 260 measures. Of these, 67 were actually enacted 
 into law. There were 199 bills and 61 joint resolutions intro- 
 duced. Fifty-two bills were passed in the senate and 63 in the 
 assembly. Eighteen joint resolutions were passed in the senate 
 and 15 in the assembly. Of the 199 bills, 92 were finally passed 
 and signed by the governor, while of the 61 joint resolutions 
 introduced, 16 were finally passed, one being later withdrawn. 
 Thus a total of 67 enactments were secured by the socialists 
 in this single session of the state legislature. 
 
 But it is not so much by a count of actual measures enacted 
 as by consideration of the nature of these measures that their 
 value may be judged. Speaking of the labor legislation secured 
 in that session, the Milwaukee County Campaign Book (1912) 
 says (page 57) : 
 
 "The 1911 session of the Wisconsin legislature gave more 
 attention to labor legislation than any of its predecessors. 
 
 "The persistent demands of the state federation of labor 
 through many years, and the active campaigns of the Social- 
 Democratic party, together with the fact that the latter had 
 carried the city of Milwaukee in the spring of 1910, compelled 
 both the Republican and Democratic parties to write into their 
 state platforms in 1910 many progressive measures. 
 
"The Republican party even declared for such labor legis- 
 lation 'as shall place Wisconsin on a level with the most pro- 
 gressive states or nations.' 
 
 "The presence of 12 social-democratic assemblymen and 2 
 state senators from the same party constituted actual voting 
 power enough in the legislature to compel attention to the 
 demands of this working-class group. As a result, there were 22 
 laws enacted which benefit the working class directly." 
 
 But the socialists, while giving special attention to labor 
 measures, do not confine themselves to those alone. Their pro- 
 gram covers a wide range of social legislation involving measures 
 for the reconstruction of the social order. Along this line, the 
 Wisconsin socialists have a number of successful measures to 
 their credit. 
 
 1. Municipal Legislation. Fourteen different bills intro- 
 duced by the socialists bearing upon this problem were passed 
 during the session of 1911. These provided, among other things, 
 for a greater degree of home rule for the city, secured the right 
 of "excess condemnation," enabled the city to embark in the 
 public ownership of certain public utilities, and gave them the 
 right to secure land and property with which to begin the build- 
 ing of workingmen's homes. 
 
 2. State Ownership. The same year, the socialists se- 
 cured the passage of a joint resolution for a constitutional amend- 
 ment, providing for the ownership by the state of the lands, 
 mineral rights, water powers and other natural resources. 
 
 3. Constitutional Convention. They also secured the pass- 
 age of a joint resolution calling for a national constitutional 
 convention. 
 
 4. Political Measures. Socialists secured the passage of a 
 law providing for a municipal initiative and referendum; an- 
 other providing for a half holiday on election days; another 
 providing that women may use the voting machines. 
 
 5. Public Utilities. The socialists secured the passage of 
 a law repealing the "exclusive" clause in the franchise of the 
 Milwaukee Gas Light Company; another legalizing the bonds 
 issued by the city of Milwaukee for an electric lighting plant 
 and declaring invalid certain injunctions brought against the 
 city to restrain it from erecting the plant ; another authorizing 
 cities operating heating plants to install and operate pipes and 
 mains in the same way as for water works. 
 
 9 
 
These, of course, are only a small part of the total number 
 of successful bills, but they are the more significant ones and 
 serve sufficiently to illustrate the nature of the work of the 
 party in these earlier years. 
 
 It must also be added that these are only the measures won 
 by the socialists in but one state. There has been considerable 
 success in other states along similar lines. The Information 
 Department at the national headquarters of the party has col- 
 lected and classified a total of 520 bills which have been pre- 
 pared and introduced in the various state legislatures, up to 
 1912. The title list of bills found in a subsequent chapter include 
 these, as well as those of 1913. 
 
 III. SOCIALISTS IN NINE LEGISLATURES IN 1913 
 
 In the fall elections of 1912, the Socialist Party of America 
 reached the highest point of its success in legislative elections 
 so far. As stated above, 22 of its candidates were elected to the 
 state legislatures. One of the socialist senators, Fred W. Stan- 
 ton, was ousted by the Kansas senate, in spite of the fact that 
 the courts had previously found and declared him duly elected. 
 
 Another representative, H. K. Davis, had been elected in 
 Nevada, but almost immediately upon election repudiated the 
 authority of the party, voted against its mandates, and was 
 expelled. H. W. Harris, who had been elected to the assembly 
 in Illinois, lost his seat on a recount, after having served most 
 of the term. Eliminating these three, the party had 19 repre- 
 sentatives in 9 different state legislatures. The list is as follows : 
 
 SOCIALIST LEGISLATORS, 1913 
 State Senators: 
 
 Kansas, Fred W. Stanton, 9th district. 
 Nevada, M. J. Scanlan, Nye County. 
 Wisconsin, Gabriel Zophy, 7th district. 
 State Assemblymen: 
 
 California, C. W. Kingsley, 65th district. 
 Illinois, H. W. Harris, 21st district; C. M. Madsen, 23d dis- 
 trict; Joseph Mason, 25th district; Seymour Stedman, 
 13th district. 
 Kansas, Everett Miller, 22d district; Benjamin F. Wilson, 
 
 20th district. 
 Massachusetts, Charles H. Morrill, district ward 5th. 
 Montana, Charles H. Conner, Lincoln County. 
 
 10 
 
Minnesota, Nels S. Hillman, 51st district. 
 
 Nevada, I. F. Davis, Nye County. 
 
 Washington, W. H. Kingery, 31st district. 
 
 Wisconsin, Martin Gorecki, 14th district; E. H. Kiefer, 15th 
 district; Carl Minkley, 4th district; William L. Smith, 
 12th district; J. H. Vint, 8th district; E. H. Zinn, 7th 
 district. 
 
 One or twro characteristic features of the vsrork of these 
 socialists are new and worthy of note. For example, for the 
 first time socialists were elected in states where problems of 
 mining are uppermost; namely, southern Kansas, Nevada and 
 Illinois. This has resulted in a number of measures being intro- 
 duced dealing with the problems of labor in the mining sections. 
 
 Another special feature is the greater care and compre- 
 hensiveness with which measures providing for the public owner- 
 ship and operation of public utilities have been drawn. This is 
 notably the case in the measure prepared by the legislative 
 committee of the party in California, and introduced through 
 their representative, Mr. Kingsley. 
 
 IV. THE PRESENT LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM OF THE 
 
 PARTY 
 
 The legislative program of the party to date may be gath- 
 ered from the following list, which gives the subjects and brief 
 statements of contents of the 1913 bills, the names of the states in 
 which the measures were introduced, notations as to which bills 
 were on new subjects, and a statement as to the final disposition 
 of each one. The classification is arranged alphabetically. 
 
 SOCIALIST LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM— 1913 
 
 1. Agriculture 
 
 Loans to farmers from 30 per cent postal savings de- 
 posits, petition to Congress, Wisconsin, new, passed. 
 Prevention of pests, Nevada, new, defeated. 
 
 2. Co-operative Enterprises 
 
 Providing for co-operative enterprises, Kansas, passed 
 
 with amendments. 
 Similar bill in Illinois, defeated. 
 
 3. Cost of Living 
 
 Investigation, Massachusetts, defeated . 
 Reduce by eliminating waste in distribution, Washing- 
 ton, new, defeated. 
 
 11 
 
4. County 
 
 Powers of government, Wisconsin (no report). 
 
 5. Courts 
 
 Advancing cases of personal injury, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Appeal from award of damages for taking private prop- 
 erty for public use, Wisconsin, new, passed. 
 
 Attorney's fees in suits for wages, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Civil action without prepayment of fees, Wisconsin, 
 defeated. 
 
 Civil proceedings in district courts, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Costs in municipal suits, Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 Election of federal judges by people, Wisconsin, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Imprisonment for contempt, preventing, Illinois, new, 
 defeated. 
 
 Increase wage exemptions, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Injunctions against public officers, prohibiting, Wiscon- 
 sin, defeated. 
 
 Injunctions in labor troubles, prohibiting, California, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 
 Jury, grand, California, defeated. 
 
 Jurors, qualification, California, defeated. 
 
 Jurors, selection, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Legal aid in criminal cases, Kansas, defeated. 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 
 Legal aid to poor, Nevada, defeated. 
 
 Licensing court reporters, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Milwaukee civil court, jurisdiction, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Relief to persons erroneously convicted, California, new, 
 defeated, but similar bill passed. 
 
 Third degree, abolition, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Union funds, preventing courts tying up, Illinois, new, 
 defeated. 
 
 Verdict of jury reduced, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Suits for wages in county where labor was performed, 
 Washington, defeated. 
 
 12 
 
6. Direct Legislation 
 
 Amendment to constitutional amendment granting in- 
 itiative and referendum, California, defeated. 
 
 Initiative and referendum elections by mail, Nevada, 
 defeated. 
 
 Initiative and referendum, municipal, Massachusetts, 
 defeated. 
 
 Initiative on constitutional amendments, Massachusetts, 
 defeated. 
 
 Recall of judges, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Recall of members of state commissions and depart- 
 ments, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Recall of municipal officers, Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 Recall of state and county officers, Massachusetts, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Referendum, legislature to voluntarily submit questions 
 to voters, Massachusetts, passed. 
 
 7. Domestic Relations 
 
 Abandonment of wife or child, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Common law marriages not to be observed, Kansas, new, 
 defeated. 
 
 Distribution of property of parents of illegitimate chil- 
 dren, Kansas, new, defeated. 
 
 Divorce shall not affect legitimacy of children, Illinois, 
 new, defeated. 
 
 8. Education 
 
 Bonds for school districts for payment of outstanding 
 warrants, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Compulsory attendance, raising age 14 to 16, Massa- 
 chusetts, defeated. 
 
 Compulsory attendance, courses of study, commercial 
 education in 9th grade, etc., Nevada, passed. 
 
 Free meals, Massachusetts, passed. 
 
 Free text-books, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Night schools, provision for, Kansas, new, passed. 
 
 Minimum wage to teachers, Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 Trade schools, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Teachers in parochial schools must have teachers' cer- 
 tificates, Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 13 
 
9. Elections 
 
 Assembly districts, California, new, defeated. 
 
 Congressional districts, California, new, defeated. 
 
 Election of U. S. congressmen, California, new, defeated. 
 
 Election day half holiday, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Nevada, passed. 
 
 Election day legal holiday, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Election boards, California, defeated, but similar bill 
 passed. 
 
 Election boards, representation for minority parties, 
 Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 Employed electors to have opportunity to vote, Nevada, 
 passed. 
 
 Legislature, election of senators, California, defeated. 
 
 Non-partisan elections, forbidding, California defeated. 
 
 Non-partisan act, repeal, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Non-partisan act, amendment, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Primary elections, California, defeated. 
 
 Proportional representation, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 Registration and absent voting, constitutional amend- 
 ment, California, defeated, but similar bill passed. 
 Kansas, defeated, but similar bill passed. 
 
 Registration certificates, Washington, defeated. 
 
 Redistricting of state and election of legislators, Cali- 
 fornia, defeated. 
 
 Senatorial districts, California, defeated. 
 
 10. Labor 
 
 Advertisements in time of strike to contain notice of 
 strike. 
 
 Wisconsin, passed. 
 Minnesota, passed. 
 Montana, defeated. 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Apprentices, amendment to act relative to, Nevada, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Arbitration, state board witnesses, Massachusetts, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Blacklisting, preventing, Nevada, passed and vetoed. 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Boycott, right, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 14 
 
Bureau of labor statistics and factory inspection, Cali- 
 fornia, not taken up. 
 Child labor, abolishing, regulating, etc., California, not 
 
 taken up, but similar bill passed. 
 
 Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Convict labor, marking of articles, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Convict labor, wages to dependents, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Kansas, defeated. 
 Contract by bonded employe, canceling of, California, 
 
 defeated. 
 Direct employment in cities, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Disputes, state investigation, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Employment agencies, to make charging or receiving a 
 
 fee a felony, Minnesota, defeated. 
 Employment agencies, bonding of, Minnesota, defeated. 
 Employment agencies, right of city to pay its share, 
 
 Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Freedom in choice of physicians, Nevada, new, defeated. 
 Hours, eight-hour bill on public works, Minnesota, de- 
 feated. 
 
 One day rest in seven, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 One day rest in seven, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Eight-hour day, universal, California, new, defeated. 
 
 Saturday half holiday, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Hours of work on state buildings, Wisconsin, de- 
 feated. 
 Housing, railroads, lumber camps, etc., Washington, 
 
 defeated. 
 
 Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Influence in discharge of employes, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Insurance, employers' liability, California, not taken up, 
 
 similar bill carried. 
 Insurance, proof of injury, Nevada, defeated. 
 Licensing of engineers, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Lumber, providing for assessment of logs in districts 
 
 where cut, Minnesota, new, defeated. 
 Liens for sub-contractor and laborer, Wisconsin, passed. 
 Mining, bath-houses for miners, Kansas, new, passed. 
 
 Compulsory purchase of supplies from company 
 stores, Kansas, new, defeated. 
 
 Health and safety of miners, Kansas, new, passed. 
 
 IS 
 
Mine examiners, Illinois, new, passed. 
 
 Sale and delivery of black powder, Kansas, new, 
 passed. 
 
 Sprinkling devices and drill sprays, with dry ores, 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 
 State mine inspection bill, amending, Nevada, new, 
 defeated. 
 Occupational diseases, forbidding use of white lead, Wis- 
 consin, defeated. 
 Peaceful picketing in labor troubles, Nevada, defeated. 
 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 Pensions for municipal employes injured in course of 
 
 duty, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Private detectives, Nevada, defeated. 
 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 Reimburse United Mine Workers for money advanced 
 
 County Examining Board, Illinois, passed. 
 Safety in construction of buildings, Minnesota, passed in 
 
 amended form. 
 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 Safety on electrical work, California, defeated. 
 Sale of commodities by employers to employes, Kansas, 
 
 defeated. 
 Strikes at Ipswich and Hopedale, investigation, Massa- 
 chusetts, defeated. 
 Strikes, appropriation for relief of evicted strikers' 
 
 families at Ipswich, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Strikes, congratulating Belgian workers on success of 
 
 strike for suffrage, Illinois, passed. 
 
 Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Unemployed, furnish employment in development of 
 
 natural resources, California, defeated. 
 
 Unemployed, appropriation for furnishing employ- 
 ment in summer, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Union conditions on public work, Illinois, defeated. 
 Unions, guaranteeing right to organize, Illinois, defeated. 
 Union label on state printing, Illinois, defeated but use 
 
 of label secured by other means. 
 Union labor organizations not responsible for damages 
 
 from acts of union men, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 16 
 
Union men, right of action and damages, Kansas, new, 
 
 defeated. 
 Wages, assignment of salaries to married men, Nevada, 
 defeated. 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 Cash payment, California, defeated. 
 
 Washington, defeated. 
 
 Illinois, defeated. 
 Compensate miners for time lost when mine is 
 
 closed in enforcement of state laws, Kansas, 
 
 new, defeated. 
 Public utility employes, Wisconsin, new, defeated. 
 Recover wages due former assembly clerk, Illinois, 
 
 defeated. 
 Semi-monthly payment, Nevada, defeated. 
 Illinois, defeated, but similar bill passed. 
 State fair ground workers to receive $2.50 a day 
 
 minimum, Illinois, resolution passed house. 
 Weekly payment, Wisconsin, new, defeated. 
 Women's labor, hours, comfort, etc., California, defeated, 
 but similar bill carried. 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 
 11. Liquor Traffic 
 
 Prohibiting sale of liquor in parochial schools, Wiscon- 
 sin, new, defeated. 
 State ownership, Wisconsin, new, defeated. 
 
 12. Militarism 
 
 Abolishing standing army of state, California, new, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Abolishing entire military code, Washington, new, de- 
 feated. 
 
 13. Municipal 
 
 Banks, municipal, Illinois, new, defeated. 
 
 Charters, amendment by popular vote, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Charter convention in Chicago, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Coal yards, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Debt limit, California, defeated. 
 
 Home rule in regard to municipal ownership, California, 
 
 defeated. 
 
 Illinois, defeated, but similar bill passed. 
 
 17 
 
Ice plants, Kansas, defeated. 
 Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 Libraries in cities of second class, Kansas, passed. 
 
 License chauffeurs by municipalities, Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 Lighting plants, enabling cities to build, Massachusetts, 
 defeated. 
 
 Lighting plants, municipal ownership, Massachusetts, 
 defeated. 
 
 Loan department, municipal, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Park elections, legalizing, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Park subways, Illinois, defeated, but similar bill passed. 
 
 Public buildings to be used for meeting purposes, Kan- 
 sas, new, defeated. 
 
 Public utilities, regulation, Nevada, passed and vetoed. 
 
 Public utilities, regulating use of meters, Nevada, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Sewers, surplus from waterworks to be used in construc- 
 tion of sewers, Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 Street railways, franchises and regulation, Wisconsin, 
 defeated. 
 
 Municipal ownership, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Liability for injuries, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Purchase, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Telephones, municipal ownership, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Waterways and water power, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Waterworks in cities of second class, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 14. National 
 
 Government ownership coal mines, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Massachusetts, passed house, defeated in senate. 
 
 Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Government ownership railroads, Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 Protection of game, Minnesota, passed. 
 
 Wisconsin, passed. 
 
 15. Pensions 
 
 Mothers' pensions, Kansas, new, defeated. 
 Massachusetts, amended and passed. 
 Neglected children, Nevada, new, passed. 
 
 18 
 
Old age pensions, Kansas, memorial to Congress, passed. 
 Investigation, Wiconsin, passed. 
 
 16. Public Health 
 
 Defining communicable disease, Montana, new, passed. 
 Labeling mattresses to show materials contained, Wis- 
 consin, passed. 
 Polluting water in rivers, Nevada, defeated. 
 
 17. Railroads 
 
 Commission, repeal, Nevada, defeated. 
 
 Cook County, Minn., authorized to build railroad, Min- 
 nesota, new, passed. 
 
 Freight rates, investigation, Montana, new, no report. 
 
 Investigation of Illinois Central, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Prohibiting passes, Illinois, new, defeated. 
 
 Public office, railroads to maintain, Illinois, new, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Safety by regulating size, etc., of caboose, Kansas, new, 
 defeated. 
 
 18. State 
 
 Advertising legal rate reduced one-half, Nevada, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Board of agriculture, appropriation, Wisconsin, no re- 
 port. 
 
 Constitutional convention, Kansas, defeated. 
 Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 Debt limit, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Departments, interpellation of, by committees of state 
 legislature, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Governor's veto power abolished, Nevada, new, defeated. 
 
 Institutions, supervision of children, Wisconsin, de- 
 feated 
 
 Institutions, wages for inmates, Wisconsin, defeated, 
 similar bill passed. 
 
 Insurance, state life, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Insurance, sickness, etc., Wisconsin, substitute passed. 
 
 Natural resources, preservation of timber land, Montana, 
 defeated. 
 
 Printing plant, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Storage warehouses, regulating, Montana, defeated. 
 
 Senate, abolishing, Nevada, new, defeated. 
 
 19 
 
State ownership, industrial board to investigate cost of 
 electric railway systems, etc., California, new, de- 
 feated. 
 Land by purchase when sold for taxes, Wisconsin, 
 
 defeated. 
 Land, tenure, etc., Wisconsin, no record. 
 Natural resources, international improvement, Kan- 
 sas, defeated. 
 Storage houses, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 Traffic, street and highway crossings, Kansas, passed. 
 
 19. Taxation 
 
 Assessment, California, defeated. 
 
 Exemption, California, defeated. 
 
 Exemptions from income tax raised to $2,000, Wiscon- 
 sin, defeated. 
 
 Filing tax returns, compulsory, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 Payment and receipt of taxes on undivided interests in 
 property entered for taxation, Minnesota, passed. 
 
 Poll tax laws, repeal, California, defeated. 
 Nevada, defeated. 
 Kansas, defeated. 
 
 Sale of land for non-payment of taxes, Wisconsin, de- 
 feated. 
 
 Uniform rate, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 
 20. Woman Suffrage 
 
 Constitutional amendment, Massachusetts, defeated. 
 Condemning authorities in New York for conduct in 
 woman suffrage parade, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 21. Miscellaneous 
 
 Capital punishment, abolishing, Nevada, new, defeated. 
 
 Civil service, Illinois, defeated. 
 
 Curtailing powers of Catholic clergy in ownership of 
 church property, Wisconsin, new, defeated. 
 
 Fee systems to be eliminated in city and county, Wis- 
 consin, defeated. 
 
 Foreclosure of land contracts, Wisconsin, new, with- 
 drawn. 
 
 Fraternal beneficiary societies, Illinois, new, defeated. 
 
 Holidays, Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays, Wis- 
 consin, withdrawn. 
 
 20 
 
Kinnickinnic River straightened for turning basin, Wis- 
 consin, passed. 
 
 News, regulating distribution, Illinois, new, passed. 
 
 Party name, allowing change from Public Ownership 
 to Socialist, Minnesota, new, passed. 
 
 Police powers to smoke inspectors, Wisconsin, defeated. 
 
 Public service commission repeal, Nevada, new, defeated. 
 
 Gathering together the final results of the work of the So- 
 cialists in the nine different states in 1913, we find that the 
 party has to its credit a total of 50 measures finally passed, as 
 shown in the following table : 
 
 SUMMARY OF RESULTS FOR 1913 
 
 Bills and 
 
 Resolutions Bills 
 
 STATE Introduced Enacted 
 
 California 29 
 
 Illinois 45 1 
 
 Kansas 33 7 
 
 Massachusetts 26 2 
 
 Minnesota 11 6 
 
 Montana 5 1 
 
 Nevada 33 4 
 
 Washington 6 
 
 Wisconsin 70 11 
 
 32 
 
 Resolutions 
 Passed 
 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 
 Similar 
 
 Bill 
 Passed 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 1 
 
 Totals 258 
 
 14 
 
 Total 
 Passed 
 
 6 
 7 
 9 
 3 
 6 
 1 
 4 
 
 14 
 
 50 
 
 Classified as to subjects, the bills may be summarized as 
 follows : 
 
 Agriculture 2 
 
 Cost of Living 2 
 
 Co-operatives 2 
 
 County 1 
 
 Courts 26 
 
 Direct Legislation ". . . 9 
 
 Domestic Relations 4 
 
 Education 10 
 
 Elections 20 
 
 Labor 80 
 
 Liquor traffic 2 
 
 Militarism 2 
 
 Municipal 29 
 
 National 9 
 
 Pensions 5 
 
 Public Health 3 
 
 Railroads 7 
 
 State 21 
 
 Taxation 10 
 
 Woman Suffrage 2 
 
 Miscellaneous 12 
 
 21 
 
V. THE STORY BY STATES. 
 
 In order to give a little clearer insight into the work of the 
 socialist members of the different legislatures, we present in 
 this chapter a narrative account of the work by states. These 
 accounts are largely in the words of the socialists, just as they 
 were reported to us. Not all of the states are covered, for the 
 reason that all could not be persuaded to report, but the follow- 
 ing paragraphs will give a short account of the struggles of the 
 labor representatives against the capitalist forces in the legis- 
 latures. 
 
 Massachusetts. In the Massachusetts legislature, Charles 
 H. Morrill introduced 28 measures, in addition to vigorous work 
 for or against many other bills which were before the house. 
 
 Although this year was his fourth annual term, he has not 
 as yet missed a single daily session. He has often led the fight 
 before committees and the house for progressive and labor 
 legislation, in addition to supporting bills for the benefit of his 
 own city. In common with many other socialists, he has found 
 that the drafting clerks failed to grasp the economic viewpoint 
 of the socialists and he has been compelled to draft many bills 
 himself. 
 
 The record for 1913 is as follows: 
 
 School Lunches. Mr. Morrill secured the passage of a bill, 
 permitting cities and towns to provide meals or lunches for 
 school children, or at a price not exceeding the cost thereof. A 
 plank calling for the adoption of this measure has been in the 
 Massachusetts socialist platform for many years, but the bill 
 has not been put through till now. 
 
 Widows' Pensions. Mr. Morrill's bill was the first along 
 this line ever introduced in the Massachusetts legislature. 
 Amiong those who supported the bill were the federation of 
 labor and the mothers' and parent-teachers' associations. The 
 bill provided for pensions not only for widows, but also for each 
 dependent or neglected child, if a juvenile, probate or other 
 court found conditions warranted it, and in case the parent was 
 a proper guardian. The bill provided that the money should be 
 paid from the office of the county commissioners. Unfortunately, 
 it was amended to read that the money should be paid, one- 
 third from the office of the state board of charities, and two- 
 thirds from the office of the local overseers of the poor. This 
 
 22 
 
amendment will probably, in some cases, cause the recipients 
 to feel that they are objects of charity, rather than that they are 
 receiving merited aid toward better citizenship. The bill passed, 
 as amended, but, for reasons stated, the passage of the measure 
 is only partially satisfactory to the socialists. 
 
 Initiative and Referendum. Another successful measure is 
 a joint resolution, which does not call for the full initiative and 
 referendum, but does call for a constitutional amendment em- 
 powering the legislature to voluntarily submit for popular 
 approval any act, resolve, or parts thereof it has approved. This 
 is an advance over present conditions, at least, pending the adop- 
 tion of the full initiative and referendum. The voters of Massa- 
 chusetts adopted this amendment themselves at the November, 
 1913, election. 
 
 Government Ownership of Coal Mines. After a long fight 
 in this and the former session of the legislature, the house 
 passed Mr. Morrill's joint resolution calling for the government 
 ownership of coal mines, although a few minutes before they 
 had killed his resolution for placing the railroads of the country 
 under the management of the post office department. This 
 action seemed to be the result of a desire on the part of the 
 representatives to "get in right" with their constituents. The 
 senate later rejected the resolution without the courtesy of a 
 roll call to show who was responsible. 
 
 Equal Suffrage. Petitions amending the state constitution, 
 so as to grant woman suffrage, were introduced by the federa- 
 tion of labor, the woman suffragists, Representative Morrill 
 and Representative Wood of the Progressive party. The contest 
 came upon Morrill's petition and he opened the fight. He in- 
 sisted the matter be no longer considered as the annual joke 
 before the legislature, and for the first time both sides debated 
 it seriously. He struck the keynote of the debate by saying its 
 adoption did not necessarily grant equal suffrage, but would 
 permit the men alone to decide whether women may vote. The 
 committee had disapproved of the measure, but after lengthy 
 discussion, the bill was substituted on roll call, 127 to 70, with 
 13 pairs — the first time the proposition had ever received a ma- 
 jority of votes. Another roll call later resulted favorably, 144 
 to 88. Not all of the representatives remained firm, however, 
 as two democrats and two republicans, who had voted to sub- 
 stitute the resolution for the unfavorable report of the committee, 
 
 23 
 
voted against the resolution itself. Two democrats and one 
 republican shifted from no to yes. It is significant that two 
 of the democrats who were finally placed in the opposition 
 column are strong "labor" men. The necessary two-thirds vote, 
 however, was not secured, and the resolution was lost. 
 
 Work for the Unemployed. A thorough discussion of this 
 measure has not resulted in its present success, but has probably 
 opened the way for legislative possibilities next year. Industrial 
 panics and hard times generally occur in the summer, when 
 the legislature is not in session, and the governor and council 
 listen to complaints of delegates of the unemployed and tell 
 them how sorry they are that they have no authority to expend 
 money without legislative consent. Each year Mr. Morrill has 
 introduced a bill to permit the governor and council to expend 
 money at such times for additional work upon state highways, 
 at first placing the amount at $100,000, but later raising it to 
 $500,000. In 1910, the committee on labor reported favorably; 
 and the senate secured an opinion that it was unconstitutional, 
 despite the fact that the legislature had appropriated each year 
 a lump sum to be expended during the five succeeding years 
 by the same state highway commission named in Morrill's bill, 
 and the appropriations still continue. In 1911, the committee 
 again reported favorably. The ways and means committee 
 then unanimously reported against it. Morrill led a fight in 
 the house which rejected the committee's report and stood for 
 the bill. At the final reading, however, there was a reversal of 
 the vote and the bill was defeated. In 1912 the labor com- 
 mittee turned down the bill and the house killed it. In 1913 
 it was killed by kindness. The labor committee favored it, 
 10 to 1. The city solicitor of Boston appeared and advocated 
 expenditures of three or four millions during hard times. This 
 impressed the committee, which requested the sympathetic 
 clergyman-legislator, C. H. Williams, to draft a new and more 
 sweeping bill. After he expended considerable time and efifort, 
 with fair results, the committee proved its insincerity or in- 
 competency by unanimously turning him down, and offended him 
 by destroying his documents. The house killed the bill, 85 to 34. 
 But Morrill will take up the fight again next year. 
 
 Miscellaneous Bills. Among the other bills introduced by 
 Morrill, but defeated, the following may be rnentioned: 
 
 24 
 
Granting cities the right to establish municipal lighting 
 plants by a majority vote of a city council for one year, instead 
 of a two-thirds vote for two successive years, as at present. 
 The bill also retains the provision for approval by popular vote. 
 
 Constitutional amendment to permit uniform rate of taxa- 
 tion upon personal property. 
 
 Compulsory filing of tax returns. 
 
 Raising the age for compulsory school attendance from 14 
 to 16 (later amended to 15, but lost). 
 
 Constitutional amendment providing for proportional repre- 
 sentation in the state legislature. 
 
 Providing for representation of minority political parties on 
 all boards of election officers. 
 
 Calling for an amendment empowering 25,000 voters to in- 
 itiate any proposed amendment to the state constitution. 
 
 Initiative and referendum for all cities. 
 
 Calling for a constitutional convention to revise the state 
 constitution. 
 
 Prohibiting employment of minors under 16 years of age in 
 factories, workshops and mercantile establishments. 
 
 Pensions for city or town employes injured in performance 
 of a duty. 
 
 Giving cities the right to establish public ownership of street 
 railways. 
 
 Enabling cities and towns to erect and operate municipal 
 gas and electric plants, instead of being compelled to purchase 
 an existing plant at an exorbitant price. 
 
 Requiring investigations of industrial difficulties by the 
 state board of conciliation, upon application of either party, 
 and the rendering of a public decision as to which party is mainly 
 responsible or blameworthy, instead of investigating only at 
 the request of both parties, as at present. 
 
 Providing for investigations by the attorney-general of the 
 rise in prices of the necessities of life, providing $5,000 fine and 
 one year's imprisonment for conspiracy or cornering the market 
 to increase the cost of living; but exempting farmers, hand and 
 brain workers seeking to increase the value received for their 
 labor from its provisions. 
 
 Providing that "labor organizations and the members of 
 the same shall not be responsible, civilly or criminally for dam- 
 ages arising from any acts of the unions or of any member 
 
 2S 
 
thereof, in the course of a strike, boycott or other labor dis- 
 turbance, provided that such acts do not constitute a breach of 
 the peace." 
 
 Providing for recall of any officers, whether elected or ap- 
 pointed, legislative, executive or judicial, whose compensation 
 is paid by, or whose appointment is received from, the state or 
 any county. 
 
 Two orders calling for investigations of strikes, one in Hope- 
 dale and the other at Ipswich. 
 
 In addition to the above, Mr. Morrill introduced bills in 
 1911, which he did not repeat in 1913, as follows: 
 
 To permit citizens as well as ice companies to cut ice on 
 public ponds, if authorized by local authorities. 
 
 Pure shoe and clothing law, requiring marking or tagging 
 of all goods containing shoddy materials. 
 
 Constitutional amendment — election of judges by the people. 
 
 Eight-hour day for railroad and street railway employes. 
 
 One of the bills against which he worked in 1913, but which 
 was finally enacted, was to prohibit the use of a red or a black 
 flag in any parade. This was, of course, aimed at the socialists. 
 The drafting of the bill and the whole course of treatment which 
 it received were entirely absurd and unworthy, and the final 
 vote was taken, through blunder, not on the bill in its last 
 amended and accepted form, but with two changes which had 
 been previously struck out and which changed the import of the 
 bill, and which were both opposed to the customs and desires 
 of the Socialist party. The house refused Morrill's demand 
 for a roll call. 
 
 Illinois. The 1913 session of the Illinois legislature opened 
 with four socialists in a total of 153 members in the house of 
 representatives. The situation was very complicated. The 
 house had a membership of Ti democrats, 50 republicans, 25 
 progressives and 4 socialists. No party had the necessary ma- 
 jority to effect an organization of the house, or even to pass a 
 single bill, and practically all work had to be done through 
 coalitions. The first fight developed over the election of a 
 speaker and upon this proposition the house was deadlocked 
 for three weeks. The socialists nominated Seymour Stedman 
 and voted for him on every roll call to the finish. Their votes 
 could not at any time have broken the deadlock. 
 
 26 
 
The fight for the election of two United States senators 
 was even more prolonged and bitter than the battle for speaker- 
 ship. On this question the socialists made it quite plain that 
 they would under no circumstances cast their votes for anyone 
 but their own candidates — Barney Berlyn and Duncan McDon- 
 ald. Mr. Stedman, in nominating Barney Berlyn, took occasion 
 to explain the socialist philosophy and position as compared with 
 those of other political parties. 
 
 Committee Appointments. Long delays ensued in a struggle 
 over the adoption of house rules, and following this, over the 
 appointment of committees. Some committees were not ap- 
 pointed until the session was almost over. The old party men, 
 republicans and democrats, received each a dozen or more ap- 
 pointments, the progressives and socialists two or three. Citi- 
 zens of Illinois who gave Joseph M. Mason over 26,000 votes, 
 the largest vote polled by any representative, with one excep- 
 tion, were disfranchised by these committee appointments on the 
 part of the speaker, so far as voice and votes on committees 
 were concerned, as Mason was appointed on only three com- 
 mittees, all of which were merely ornamental and were not sup- 
 posed to meet or do any real work. H. W. Harris was appointed 
 a member of the important committee on education, but at- 
 tended only one meeting, as he was shortly afterwards unseated 
 by the house. Stedman was more fortunate, being made chair- 
 man of the committee on libraries and a member of committees 
 on the judiciary, judicial department and practice; mines and 
 mining, and public utilities, all of which are influential. Christian 
 M. Madsen was made a member of the committee on labor 
 and industrial aflfairs, a job for which there is keen competition, 
 as a number of members are anxious to establish a labor record 
 for themselves. Perhaps the class lines are nowhere more 
 clearly shown than in this committee, where capitalist and labor 
 lobbies are lined up against one another, fighting for and against 
 measures in which the workers are directly interested. 
 
 Altogether over 900 bills were introduced in the house, and 
 about 700 in the senate. The socialists took an active part in 
 the discussions and voted as a unit on every measure. They 
 often found it comparatively easy to defeat vicious or obnoxious 
 bills, as the members do not care to go on record in favor of 
 measures that are too brazen. 
 
 27 
 
It would be impractical to follow the course and final dis- 
 position of all the socialist bills, but the following comments 
 may be of interest: 
 
 Mine Workers. The socialists introduced a bill to reim- 
 burse the Mine Workers' Union for money advanced the examin- 
 ing board. The measure passed the house and senate and 
 received the signature of the governor. This is the only bill 
 introduced by the socialists which was actually enacted. 
 
 Belgian Strike. A resolution extending the sympathy and 
 best wishes of the house to the Belgian strikers struggling for 
 full manhood sufifrage. This resolution was adopted and its 
 contents cabled to Belgium by the national office of the So- 
 cialist party. The action of so reactionary a legislature as that 
 of Illinois in passing such a resolution introduced by socialists 
 was regarded as somewhat surprising, to say the least, and was 
 something of a victory. The resolution read as follows: 
 
 "Whereas, We believe that all men are created equal, and 
 should have an equal voice in the government of their country; 
 and 
 
 "Whereas, The people in Belgium are today engaged in a 
 struggle for full manhood suffrage based upon the principles of 
 equality and the right of self-government; and 
 
 "Whereas, We believe that this struggle for the same rights 
 and principles which we in this country have enjoyed for more 
 than a hundred years is founded upon right and justice; there- 
 fore be it 
 
 "Resolved, That we, the members of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives of the 48th General Assembly of the State of Illinois, 
 reaffirm our allegiance to these long established principles of 
 equality and the right of self-government, and extend to the 
 people in Belgium our sympathy for their cause and our best 
 wishes that they may succeed in their effort to gain for them- 
 selves these rights and privileges, without which no country may 
 hope to secure for its people the right to life, liberty and the pur- 
 suit of happiness." 
 
 Semi-Monthly Payment of Wages. Several bills had been 
 introduced on this subject. The one introduced by the socialists 
 was referred to the judiciary committee, where Mr. Madsen 
 appeared and argued for its passage. He showed by statistical 
 reports the amount of money due employes in wages held back 
 by the different corporations in the state under the present 
 
 28 
 
system of monthly payment. Mr. Stedman, as a member of the 
 committee, also took part in the discussion. Representatives of 
 the railroads and others were present and opposed the bill. A 
 similar bill, originally introduced in the senate, was finally 
 enacted. The object of the socialists was accomplished, and 
 this might be considered as at least a partial success of a so- 
 cialist measure. 
 
 Union Label on All State Printing. This bill was reported 
 out with recommendation that it "do pass," was placed upon the 
 house calendar, where it died. But the socialists were able to 
 secure the use of the label in the following manner : When they 
 were furnished with the printed and engraved stationery allotted 
 to the members of the house, they refused to accept it, explain- 
 ing that they could not send letters to their constituents on 
 paper which did not bear the label, and, for all they knew, might 
 have been printed by non-union men. The stationery was im- 
 mediately sent back to the print shop, and the label put on every 
 letterhead and envelope. The union label immediately there- 
 after appeared on all state printing, and on the next batch of 
 stationery the printers' and photo engravers' label graced the 
 letterheads and envelopes of every member of the house. In 
 this manner the socialists won their point indirectly. 
 
 One Day Rest in Seven. This bill was reported out of the 
 labor committee with recommendation that it "do pass." On 
 the roll call for passage in the house it received 70 votes for 
 and 4 against. However, under the constitution of the state of 
 Illinois, a majority of 77 votes is necessary to pass a bill, and 
 this bill was allowed to come before the house only after weeks 
 of promise and delay, at an evening session when only 84 mem- 
 bers were present. It is significant that this is the only socialist 
 bill of importance that ever came to a roll call vote in the house. 
 The powers that be did not deem it wise to let their names go 
 on record on the socialist bills, adopting the safer course of 
 letting all of them, with the exception of a few harmless meas- 
 ures, die upon the calendar, with no record of names for or 
 against them to enlighten the workers of Illinois as to where 
 their representatives stood on working-class legislation. 
 
 To Prevent Imprisonment for Contempt of Court. The bill 
 to prevent imprisonment for contempt of court, without trial by 
 jury, in cases growing out of strikes and labor disputes, was 
 referred to the committee on judicial department and practice, 
 
 29 
 
and reported out with the recommendation that it "do not pass." 
 The socialists then took up the fight on the floor of the house 
 and on a roll call beat the opposition to the bill by a vote of 
 92 to 25. The bill was placed on the calendar and advanced to 
 third reading, but no opportunity was given to call it up for 
 passage. The fate of this bill is a good illustration of the ar- 
 bitrary use of the speaker's power. 
 
 Giving Cities Power to Construct and Operate Coal Yards, 
 Ice Houses, etc. This measure was reported out favorably by 
 the committee on municipal corporations, placed upon the cal- 
 endar and advanced to third reading, where it died. A some- 
 what similar bill, introduced in the senate, giving cities the 
 right to own and operate public utilities for heat, light, power, 
 cold storage, etc., was enacted. Another case of a "similar 
 measure passed." 
 
 State Fair Ground Employes' Wages. A resolution that 
 workers on state fair grounds be paid not less than $2.50 a day 
 in wages, passed the house, and although it could not force the 
 fair managers to comply, it was hoped that it would influence 
 them in that direction. 
 
 Work on Other Bills. In addition to the work on their own 
 bills, the socialists helped defeat the bill legalizing boxing and 
 horse racing; the bill which would create perhaps six jury boxes 
 and thus give opportunities for tampering with the jury system ; 
 and the bill which would have permitted the re-establishment of 
 basement bakeries in Chicago. And they helped to pass the 
 woman suffrage bill, granting a limited franchise to women; 
 the "double platoon" bill, forcing the employment of double 
 shifts of men in certain occupations, and the bill licensing mason 
 contractors. 
 
 The Illinois legislature of 1913 waged the customary fight 
 over the initiative and referendum resolution, calling for con- 
 stitutional amendment. It is noteworthy that this resolution 
 passed the senate, and then was defeated in the house by one 
 vote, the week after the socialist representative, Harris, was 
 unseated. 
 
 The subject and disposition of the balance of the Illinois 
 socialist bills can be gathered from the full subject list given on 
 a previous page. 
 
 Arbitrary Power of the Speaker. The fate of the majority 
 of the socialist bills is a good illustration of the use of the 
 
 30 
 
arbitrary power of the speaker, and also of the confusion arising 
 from the rules governing the conduct of the legislature. The 
 session of the legislature is practically limited to less than six 
 months, on account of the ruling that if a bill is not passed by 
 June 20 it cannot go into efifect till July 1 of the succeeding year. 
 Consequently all measures that are not called up for second and 
 third reading within this prescribed time are defeated by simply 
 dying on the calendar. This makes it possible for the speaker 
 to defeat measures by simply delaying action. 
 
 Inevitably, in a situation of this sort, a great mass of bills 
 are not acted upon when the legislature reaches its last week of 
 session. It is practically impossible to get them before the 
 house or senate. 
 
 The situation is further complicated by the fact that the 
 bills are not and cannot be called up for second and third reading 
 except when the speaker recognizes some one who calls for the 
 bill. This makes it possible for the speaker to recognize his 
 friends and give them an opportunity to present their bills, and 
 to overlook those who are likely to present bills to which he is 
 unfriendly. 
 
 In view of these facts, it has come to be the custom in the 
 legislature for those who are anxious to get their bills before 
 the body to see the speaker beforehand and arrange with him for 
 recognition. He makes a list each day and is supposed to call 
 upon the names in the order in which they have been entered 
 upon the list. It often happens, however, that when a repre- 
 sentative sees the speaker, he can manage to get his name only 
 toward the end of the list, and then during the session of that 
 day the end will not be reached, and the representative has failed 
 to be called upon. Or even if he has succeeded in getting his 
 name near the top, the speaker, under pressure, will often enter 
 other names before that of the representative, so that, before 
 adjournment, his name may have been relegated to a place 
 toward the end. In this way, the representative fails entirely 
 to get recognition. 
 
 And again, in the evening the speaker may confer with his 
 friends, and the next morning he has a completely new list, on 
 which the name of the representative who had seen him the day 
 before does not appear at all. In this way, the members of the 
 legislature who are trying to advance radical measures may be 
 put off from time to time, until their bills are eliminated entirely. 
 
 31 
 
California. In this state the fight in behalf of the universal 
 eight-hour bill assumed the largest proportions. The bill did 
 not include domestic help or agricultural labor. The Progressive 
 party representatives, who were elected on a platform which 
 included industrial justice in its foremost demands, were in an 
 overwhelming majority. This fact would naturally have been 
 supposed to add all the 71 Progressive party votes to that of the 
 lone socialist on this particular measure; but it did not. A 
 petition to the members of the assembly, signed by the voters 
 of the state, demanding the passage of this bill, bore 70,000 
 names, was 2,000 feet long, and took one person three days to 
 paste together. Yet in spite of all this, the committee on capital 
 and labor reported unfavorably on the bill, and the assembly 
 voted, 37 to 30, against it. The defeat of this bill in the legis- 
 lature, however, has not been without its good results. It has 
 stirred the workers to renewed activity in other lines. They 
 have circulated petitions and have already a sufficient number 
 of signatures so that a bill for eight hours for all labor will be 
 submitted directly to the voters of the state at the general elec- 
 tion in 1914. 
 
 Kansas. Socialist Mine Inspector Deposed. The most 
 serious and significant struggle in the 1913 session of the 
 Kansas legislature came over the matter of the selection of the 
 state mine inspector and of the state labor commissioner. For 
 14 years the miners of the state of Kansas had enjoyed the privi- 
 lege, which, so far as we know, miners of no other state have 
 enjoyed, namely, the right of electing their own mine inspectors. 
 Furthermore, the state federation of labor of Kansas had en- 
 joyed the privilege of electing the labor commissioners of the 
 state. Under the operation of these laws, the miners had regu- 
 larly chosen the mine inspectors, and the elections had been 
 ratified by the governors. 
 
 Up to 1911 the miners had selected for mine inspectors 
 either republicans or democrats. These officials, however, were 
 not particularly aggressive in enforcing the mining laws, which, 
 in the state of Kansas, were very well drawn. The mining laws 
 covered 32 pages of the statutes, and rather more than elsewhere 
 protected the lives of the miners and rendered the mines safe 
 and sanitary. 
 
 Of late years, however, a change has come over the miners 
 
 32 
 
of Kansas. This change has been brought about by the growing 
 socialist sentiment among them. 
 
 In Washington, Crawford County, there are several thou- 
 sand miners. In 1910, the socialists elected an entire township 
 ticket, including two justices of the peace, two trustees and 
 two constables — the entire political machinery of the township. 
 In January of the following year, 1911, the miners' unions, acting 
 as a state mining association under the law, elected a socialist 
 state mine inspector, Leon Besson. Naturally, a mine inspector 
 who is elected by the miners themselves, and who is also a so- 
 cialist, would make the inspections of mines a very effective 
 matter. Besson found that the mine operators were basely vio- 
 lating nearly every law on the statutes. He began to insist on 
 the observance of these laws, and when the operators ignored 
 his notices, he promptly closed down the mines and brought the 
 companies before the justices of the peace, who, as stated above, 
 were socialists. In other words, the capture of these positions 
 by the socialists had brought a very sharp issue between the 
 miners and mine owners, who were violating the mining laws 
 and ignoring the public authorities. 
 
 Here was the situation that presented a very vital problem 
 for the state legislature of 1913. One of the first moves in this 
 legislature was an attack upon this situation on the part of the 
 representatives of the mine owners in the legislature. A bill 
 was introduced to change entirely the method of electing the 
 mine inspector and the labor commissioner. The measure pro- 
 vided for the creation of a bureau of labor, taking the power of 
 the election of the mine inspector and the labor commissioner 
 away from the labor unions, and giving this power to the gov- 
 ernor for the next ensuing two years, and then causing these 
 officials to be elected by popular vote. The new bill was evi- 
 dently introduced for the purpose of securing the active assist- 
 ance and support of the two newly appointed officials, who, it 
 was thought, could try to lead the workers into the democratic 
 camp at the time of the next election. The bill was rushed 
 through the house with all possible speed. Although assigned 
 to the labor committee, it was never presented to them. The 
 deposed labor commissioner was a loyal and competent union 
 man, and the mine inspector, John Gore, was a socialist with a 
 dogged determination to enforce the state laws. The facts con- 
 cerning these officials were grossly misrepresented, and their 
 
 33 
 
work was bitterly attacked. The speaker of the house made 
 the bill a special order of business, called a speaker pro tem to 
 take the chair, while he himself took the floor and drove the 
 bill through the house under the whip. 
 
 Minimum Wage Bill. Another struggle ensued on the 
 matter of the minimum wage bill, and resulted in its defeat. 
 This measure had been a party pledge with democrats and 
 republicans, and their representatives united to defeat it. The 
 anticipated support of the churches, the press and social and 
 charitable institutions was withheld, and in many cases their 
 opposition was substituted. The Young Women's Christian 
 Association refused to have anything to do with the matter on 
 the ground that it was politics, and that the organization had 
 members from every class, and therefore could not stand by the 
 working girls as against the employers, some of whom might 
 be looked to for contributions. Petitions with false arguments 
 against the bill were circulated among working girls in large 
 establishments and petty stories were told about the women 
 backing the bill. A protest meeting of so-called working girls 
 was called at the Y. W. C. A., with Santa Fe stenographers in 
 charge, along with heads of departments in big stores, them- 
 selves employers of cheap girls in their special departments. 
 The meeting, however, failed of its purpose because two girls 
 insisted on speaking for the bill, and the following day a special 
 meeting was called at the labor hall to explain the real nature 
 of the bill and to calm the fears of the girls. 
 
 The supporters of the bill finally agreed, as a compromise 
 on terms, but not on principle, to a $6 minimum (the original 
 demand was $9), and a 9-hour day and 54-hour week. This 
 revised bill passed the assembly, 65 to 48, and was referred to 
 the senate committee on labor. It was attacked there by a 
 business representative with false statements concerning the cost 
 of living for a girl, and by the wife of Senator Porter, the old 
 party politician, who was occupying the usurped seat of socialist 
 Senator Stanton. Mrs. Porter argued that the girls who received 
 small wages were those who would not work and were inefficient ; 
 that social work had taught her that girls went wrong because 
 they were naturally bad and not because of insufficient wages, 
 and that the true solution of the problem would be to have all 
 women treat their servants with the consideration with which 
 she treated hers, so that the girls would be encouraged to go 
 
 34 
 
into domestic service, instead of submitting to the indignity of 
 becoming men's stenographers. 
 
 The bill was dragged from senate to committee, from com- 
 mittee to senate and back again, and finally died an inconspicu- 
 ous death at the foot of "general orders," without being brought 
 to final vote. 
 
 Railway Employes Ignored. In addition to the above 
 stories, Mr. Wilson gives a list of 13 bills which were introduced 
 at the request of the railway men of the state, all of which met 
 with defeat. Among these were bills providing for the payment 
 of wages, protection of lives of the traveling public, safety and 
 health of employes, etc. Over against these, however, there were 
 four excellent railway bills which did pass. 
 
 Fully a thousand bills were presented in both houses during 
 the session. About 300 new laws were passed, about 20 of 
 which Mr. Wilson enumerates as being of importance and 
 value to the people's welfare. 
 
 The corporations were well represented in the lobby in 
 Topeka, and the lobbyists were wined and dined in an effective 
 fashion. A doctor, lobbying in the interest of tuberculosis work, 
 who had been attending legislative sessions in 15 different states 
 for the last 8 years, stated that he had never seen such a vigorous 
 lobby maintained by the railroads anywhere else. The mine 
 operators were busy in efforts to defeat bills presented in the 
 interest of the miners, and informed the revision committee 
 that the socialist representatives did not represent the wishes of 
 the miners; that union men were not socialists or in sympathy 
 with the proposed legislation of the two socialists. 
 
 Monstrosities of Our Legislatures. The Kansas legislature 
 resorts occasionally to what is known as the "bulk roll call." 
 Sometimes as many as 25 bills were being read at the same 
 time by their various authors, in babbling confusion. Then the 
 representatives voted aye or nay, usually aye, as the roll was 
 called. The first time the senate bills were considered in bulk, 
 there were actually 29 presented. The enacting clause was all 
 that was read; then the speaker ordered the clerk to call the 
 roll. When Mr. Wilson's name was called, he said, "I have 
 sometimes taken my medicine with my eyes shut, but I seriously 
 object to shutting my eyes to this full dose of 29 senate bills 
 without the house having even 10 minutes to read them, much 
 less to give them intelligent attention. I therefore vote no on 
 
 35 
 
the whole bag of tricks." Several of the other representatives 
 afterwards remarked that Wilson had expressed their convictions. 
 However, they raised no objections and the farce continued. 
 
 Washington. In the state of Washington, William H. King- 
 ery introduced six bills, all bearing directly on the demands of 
 the socialist program, and although none of them passed, he 
 was successful in securing the passage of a few measures directly 
 benefiting his own district. He reports as follows: 
 
 "When the legislature opened, I took my seat as the first 
 socialist elected to the legislature of Washington. The task 
 before me was a difficult one. I determined early in the session 
 to vote on every measure, and this policy I carried out. 
 
 "I was given places on the following committees: Agri- 
 cultural, tide lands, mileage and contingent expenses, internal 
 improvements and Indian affairs, engrossed bills, federal re- 
 lations, immigration and dairy and live stock. 
 
 "I felt that if I could gain a respectful hearing for the 
 Socialist party in its initial official acts, I would pave the way 
 for constructive legislative work in the future. 
 
 Universal Eight-Hour Law. "This I expect will bear fruit 
 in the 1914 election, when I shall try to have the universal eight- 
 hour law that was before the legislature presented to the people 
 for their approval or rejection under the new initiative and refer- 
 endum law that we passed at the last session of the legislature. 
 
 "This bill was introduced by Representative Grass, a stand- 
 pat republican from King County. Mr. Grass had no intention 
 or desire for this bill to become a law. He introduced it purely 
 as a retaliative measure. The state grange had been very active 
 in assisting the federation of labor in the passage of labor 
 legislation, especially in securing the passage of a bill providing 
 for an amendment to the constitution by the initiative of the 
 people. This made some of the standpatters very angry with 
 the grange and they wanted to get something with which to 
 chastise the farmers. They thought that a universal eight-hour 
 day law would make the farmers squeal as quick as anything, so 
 they drew up the bill, and had Representative Grass present it 
 to the legislature. They soon found that the grange was in 
 favor of an eight-hour gate to gate law, so they got busy and 
 had the bill killed in the committee. 
 
 "I picked up the cue, went to the printing office, had several 
 thousand blank petitions and a circular letter, setting forth the 
 
 36 
 
facts, printed and circulated throughout the state. They were 
 returned with some 30,000 signatures. I took no action in the 
 matter in the legislature, but have the matter thoroughly in 
 hand, and will, at the proper time (which will be January next), 
 file the proposed eight-hour law with the secretary of state, 
 and, as soon as the attorney-general files the ballot title, which he 
 must do within ten days after it has been filed with the secre- 
 tary of state, I will begin at once the circulation of the oiificial 
 petitions, which I am assured will receive the requisite official 
 number of signatures, as I am already in possession of the re- 
 quired number on the preliminary petitions that were circulated 
 last winter. All that will be required is to refer them back to 
 the same parties and have them sign the official forms. 
 
 "If we get the proper support in the campaign for the pass- 
 age of this law, we are sure to place the state of Washington on 
 the eight-hour law basis in the election of 1914. 
 
 The State as Purchasing Agent. "One of the bills I intro- 
 duced was house bill 609, entitled 'An Act to Reduce the Cost 
 of Living by Eliminating Waste in Distribution, Extending the 
 Function of the State Board of Control in Connection There- 
 with and Making an Appropriation Therefor.' This bill provided 
 that the state board of control should become the purchasing 
 agent for all state institutions; this board to buy upon com- 
 petitive bids; their purchases to include every commodity that 
 is consumed in the average household, including groceries, dry 
 goods, hardware, medicines, hay, grain, machinery, etc. 
 
 "While it is true that this bill is a reform measure, with but 
 little economic base, I know of no law that is possible of passing 
 at this time that would be of greater benefit to the working class 
 in the state of Washington, as it would eliminate practically all 
 of the waste charges between the wholesaler (and in many 
 instances, the manufacturer) and the consumer, and would teach 
 the great principles of co-operation and elimination of competi- 
 tion. A careful perusal of the accounts of this board of control 
 shows that they are actually now purchasing these commodities 
 at least 50 per cent cheaper than the private citizen is paying for 
 the same article. 
 
 "The bill was received with some degree of enthusiasm. 
 Upon its first reading it was referred to the committee on agri- 
 culture, and passed out with recommendation that it 'do pass.' 
 It carried an appropriation and upon second reading was re- 
 
 37 
 
ferred to the committee on appropriations and met its death in 
 that committee. 
 
 "In the discussion in the committee room, but one objec- 
 tion was raised to the bill — that it would displace the retail store- 
 keepers. I was asked this question: 'Mr. Kingery, should your 
 bill pass and become a law, would it not put the storekeeper out 
 of business?' I answered it would not, if he could compete 
 with the state. The representative asking the question admitted 
 that the retail storekeeper could not compete and asked again: 
 'As a matter of fact, would it not put the storekeeper out of 
 business?' I answered that it would, and explained that the 
 retail store was a toll gate between producer and consumer, and 
 if the function which it now performs could be performed by 
 some other agency at a great saving, then it should be elim- 
 inated." 
 
 Anti-Military Bill. "I sounded the feeling of militarism in 
 an amendment that I offered to a military bill, abolishing the 
 entire military code of the state of Washington, providing for 
 the honorable discharge of all militiamen, and for the disposal 
 of all military property and the turning of the proceeds there- 
 from into the public school fund. This amendment received 
 about 20 of the 97 votes." 
 
 Montana. Charles H. Conner writes us: "My heaviest 
 work was in the exposure of the true meaning of certain bills 
 introduced by other members. I was the only socialist mem- 
 ber in the legislature and frequently made motions, but as I 
 could not get a second, I could not get a chance to debate the 
 questions." One socialist bill of importance, however, was 
 enacted. This was a bill for defining communicable diseases so 
 as to include tuberculosis. The object of the bill was to make it 
 possible to get statistics on this disease from the copper mines 
 and smelters, where tuberculosis is really an occupational disease, 
 so that there will be a basis to work from in framing a com- 
 pensation law for the miners. The state law requires physicians 
 to report all contagious diseases to the state board of health, 
 thereby giving the state figures on tuberculosis. 
 
 Mr. Conner writes further concerning the work he tried to 
 do in the legislature: "I worked hard to build up a sentiment 
 in favor of initiating laws by the people, and it is rapidly gaining 
 ground. The Butte, Helena and other locals have sown the 
 
 38 
 
seed in the industrial centers and the farmers here and there 
 through the state have taken up the cause." 
 
 Wisconsin. In Wisconsin the six socialists in the assembly 
 had the deciding votes on many important measures in the legis- 
 lature of 1913. 
 
 The most significant results of the socialists' work are the 
 state investigations which have been instituted — one of occupa- 
 tional diseases, sickness and invalidity; and the other of old age 
 pensions. Senator Zophy is upon the committee for the in- 
 vestigation of occupational diseases, which was voted $20,000 
 with which to carry on its work. As the result of the work of 
 both of these committees, there will be recommendations for 
 new legislation at the next session of the legislature. The 
 pension measure advocated by the employers, allowing the cor- 
 porate interests to establish their own private pension schemes, 
 was defeated, thus wiping out all obstructions to state aid. 
 
 Other States. The Information Department has been un- 
 able to secure narrative accounts of the work of socialists in 
 the legislatures of Nevada and Minnesota. An outline of the 
 bills introduced by the socialist representatives in these states 
 can be gathered by consultation of the list given above, to- 
 gether with some memoranda as to the results of their work. 
 
 VI. TOTAL GAINS TO DATE^Hl SUCCESSFUL 
 MEASURES 
 
 Putting together the work of both the earlier and later 
 years, we obtain the following table, giving the main subheads 
 of the socialist bills, the number introduced on each topic and 
 the number which have been passed. 
 
 There are included in the column of those "passed" several 
 of the bills of the same import, which were introduced by repre- 
 sentatives of other parties, but which the Socialists supported 
 when they found that their own bills could not pass. 
 
 39 
 
SOCIALIST STATE LEGISLATIVE MEASURES, 1907-1913 
 
 Subjects Number Number 
 
 (Alphabetically arranged) Introduced Passed 
 
 Co-operation 2 1 
 
 County 32 5 
 
 Courts 90 7 
 
 Direct Legislation 18 3 
 
 Domestic Relations ; . . 8 
 
 Education 28 4 
 
 Elections 36 7 
 
 Labor 207 35 
 
 Liquor Traffic 9 
 
 Militarism 2 
 
 Municipal 136 27 
 
 National 34 6 
 
 Pensions 11 5 
 
 Public Health 6 1 
 
 Railroads 14 1 
 
 State 86 8 
 
 Taxation 29 14 
 
 Woman Suffrage 7 
 
 Miscellaneous 23 17 
 
 Unclassified 117 
 
 Total 895 141 
 
 The 35 successful labor bills may be subdivided as follows : 
 
 Miners — Sale of Powder. . . 1 
 
 Occupational Diseases .... 1 
 
 Reimbursements 1 
 
 Safety 5 
 
 Strike Advertisements .... 2 
 
 Strike — Belgium 1 
 
 Strikes, general 1 
 
 Unemployment 2 
 
 Unions, union label 2 
 
 Wages 2 
 
 Child Labor 2 
 
 Compensation 1 
 
 Conditions 2 
 
 Contracts 1 
 
 Full Crew 1 
 
 Hours 4 
 
 Injury 1 
 
 Licenses 1 
 
 Legal Aid 1 
 
 Liens 1 
 
 Miners' Health and Safety. 2 
 
 Special attention may be called to the fact that, of the 
 municipal measures, three provide directly for municipal owner- 
 ship, and others grant the privilege of municipal initiative, ref- 
 
 40 
 
erendum and recall; also to the joint resolution passed in Wis- 
 consin petitioning congress to allow 30 per cent of deposits in 
 the postal savings banks to be used for loans to farmers. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that up to and including the legislative 
 sessions of 1913 the socialists had introduced 895 different bills, 
 covering every phase of the program of Socialism. Of these 
 measures, 141 were successful measures, and have been actually- 
 written into the statutes of the various states. 
 
 VII. SOCIALISM BY DIRECT LEGISLATION 
 
 Supplementary to the work done by the regularly elected 
 socialists in the state legislatures, the socialist program has 
 been and is being pushed aggressively in other lines of legis- 
 lative action. The latest and most important of these is the 
 attempt to secure socialistic enactments by direct legislation. 
 In the states where the principles of the initiative and referendum 
 have been adopted, the people may initiate any specific measure 
 on which they can secure sufificient support and then force it 
 into law at a popular election. In the event of the passage of 
 such measures, it is anticipated that the courts would not assume 
 to declare them unconstitutional. If that is true, the people will 
 in this way circumvent not only the indifference of the legis- 
 latures, but also the even more serious obstacle of adverse court 
 decisions, which is encountered on many progressive measures. 
 
 1. Amending the Constitution in Missouri. The socialists 
 in Missouri are at present endeavoring to secure an amendment 
 to their state constitution, or "bill of rights" in this manner: 
 They have prepared petition blanks which are being widely cir- 
 culated through the state for signatures. In connection with 
 the petition is enclosed a pamphlet describing briefly the purpose 
 of the bill. The petition reads as follows : 
 
 "To the Honorable Cornelius Roach, Secretary of State for the 
 
 State of Missouri: 
 
 "We, the undersigned citizens and legal voters of the state 
 
 of Missouri and of the county of , respectfully 
 
 demand that the following proposed amendment to the constitu- 
 tion shall be submitted to the legal voters of the state of Mis- 
 souri, for their approval or rejection, at the regular general 
 election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday 
 in November, A. D. 1914," etc. 
 
 41 
 
Then follow the blank lines for signatures, and the text of 
 the proposed amendment, which reads: 
 
 "AN ACT 
 
 "To Amend the Bill of Rights, Article 2, Section 4, of the Con- 
 stitution of the State of Missouri. 
 
 "Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Missouri : 
 
 "The Bill of Rights, Article 2, Section 4, of the constitution 
 of the state of Missouri is hereby amended by adding after the 
 word 'liberty' in the third line the words : 'THE OPPORTU- 
 NITY TO EMPLOY THEIR OWN LABOR IN PRODUC- 
 ING WEALTH,' and by further adding after the word 'design' 
 in the sixth line the words : 'IN PROTECTING THE RIGHTS 
 OF THE PEOPLE TO EMPLOY THEIR OWN LABOR, 
 THE STATE SHALL ESTABLISH, OWN AND CONDUCT 
 SUCH FARMS, FACTORIES, WORKSHOPS, PUBLIC 
 WORKS OR ANY OTHER INDUSTRIES OR MEANS OF 
 EMPLOYMENT WHATSOEVER THAT MAY BE NECES- 
 SARY TO GIVE WORK TO EVERY PERSON APPLYING 
 THEREFOR, AND SHALL DISTRIBUTE, SELL OR SUP- 
 PLY THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE OF SUCH INDUS- 
 TRIES TO THE PEOPLE. THE LEGISLATIVE POWER 
 SHALL ENACT SUCH LEGISLATION AS MAY BE NEC- 
 ESSARY TO CARRY THIS PROVISION INTO FULL 
 FORCE AND EFFECT, SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF 
 THE PEOPLE TO ADOPT SUCH LEGISLATION BY DI- 
 RECT ACTION UNDER THE INITIATIVE,' so that when 
 amended said section shall read as follows: 
 
 "Section 4. That all constitutional government is intended 
 to promote the general welfare of the people; that all persons 
 have a natural right to life, liberty, the opportunity to employ 
 their own labor in producing wealth, and the enjoyment of the 
 gains of their own industry ; that to give security to these things 
 is the principal office of the government; and that when govern- 
 ment does not confer this security it fails of its chief design. 
 In protecting the right of the people to employ their own labor, 
 the state shall establish, own and conduct such farms, factories, 
 workshops, public works or any other industries or means of 
 employment whatsoever that may be necessary to give work to 
 every person applying therefor, and shall distribute, sell or supply 
 
 42 
 
the product or service of such industries to the people. The 
 legislative power shall enact such legislation as may be neces- 
 sary to carry this provision into full force and effect, subject to 
 the right of the people to adopt such legislation by direct action 
 under the initiative." 
 
 2. Universal Eight-Hour Law in California. By the same 
 means, the socialists in California have started action to secure 
 a universal eight-hour law. The socialist forces throughout the 
 state joined in the circulation of petitions, and the requisite 
 number of names was secured to bring the bill to popular vote 
 in November, 1914. The text of the law provides that — 
 
 "Any employer who shall require or permit, or who shall 
 suffer or permit any overseer, superintendent, foreman, or other 
 agent of such employer to require or permit, any person in his 
 employ to work more than eight hours in any one day, or more 
 than forty-eight hours in one week, except in case of extraor- 
 dinary emergency caused by fire, flood or danger to life or 
 property, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction 
 thereof shall be fined not less than fifty, nor more than five 
 hundred dollars, or imprisoned in the county jail not less than 
 ten nor more than ninety days, or both so fined and imprisoned." 
 
 3. Minimum Wage. A bill providing for a minimum wage 
 of $2.50 a day for persons over 18 years of age and $1.50 a day 
 for persons under 18 is being circulated in California in the 
 same manner. 
 
 4. Eight-Hour Law in Michigan and Washington. The 
 
 socialists in the states of Michigan and Washington also are 
 circulating initiative petitions calling for a universal eight-hour 
 law, which includes all classes of labor, except agricultural labor 
 and domestic service, and in Washington also excepting "cases 
 of extraordinary emergency, such as danger to life or property," 
 but providing for time and a half pay for overtime, even in the 
 emergency cases. 
 
 6. Child Labor Bill in Arkansas. The state federation of 
 labor in Arkansas, together with the Socialist party of that 
 state, is pressing the adoption of a child labor bill through direct 
 legislation. The bill provides that no child under 14 years of 
 age shall work at any occupation; that children under 16 shall 
 not work in specified dangerous and injurious occupations; that 
 those under 16 shall not work over an eight-hour day and a six- 
 
 43 
 
day week; and that those under 18 shall not work over a ten- 
 hour day or a 54-hour week. In addition to this, they are cir- 
 culating a "bank guarantee" bill, "providing for the security of 
 depositors in the incorporated banks of Arkansas, creating the 
 bank depositors' guaranty fund of the state of Arkansas," etc. 
 A third bill being handled in this manner provides for the crea- 
 tion of a state mining board. 
 
 7. Plans in Other States. The socialists in several other 
 states are busy in drafting bills and preparing to circulate them 
 for signatures so as to bring them to popular vote in the fall. 
 Among these is a "right to work" bill in Oregon, and 8 bills in 
 Arizona, with the following titles : Anti-blacklist ; eighty per 
 cent citizenship; to develop state resources; old age and mothers' 
 pensions; abolishing state senate; restricting veto power; per- 
 mitting state to issue bonds; revising taxation. The state fed- 
 eration of labor in Arizona is co-operating with the socialists 
 in this matter. 
 
 VIII. INDIRECT GAINS. 
 
 The power of the socialist movement to efifect the passage 
 of democratic measures and labor laws by non-socialist legis- 
 lative bodies merits favorable consideration. Perhaps this is 
 nowhere better illustrated than in the state of California. Since 
 1908 the Socialist party membership has increased from less 
 than 2,000 to more than 5,000 in 1910, and 8,500 in 1912. The 
 Socialist vote has correspondingly increased from 27,000 in 1908 
 to 49,000 in 1910, and in 1912 to 79,000 for presidential electors, 
 and 105,000 for congressional candidates. Whether it was due 
 to this rapid and substantial growth of the socialist vote or not, 
 the fact remains that many important measures demanded by 
 the socialists before the legislature of 1911 either became law 
 or were submitted to a vote of the people as constitutional 
 amendments. The initiative and referendum, and recall of offi- 
 cials, including even the members of the state supreme court, 
 as well as woman suffrage, later received emphatic endorsement 
 at the polls and are today part of the organic law of California. 
 
 Labor Measures Enacted. In 1912, although only one so- 
 cialist was elected to the state legislature in California, there 
 were half a dozen more who just missed election by votes of 
 from 50 to 200. This substantial success of the Socialist party 
 
 44 
 
had an immediate effect. In the session of the legislature in 
 1913, it was evident that the political opponents of socialism had 
 at last been influenced by the popular acknowledgment of the 
 justice of the socialist demands. To such an extent was this 
 influence felt that they passed the following measures : Work- 
 men's compensation; insurance and safety act; tenement house 
 act ; act creating commission on immigration and housing ; mini- 
 mum wage bill; free text-book bill; bill to compel advertisers 
 for help to state that a strike is on; bill limiting the hours of 
 women's labor to eight ; child labor law, providing that no child 
 under 18 years of age shall be employed more than eight hours ; 
 eight-hour law for all employes of mines ; full crew for railroad 
 men; eight hours for all nurses; mothers' pensions, also appro- 
 priating over $800,000 to meet such pensions this and next year ; 
 public school teachers' pensions, providing a pension of $600 a 
 year for all public school teachers in the state after 26 years' 
 service; abolishing straight jacket in prisons; compelling safety 
 scaffolding for all painters; regulating wages paid to seasonal 
 and unorganized workers ; regulating private employment agen- 
 cies; anti-blacklisting; providing for registration of factories; 
 establishing state civil service ; providing for and compelling the 
 placing of medicine chests in all factories, and also provicUbg 
 for the inspection and sanitation of all labor camps; and a lj(fee 
 number of other measures, making a total of 55 so-called iJror 
 laws placed upon the statutes of California. 
 
 Similarly, in Wisconsin, some of the best labor laws on the 
 statute books are not those introduced directly by the socialists, 
 but are bills which the socialists worked over and supported, 
 at times when bills of their own on the same subjects were 
 doomed to defeat and when it was still possible to carry the 
 bill of the same import which had been introduced by a repre- 
 sentative of another party. In this way, the Wisconsin state 
 insurance fund law came into being — originally a socialist meas- 
 ure, but carried in the session of 1911, after having been repeat- 
 edly introduced by the socialists. The same is true of the state 
 industrial commission law and the workmen's compensation act. 
 
 As noted in the summary of the 1913 bills on a previous 
 page, 13 bills were enacted this year alone in the various states 
 in this manner. 
 
 The woman suffrage bill in Illinois in 1913 owes its passage 
 in no small measure to the support of the socialists who were 
 
 45 
 
then seated in the assembly. The measure originated in the 
 senate, but when it made its initial appearance in the house, its 
 sponsors placed upon Mr. Stedman the privilege of delivering 
 the principal speech in its behalf. 
 
 IX. THE COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM 
 
 A review of the measures that have been advanced by the 
 socialists in the various states, as presented above, will show 
 that the program of the party has already been worked out in 
 a very comprehensive fashion. The great number and variety 
 of the measures described might to a certain extent conceal the 
 great fundamental principles contained in them by the mere 
 mass of detail. It may be well, therefore, for us to review the 
 field covered, with special reference to the fundamental prin- 
 ciples of socialism. In so doing, we shall bring out the fact 
 that the measures presented cover all of the more essential 
 principles of the Socialist party and its program. 
 
 Looking upon the final purpose of socialism in the broadest 
 way, we may say that it involves four great principles, namely, 
 (1) the strengthening of labor; (2) the democratizing of govern- 
 ment ; (3) the public ownership and democratic control of public 
 utilities and industries ; (4) the public ownership and administra- 
 tion of natural resources. 
 
 The problem of the party then in its legislative functions is 
 to develop the great measures that shall provide for the recon- 
 struction of the social order along these lines. This, we submit, 
 has been fairly well wrought out already by the work of the 
 party, as outlined in the above measures. 
 
 1. The Strengthening of Labor. A study of the measures 
 mentioned above will show that every phase of the labor problem 
 has been covered, including measures providing for work for the 
 unemployed, compensation, better hours and wages, safety, aboli- 
 tion or restriction of children's and women's labor, etc. A con- 
 siderable number of these measures have been successful, and 
 that part of the program which is represented by the measures 
 which have been so far defeated in the legislatures contains by 
 far the more essential elements of the socialist program. It will 
 be the work of the party in the future to urge continually the 
 passage of these measures until they are finally successful. 
 
 46 
 
2. Democratizing the Forms of Government. Along this 
 line the party has developed and advanced such measures as would 
 put the control of the governing bodies of the cities and states and 
 nation into the hands of the people. They include, of course, meas- 
 ures for the extension of the franchise, together with the removal 
 of restrictions, others on direct legislation and recall, the reorganiza- 
 tion of the courts, home rule for cities, reconstruction of the gov- 
 erning bodies, etc. Here again the program of the party has been 
 well developed and remains only to be perfected. Many measures 
 in this direction have already been passed, and the piarty will com- 
 plete its program and continue its work along these lines. 
 
 3. Public Ownership and Democratic Control of Public 
 Utilities and Industries. Along this line the legislative program 
 covers all phases of public ownership — municipal and state owner- 
 ship of such utilities as lie within the cities and states come naturally 
 within the phase of state legislation. In these respects, the measures 
 advanced are numerous, varied and exhaustive. Undoubtedly, as 
 time goes on, they will be perfected, but the work is well under 
 way. In the matter of the public ownership of national utilities, 
 the work of developing the socialist program would fall naturally 
 to the national congress. However, the work of the socialists in 
 state legislatures has not been without its contribution along this 
 line, for, as a matter of fact, the socialists in the various legis- 
 latures have introduced joint resolutions addressed to the United 
 States congress, urging that body to proceed in the line of the 
 national ownership of railroads, telegraphs, express, mines and 
 other national utilities, as well as in behalf of postal savings banks 
 and parcels post. Thus the legislative measures worked out by the 
 socialists in these bodies constitute a comprehensive public 
 ownership program. 
 
 4. Public Ownership of Natural Resources. Recognizing, 
 as the socialists do, that the fundamental basis of all social life 
 consists in the natural resources, including land, minerals, forests 
 and waterways, the extension of the principle of common owner- 
 ship and control to these resources is, of course, fundamental and 
 essential. In this realm, there is a considerable sphere within which 
 the state may operate. The socialists, therefore, have introduced 
 measures looking to the conservation of all the various natural 
 resources within the states. They have also advanced resolutions 
 directed to congress in support of the application of these prin- 
 ciples nationally. These measures have been advanced for the 
 
 47 
 
government ownership of the mines, for the conservation of the 
 forests and waterways, together with the extension of the principle 
 of common ownership. 
 
 Thus, it will be seen that the legislative demands of the party- 
 contained in the measures that have thus far been advanced in the 
 various state legislatures constitute a comprehensive and con- 
 structive program. That these measures will be able to stand 
 scrutiny, criticism and revision, which will result in improve- 
 ment, goes without saying, and the program of socialism will be 
 developed, strengthened and perfected, as time and experience 
 add wisdom and knowledge to the work of the party. 
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 As noted above, the socialists have succeeded in securing the 
 passage of 141 different state legislative measures. This much 
 must be definitely credited to the direct party efforts. But in addi- 
 tion to that there are numerous measures whose passage is unques- 
 tionably due to the persistent agitation of the socialists in the 
 legislative bodies, and more particularly to the menace of their 
 steadily growing vote and increasing number of representatives 
 elected. This indirect influence, it is, of course, impossible to esti- 
 mate. That it is great and increasing is evident. It constitutes one 
 of the important elements in the power of the Socialist party. 
 Bismarck in Germany frankly admitted that a very large part of the 
 progressive social legislation of his country was due directly to 
 the growing power of the socialist movement. 
 
 Such concessions are often sops thrown out by the capitalistic 
 and reform movements in politics in a vain effort to stop the on- 
 rush of socialism. They are a constant testimony to the strength 
 of the Socialist party, and evidence that its policies are obtaining 
 recognition. 
 
 If, with such hopeless minorities in legislative bodies as the 
 party has so far had, such results follow, then the faith of the So- 
 cialist party in the future possibilities of this work is in every 
 way justified. If, as in Wisconsin, a half dozen or a dozen social- 
 ists in the state legislature of 133 members come out of a session 
 with 67 successful measures to their credit ; if 41 socialists, serv- 
 ing in all 68 terms, in the 48 legislatures of the United States, 
 have 141 successful measures to their credit ; if, as in California, 
 the development of the Socialist party and the crystallizing of 
 socialist sentiment is followed by the passage of a half-hundred 
 
more or less important labor and socialistic measures — then 
 surely the future of the socialist movement is secure. 
 
 It has only to maintain the steady growth that has character- 
 ized it every year since the beginning, and two inevitable results 
 will follow: First, the opposing forces in capitalism will be com- 
 pelled to grant or permit increasing concessions, until they cannot 
 concede more without giving up the citadel to the socialists ; and 
 in that process, socialism is certain to gain at every step of the 
 way. Second, with the growth of the party, its number of repre- 
 sentatives in legislative bodies will increase, until at length the 
 power of socialism cannot longer be met with a policy of conces- 
 sion or compromise, and the final issue will be drawn. The cap- 
 italist politicians, lawmakers and all, will be forced into the open 
 fight against the common cause of the people. From that point 
 on it cannot be far to the final conflict where socialism and the 
 socialists will hold the commanding power in the legislative 
 bodies, to pass their measures on roll call by sheer count of ayes 
 and noes. 
 
 49 
 
Appendix 
 
 1. WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION LAW 
 Suggested Model, Drafted by Morris Hillquit 
 
 We realize that it would be impossible to attempt to draft a 
 compensation act in complete form, suitable for adoption in any 
 state, but the following draft is intended to set forth the general 
 outlines of a compensation act, leaving it to the discretion of the 
 local officials to amplify the provisions, particularly with reference 
 to the machinery of administration, if required for practical pur- 
 poses. As it is, the bill will have to be modified and even changed 
 to suit specific conditions, before it is introduced in any state 
 legislature. 
 
 AN ACT 
 
 In relation to assuring compensation for injuries or death to certain 
 employes in the course of their employment. 
 
 WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION IN CERTAIN EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 Short Title. 
 Application of Article. 
 Basis of Liability. 
 Scale of Compensation. 
 Incompetency of Workmen. 
 Settlement of Disputes. 
 Exemptions. 
 
 State Workmen's Compensation Commission. 
 Medical Examiners and Medical Examinations. 
 Security of Payment. 
 
 Short Title. — This chapter shall be known as the 
 WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION LAW. 
 
 Section 2. Application of Article. — This act shall apply to all 
 workers engaged in manufacturing, building, mining, transportation, 
 agriculturial, commercial, clerical, domestic and other employments, 
 whose wages or other earnin,gs or compensation shall not exceed the 
 sum of two thousand dollars per annum. 
 
 Section 3. Basis of Liability. — If in any of the employments above 
 described, personal injury by accident arising during the time of such 
 employment is caused to any workmen employed therein, then the 
 employer shall, subject as hereinafter mentioned, be liable to pay com- 
 pensation at the rates set forth in Section 4 of this article. Occupa- 
 tional diseases shall be treated as accidents within the meaning of that 
 term in this act. 
 
 50 
 
 Section 
 
 1. 
 
 Section 
 
 2. 
 
 Section 
 
 3. 
 
 Section 
 
 4. 
 
 Section 
 
 S. 
 
 Section 
 
 6. 
 
 Section 
 
 7. 
 
 Section 
 
 8. 
 
 Section 
 
 9. 
 
 Section 
 
 10. 
 
 Section 
 
 1. 
 
Section 4. Scale of Compensation. — 1. The amount of compensa- 
 tion in case the injury results in death, shall be a sum equal to two- 
 thirds of the cash value of the amount which, according to the ex- 
 pectation of life given in the Massachusetts Life Table of 1898, the 
 deceased would have earned during the remainder of his natural life, 
 at the wages he was receiving at the time of his death. Such wages 
 to be computed on the basis of the weekly average of the daily wages 
 at full employment which the employee had received during the pre- 
 ceding twelve months or part thereof in the service of his employer, 
 provided that in no case shall the earnings be computed at less than 
 eight hundred and fifty dollars per year. In addition to the compensa- 
 tion above mentioned the employer shall pay reasonable expenses of 
 the funeral of such employee. 
 
 2. The amount of compensation in case the injury results in perma- 
 nent and total disability, shall be equal to the entire cash value of the 
 amount which, according to the expectation of life, the deceased would 
 have earned durin,g the remainder of his natural life, computed in the 
 manner provided in Subdivision 1 of this section. 
 
 3. The amount of compensation in case of permanent partial dis- 
 ability shall be such proportion of the amount hereinabove provided 
 to be paid in case of permanent total disability, as will represent, as 
 nearly as possible, the extent of the impairment of the workman's 
 earning capacity in the same employment or otherwise. 
 
 4. Where temporary total incapacity for work at any gainful em- 
 ployment results to the workman from the injury, the compensation 
 shall be a weekly payment commencing on the date of the injury and 
 continuing during such incapacity, equal to his average weekly earn- 
 ings when at work on full time during the preceding year during which 
 he shall have been in the employment of the same employer, or if he 
 shall have been in the employment of the same employer for less than 
 a year, then a weekly payment equal to six times the average daily 
 earnings on full time for such less period. 
 
 5. Where the injury results in temporary and partial incapacity 
 for work, the amount of compensation shall be equal to the diflference 
 between the amount of the average earnings of the workman before 
 the accident, and the average amount he is able to earn thereafter as 
 wages in the same employment or otherwise. 
 
 6. In addition to the compensation hereinabove specified, the em- 
 ployer shall provide for an injured employee such medical, surgical 
 or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital service, medicines, 
 crutches and apparatus as may be required or be requested by the 
 employee during the period of his sickness or disability. If the em- 
 ployer fail to provide the same, the injured employee may do so at 
 the expense of the employer. 
 
 Section S. Incompetency of Workmen — In case an injured work- 
 man shall be mentally incompetent at the time when any right or 
 privilege accrues to him under this article, a committee or guardian 
 of the incompetent appointed pursuant to law may, on behalf of such 
 
 51 
 
incompetent, claim and exercise any such right or privilege with the 
 same force and effect as if the workman himself had been competent 
 and had claimed or exercised any such right or privilege; and no limi- 
 tation of time in this article provided for shall run so long as said 
 incompetent workman has no committee or guardian. 
 
 Section 6. Settlement of Disputes. — Any question which may arise 
 under this act shall be determined either by agreement or by arbitration, 
 or by an action of law as herein provided. 
 
 A contract in writing between the principals or their representa- 
 tives agreeing upon the amount of compensation due, shall be valid if 
 entered into after the said injury was sustained and not before. Such 
 an agreement shall be signed by the parties to the same, and shall be 
 acknowledged before an ofificer who has power to take proof of ac- 
 knowledgement of instruments to be recorded. Such agreement when 
 approved by the Workmen's Compensation Commission hereinafter men- 
 tioned and filed by any party thereto with the said Commission, shall 
 have the same force in all respects as a judgment of a court of com- 
 petent jurisdiction. 
 
 If the principals or their legal representatives should fail to agree 
 upon the amount of compensation, the dispute may be submitted by 
 them to a board of three arbitrators; one to be designated by each of 
 the two parties to the controversy and the third to be chosen by 
 such arbitrators. The decision of a majority of such arbitrators shall 
 be binding upon the parties. The arbitrators shall make a written 
 award not later than ten days from the submission of the controversy 
 to them, and such award, when signed by the arbitrators, and duly 
 acknowledged, shall be filed with the Commission hereinafter provided, 
 and when so filed it shall have the force and effect of a judgment of 
 a competent court. 
 
 In case the employer fail to make compensation as herein provided, 
 and the controversy is not settled by arbitration as above provided, the 
 injured workman, or his committee or guardian, if such be appointed, 
 or his executor or administrator, may then present the claim for com- 
 pensation to the Commission. 
 
 The Commission shall have full power and authority to determine 
 all questions in relation to the payment of claims for compensation 
 under the provisions of this act. The Commission shall make or cause 
 to be made such investigation as it deems necessary, and upon appli- 
 cation of either party, shall order a hearing, and within ten days after 
 a claim for compensation is submitted under this section, or such 
 hearing closed, shall make or deny an award, determining such claim 
 for compensation, and file the same in the office of the Commission, 
 together with a statement of its conclusions of fact and rulings of law. 
 Immediately after such filing the Commission shall send to the parties 
 a copy of the decision. Upon a hearin.g pursuant to this section either 
 party may present evidence and be represented by counsel. 
 
 Judgments, awards or agreements providing for weekly payments 
 for temporary disability, shall remain in force until the injured em- 
 ployee has returned to work or has recovered, and executions thereon 
 
 S2 
 
may be issued from week to week or for two or more weeks, as long 
 as they remain in force. Said judgments shall be cancelled only by 
 order of the Commission upon satisfactory proof that such employee 
 has returned to work or has recovered, but no such order shall be 
 made without reasonable notice to the employee. 
 
 All lump sums of money to be recovered under this act as compen- 
 sation for inujries resulting in death or permanent disability, shall be 
 paid into the State Accident Insurance Fund hereinafter provided for, 
 for the benefit of the parties entitled to the same under this act. 
 
 Section 7. Exemptions. — The payments recovered under the provi- 
 sions of this act by workmen injured in the course of their employment, 
 or their dependents, shall not be capable of being assigned or attached, 
 and shall not pass by operation of law to any person other than such 
 workman or his dependents, nor shall any claim be set up against such 
 payments. 
 
 Section 8. State Workmen's Compensation Commission. — a. A 
 
 State Workmen's Compensation Commission is hereby created, consist- 
 ing of three commissioners, who shall be appointed by the Governor 
 from a list to be furnished to him by the State Executive Committee or 
 other executive body of the organized workers of the state. The term 
 of office of the said members of the Commission shall be five years. 
 Vacancies shall be filled in like manner in which the original appoint- 
 ment shall be made. Each commissioner shall devote his entire time 
 to the duties of his office, and shall not hold any position of trust or 
 profit, or engage in any occupation or business interfering or incon- 
 sistent with his duties as such commissioner. 
 
 b. The Commission may appoint one or more deputy commissioners 
 and a secretary to hold office during its pleasure. It may also employ, 
 during its pleasure, an actuary, accountants, physicians, clerks, sten- 
 ographers, inspectors and other employees as may be needed to carry 
 out the provisions of this act. 
 
 c. The members of the Commission shall each receive an annual 
 salary of dollars. 
 
 d. The Commission shall be in continuous session and open for 
 the transaction of business during all business hours of every day except- 
 ing Sundays and legal holidays. All sessions shall be open to the public. 
 The Commission may hold sessions in any part of the state, all pro- 
 ceedings before it may be conducted by the parties or their attorneys. 
 All pleadings may be oral and the Commission shall not be bound by 
 common law or statutory rules of evidence or by technical or formal 
 rules of procedure, but may make investigations and inquiries and con- 
 duct hearings in such manner as to ascertain the substantial rights of 
 the parties. 
 
 e. The Commission shall have power to issue subpoenas, to com- 
 pel the attendance of witnesses and to punish recalcitrant witnesses as 
 for contempt. 
 
 f. Any investigation, inquiry or hearing which the Commission is 
 authorized to hold or undertake may be held or taken by or before any 
 
 53 
 
commissioner or deputy commissioner, and the award, decision or or- 
 der of a commissioner or deputy commissioner, when approved and con- 
 firmed by the Commission and ordered -filed in its office, shall be deemed 
 to be the award, decision or order of the Commission. 
 
 g. The Commission shall establish proper rules for the conduct 
 of its business and shall prepare and cause to be distributed requisite 
 blank forms in connection with all proceedings under this act. 
 
 h. The Commission shall annually, on or before the 1st day of 
 February, make report to the Legislature, which shall include a state- 
 ment of the number of awards made by it, the causes of accidents 
 leading to the injuries for which the awards were made and a detailed 
 statement of its expenses. 
 
 i. Appeals from the award of the Commission may be taken by 
 either party feeling aggrieved thereby, to the Supreme Court. Such 
 appeals shall have preference on the calendar of the court over and above 
 any other classes of actions, and no fees or other payment shall be 
 required from the plaintiffs for prosecuting such appeals. 
 
 Section 9. Medical Examiners and Medical Examinations. — a. The 
 State Workmen's Compensation Commission shall appoint in each 
 county such a number of physicians as may be required for the pur- 
 pose, to be known as medical examiners; the duty of such medical ex- 
 aminers shall be to examine injured employees whenever requested by 
 employer or employee, and to certify, whenever required, as to the 
 ability or inability of the employee to work. Such medical examiners 
 also to examine whenever required, the employee in order to ascertain 
 whether his injuries are permanent or temporary, total or partial, and 
 in the latter case, to what extent the earning power of the employee 
 has been impaired by such injuries. The certificate of a medical ex- 
 aminer setting forth the fact of his examination and his findings there- 
 on, shall be evidence of the matters therein contained. 
 
 b. An employee who has made claim to compensation shall sub- 
 mit himself or herself, if so required by the employer, for examination 
 by a duly qualified medical practitioner, provided and paid for by the em- 
 ployer, the employee to have his or her own physician present if desired. 
 
 c. An employee who is in receipt of weekly compensation pay- 
 ments shall submit himself or herself at reasonable intervals, when so 
 required by the employer, for examination by a duly qualified medical 
 practitioner, provided and paid for by the employer, the employee to 
 have his or her own physician present if desired. 
 
 Section 10. Security of Payment. — a. The state shall guarantee 
 the payment of compensation for death and disability or injury. 
 
 b. The State Department of Insurance shall establish and operate 
 a State Accident Insurance Fund. 
 
 c. Every employer shall secure compensation to his employees by 
 insuring and keeping insured the payment of such compensation in the 
 State Accident Insurance Fund or in any stock corporation or mutual 
 association authorized to transact the business of workmen's compensa- 
 tion insurance in the state. If an employer fails to comply with this 
 
 54 
 
provision, he shall be liable for a penalty for every day during which 
 such failure continues, of one dollar for every employee, to be recovered 
 in an action brought by the Commission. 
 
 d. The State Accident Insurance Fund shall consist of all premiums 
 paid into the fund, interest upon its investments, penalties and other 
 payments to be collected by it under the provisions of this act and 
 contributions made to it by the Staite Treasury. 
 
 e. The employments coming under the provisions of this act shall 
 be divided into separate groups with reference to the degree of risk 
 and hazard involved in them and the rates of premiums to be charged 
 by the State Accident Insurance Fund to the employers shall be based 
 upon such classification. Such rates of premiums shall as nearly as may 
 be determined, be equal to the amount of compensation to be paid and 
 other expenses to be borne by the said State Accident Insurance Fund. 
 
 f. In the case of permanent disability or injury or death of an em- 
 ployee, the State Insurance Department shall collect the amount due 
 by the employer, and shall act as trustee for the persons entitled to the 
 compensation. 
 
 g. The amount due the dependents of an employee in the case of 
 such employee's death, or to an employee if permanently disabled, shall 
 be paid in monthly installments throughout the period during which the 
 employee would have contributed to the support of the dependents 
 had he or she not died as a result of the injury; such periods to be 
 considered as 
 
 A. In the case of minors, until their majority. 
 
 B. In the case of other dependents, until their death. 
 
 Annuities shall be so calculated that the sum of their value, com- 
 puted by the Massachusetts Life Table at four per cent., shall be equal 
 to the amount collected from the employer. 
 
 h. In the event of the death of a minor dependent who is receiving 
 an annuity, the amount due until majority of such dependent shall be 
 paid to the remaining dependents, and if there are none, to the State 
 Accident Insurance Fund. 
 
 i. The Legislature shall appropriate sufficient funds to cover the 
 operations of the said Workmen's Compensation Commission and the 
 State Accident Insurance Fund. 
 
 j. In the case of the death of an employee who shall leave no 
 dependents, or of a minor receiving an annuity who has no dependents, 
 the sum paid or to be paid by the employer as herein provided, shall 
 revert to the State Accident Insurance Fund. 
 
 55 
 
2. A SUGGESTIVE PUBLIC OWNERSHIP MEASURE 
 
 State Ownership and Operation of All Important Public Utilities 
 
 Measures introduced by C. W. Kingsley (Socialist) in State 
 Legislature of California, January 24, 1913. 
 
 AN ACT 
 
 To create for the state of California a Bureau of Industrial Investi- 
 gation and to provide the appointment of the officers and employees 
 thereof, defining its powers and prescribing the duties of said Bureau, 
 its officers and employees, to make appropriation for the salaries and 
 other expenses of said Bureau. 
 
 The people of the state of California do enact as follows: 
 
 Section 1. As soon as possible after the passage of this act, the 
 governor of the state of California, shall appoint a Bureau of Industrial 
 Investigation consisting of three persons whose duty it shall be: 
 
 a. To investigate the quantity of hydro-electric power available 
 in this state. That said information shall be compiled and classified in 
 such a manner as to show with reference to the cost thereof: 
 
 1. The quantity of power most available. 
 
 2. The quantity of power less available. 
 
 3. The quantity of power least available. 
 
 b. To investigate the cost of appropriating said power by the state 
 for all state, municipal and commercial purposes. 
 
 c. To investigate the cost of constructing and equipping electric 
 railroad systems, to be operated by said electric power, said system to 
 extend from Red Bluff to San Diego, with lateral lines, to industrial and 
 commercial centers. The report shall be so compiled as to show the 
 average cost per mile for constructing and equipping valley lines as 
 distinguished from average cost of constructing and equipping the 
 mountain lines and the cost of all the electric and steam railroad beds 
 and tracks now within the bounds of this state. 
 
 d. To investigate the cost of constructing and establishing cold 
 storage plants in the various county seats and commercial centers and 
 operating the same with said electric power. 
 
 e. To investigate the cost of constructing and maintainir^g an ocean 
 steamship freight and passenger line to ply between the Pacific and 
 Atlantic coast. 
 
 f. To investigate the cost of constructing, establishing and main- 
 taining the hydro-electric plants necessary for the appropriation of the 
 state power, the state electric system, the state cold storage plants and 
 the state steamship lines. 
 
 g. To investigate the cost of establishing and equipping such in- 
 dustries as may be necessary to establish, construct and maintain the 
 aforesaid industries. 
 
 56 
 
Section 2. That the members of the State Bureau shall be appointed 
 as follows: The State Central Committee of the party casting the 
 highest vote in this state at the general election for presidential electors, 
 shall name five persons from which number the governor shall select 
 one. The State Central Committee casting the second highest vote in 
 this state at the general election for presidential electors, shall name 
 five persons from which number the governor shall select one. The 
 State Central Committee of the party casting the third highest vote in 
 this state at the last general election for presidential electors, shall name 
 five persons from which the governor shall select one. If such commit- 
 tee fail to act within thirty days after the passage of this act, then the 
 governor shall make such appointments. 
 
 Section 3. That each of these members of State Bureau shall re- 
 ceive for their services, the sum of thirty-six hundred dollars a year 
 and shall devote their entire time to said investigation and shall be 
 allowed incidental expenses not exceeding five dollars a day and travel- 
 ing expenses. 
 
 Section 4. Said State Bureau shall have power to engage the ser- 
 vices of such secretaries and engineers as may be deemed necessary. 
 
 Section 5. The sum of fifty thousand dollars or as much thereof 
 as may be necessary is hereby appropriated out of the moneys of the 
 State Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be paid to the Bureau 
 of Industrial Investigation as salaries from month to month and other 
 incidental expenses not to exceed five thousand dollars a month. 
 
 Section 6. The controller of the state of California is hereby 
 authorized and directed to draw his warrant in favor of the State Bureau 
 of Industrial Investigation for the amounts as provided in Section three, 
 and the state treasurer is hereby directed to pay the same. 
 
 3. THE STATE AS PURCHASING AGENT FOR ITS 
 
 CITIZENS 
 A Unique and Significant Measure to Make the State Board of 
 
 Control a Wholesale Purchaser for the People 
 
 Bill introduced by W. H. Kingery (Socialist) in State Legislature 
 
 of Washington, February 21, 1913. 
 
 AN ACT 
 
 To reduce the cost of living by eliminating waste in distribution, 
 extending the functions of the State Board of Control in connection 
 therewith, and making an appropriation therefor. 
 
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF 
 WASHINGTON: 
 Section 1. The State Board of Control is hereby authorized and 
 directed, whenever required by one or more citizens of this state as 
 hereinafter provided, to invite tenders for the supply of goods to such 
 citizens in a similar manner as when purchasing goods for state 
 institutions. 
 
 57 
 
Section 2. Nothing in this act shall authorize the credit of the state 
 in any manner to be given or loaned to or in aid of any individual, asso- 
 ciation, company or corporation; nor shall any county, city, town or 
 other municipal corporation be authorized under this act to give any 
 money or property or to loan its money or credit to or in aid of any 
 individual, association, company or corporation; nor shall the state, 
 nor any county, city, town or other municipal corporation, be respon- 
 sible or assume in any manner of liability to any party (whether buyer, 
 seller, shipper or any party whatsoever) in connection with any trans- 
 action or claim arising under the provisions of this act. 
 
 Section 3. All requisitions for goods to be purchased for private 
 citizens under the provisions of this act must be addressed to the State 
 Board of Control in writing, specifying clearly and unmistakably, in 
 such manner and form as the Board may require, the kind of articles 
 called for, describing quality and quantity and stating time, place and 
 manner of delivery. 
 
 Section 4. On receipt of such requisition the said Board shall 
 proceed to invite tenders as often as may be necessary or expedient, for 
 the supply of such articles as in the opinion of the said Board may be 
 safely and advantageously purchased for private citizens under the 
 provisions of this act; but all such articles purchased for private citizens, 
 and all moneys and accounts in connection therewith, shall be always 
 kept strictly separate from those belonging to the state institutions. 
 
 Section S. No requisition shall be considered or acted upon by said 
 Board unless the articles specified therein amount to not less than two 
 hundred dollars ($200) in value, and unless such requisition is accom- 
 panied by a deposit of not less than twenty-five (25) per cent, of the 
 estimated value of the articles submitted for tender, ^uch deposits to be 
 applied upon the purchase price of said articles. No goods shall be 
 ordered for private citizens unless and until full payment therefor has 
 been received by the said Board. 
 
 Section 6. In case any purchaser fails from any cause to make full 
 payment within the time prescribed by the Board for goods to be pur- 
 chased under the provisions of this act, then said Board may cancel 
 the requisition by returning to such defaulting purchaser one-half the 
 deposit made under Section S of this act; the other half thereof shall 
 be forfeited and paid into the general fund of the state. 
 
 Section 7. The said Board shall immediately after the approval of 
 this act cause to be printed such rules and regulations, not inconsistent 
 with law, as it may deem necessary or expedient for the carrying out 
 of the provisions of this act, and shall also prepare forms for requisi- 
 tions, tenders, and orders, and shall print a list of articles which in its 
 judgment may be safely and advantageously purchased for private citi- 
 zens as herein provided; and shall mail such rules, forms and lists on 
 request without charge to any applicant in the state. 
 
 Section 8. There is hereby appropriated out of any money in the 
 Treasury not otherwise appropriated the sum of twenty thousand ($20,- 
 000) dollars, or so much thereof as may be needed for the purpose of 
 carrying out the provisions of this act. 
 
 58 
 
4. STATE CONSTITUTION— SOCIALIST PARTY DRAFT 
 
 It is hardly necessary to call attention to the fact that one of 
 the most crying needs in legislative reform, from the standpoint 
 of the socialist, is the adoption of new state constitutions. The 
 absurdity of the fact that the people of 1914, of modern ideas and 
 ambitions, are still abiding by the state constitutions which were 
 adopted by their ancestors of generations gone by, is self-evident. 
 Wherever a state constitutional convention is called in the com- 
 ing years, it is to be hoped that the Socialist party will be well 
 represented among the delegates, and in the demands which 
 they emphasize will probably be all of the following provisions. 
 This program was drafted in 1910 by Morris Hillquit, for the 
 Socialist party in the state of New Mexico, Which was just then 
 being admitted to statehood: 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 The Socialist party of the state of New Mexico enters upon the 
 campaign for election of delegates to the constitutional convention with 
 a solemn warning to the workers of the new state that this election is 
 of the most momentous importance for the life and destiny of their 
 class. 
 
 The constitution to be adopted will be the fundamental and supreme 
 law of New Mexico for many years to come, and it will very largely 
 determine the political conditions of the state, and the industrial rela- 
 tions, civic rights and general welfare of its citizens. 
 
 The constitution of New Mexico should, under no circumstances, 
 be modeled after the constitution of the United States or any of the 
 constitutions of the older states of the Union. For since the adoption of 
 the old constitutions more than a century has elapsed, and this century 
 has witnessed tremendous changes in the life of the country. New 
 economic conditions have developed, new social relations have been 
 created, new needs and new problems have sprung up. 
 
 The introduction of modern machinery propelled by mechanical 
 power, the general improvement in our methods of production and the 
 development of railroads, steamships and other means of transportation 
 and communication have increased the productivity of labor and the 
 wealth of the nation a hundredfold. From a country of poor and strug- 
 gling pioneers the United States has become one of the richest countries 
 on the face of the globe. 
 
 But although the wonderful transformation is largely the result 
 of the collective ingenuity and labor of the multitudes of workers of 
 present and past generations, its fruits have been appropriated by a small 
 portion of the population — the capitalist class. The capitalists own, as 
 their private property, or control, all the land together with the natural 
 treasures hidden in it; they own our railroads and telegraphs; they own 
 our factories, mach.nery, and all the tools indispensable for the produc- 
 
 59 
 
tion of the necessaries of life; they own the food, clothing and shelter 
 of their fellow men. They own or control the country, with all its 
 wealth and resources, while the great mass of the population, the 
 workers in the factory, mine, farm and other fields of useful activity, 
 whose labor has created our so-called "national" wealth and still main- 
 tains our national life, are destitute of property, and depend for their 
 right to work and live upon the pleasure of the capitalist. 
 
 The anomalous fact that a group of capitalists are permitted to use 
 the country's resources and social tools for their individual profit, and 
 to make the production of the necessaries of our lives the object of their 
 competitive private enterprises and speculations, is at the bottom of all 
 the social evils of our time; the anarchy in production, the exploitation 
 of the workers, the widespread poverty and misery of the people and all 
 forms of political and civic corruption. 
 
 The Socialist party maintains that the evils of the present system 
 will be removed only when the American people will wholly abolish 
 private ownership in the social means of production, collectively assume 
 the management of industries, and operate them for use and not for 
 profit, for the benefit of all and not for the enrichment of one privileged 
 class. In this the Socialist party stands alone in the political field of 
 America. 
 
 But the Socialist party also believes that the evils of the modern 
 system may be materially relieved and their final disappearance may be 
 hastened by the introduction of social, political and economic reforms 
 which will have the effect of bettering the lives, strengthening the po- 
 sition of workers and curbing the power and domination of the capi- 
 talists. The Socialist party, therefore, always supports the progressive 
 struggles of organized labor and of the laboring farmers against the 
 exploitation and oppression of the capitalist class, and is vitally con- 
 cerned in the efficiency of the instruments of such struggles. 
 
 Heretofore the people have almost invariably been defeated in their 
 struggles against capitalism, because the capitalists have always owned 
 the dominant political parties, and through them they have dictated the 
 laws and prescribed the manner of their interpretation and execution. 
 But the principal instruments in the hands of the dominant classes for 
 the subjugation of the workers have always been the written constitu- 
 tions. In the hands of the dominant classes and their agents on the 
 bench and in the executive offices of the country and the states these 
 documents have been made the unfailing means of nullifying or prevent- 
 ing all measures for the relief of the workers and warding off all attacks 
 upon the privileges and immunities of wealth. The written constitutions 
 are largely responsible for the fact that the United States is today the 
 most backward country of the civilized world in the domain of factory 
 reform and social legislation. In theory our unchangeable constitutions 
 are the weapons by which the dead rule the living; in practice they are 
 the instruments by which the classes rule the masses. 
 
 The citizens of New Mexico should take warning at the fate of the 
 people under older constitutions. They should see to it that the consti- 
 tution of their state shall leave the government in the hands of the 
 people at all times; that it be flexible and easily amendable, and, above 
 
 60 
 
all, that it be adapted to the conditions of our times and the needs of 
 the workers. 
 
 With this object in view the Socialist party demands that the fol- 
 lowing provisions be included in the constitution of the state of New 
 Mexico: 
 
 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS 
 
 I. BILL OF RIGHTS. 
 
 1. The political power of the state shall at all times be vested in 
 the people and shall be exercised for their protection, security and 
 welfare. The majority of the people shall always have the right and the 
 means to freely amend, alter or abrogate all laws. 
 
 2. The constitution of the state shall be considered as a mandate 
 to the legislature and as a guide for the people; but no court, judge or 
 other ofRcial shall have the right to set aside any law or legal provision 
 enacted by the people or their chosen representatives, as offending 
 against the constitution or public policy or on any other ground. 
 
 3. The military shall at all times be held in strict subordination 
 to the civil authorities. Civil government in this state shall never be 
 replaced or suspended by martial law. The state militia and the police 
 power shall never interfere in industrial disputes. 
 
 4. The writ of injunction shall not be issued by any court or judge 
 in any action or proceeding arising out of an industrial dispute, and no 
 person shall be punished for contempt of court unless on conviction 
 after trial by jury. 
 
 5. Every person shall have the absolute right to freely speak, write 
 or publish his sentiments on all subjects, and no law or ordinance shall 
 be passed to restrain or abridge the freedom of speech or of the press, 
 or to make such right dependent upon any permit or other condition. 
 
 6. The people shall have the right to assemble for the purpose of 
 discussion, deliberation or petition in a peaceful and orderly manner 
 at all times in private and public places. 
 
 7. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall never be 
 abrogated. 
 
 8. All property and property rights of any kind and nature are 
 held by the consent of the state, and their use should always be 
 subject to the regulation and control of the state and to its right of 
 eminent domain. The state shall at all times have the right to seize 
 the property of any person or corporation refusing to comply with the 
 law. 
 
 9. The right of the state and of all counties, municipalities or other 
 divisions of the state to engage in any enterprise, business or occupa- 
 tion shall not be denied nor prohibited. 
 
 10. The state shall never alienate any part of the school lands or 
 other public lands now held by it. 
 
 11. All charters, grants, franchises and licenses issued by the state 
 or any division of it shall be revocable by the people at all times. 
 
 61 
 
12. All counties, cities and towns of the state shall have the ab- 
 solute right of local self-government. 
 
 13. The workers shall at all times have the right to organize for the 
 advancement of their interests, to abstain from work for any employer 
 individually or collectively, for any reason deemed sufficient to them; 
 to attend peacefully in any numbers in and about any place of work for 
 the purpose of giving information about pending labor disputes to any 
 persons, or peaceably persuading any person to abstain from work for 
 any employer. The people shall have the right individually or collec- 
 tively to abstain from dealing with or patronizing any individual, firm, 
 partnership, association or corporation, and to persuade others to do 
 so by speech or print, or in any other manner. 
 
 14. No private police or constabulary or detective agency shall be 
 allowed to operate in this state or to ,give testimony in any court. 
 
 II. SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS. 
 
 1. All citizens of the United States, over the age of twenty-one 
 years, without distinction of sex, race, color or creed, shall be qualified 
 electors at all national, state and local elections, and eligible for all 
 public offices. No citizen shall be deprived of the active or passive fran- 
 chise on account of payment or non-payment of taxes or on account 
 of any property or educational qualifications. 
 
 2. The right of the citizen to vote and to be voted for in elections 
 shall never be limited or qualified by the requirement of fees upon 
 registering, nominating or voting or in any other manner. All elections 
 for public office shall be on the secret Australian system, and either 
 by blanket ballot or voting machine. 
 
 3. In all elections for members of the legislature and in all other 
 state and local elections in which two or more persons are to be elected 
 for the same office, such officers shall be elected at large by the entire 
 state, district or locality, as the case may be, and all political parties 
 shall be given representation among the officers so to be chosen in 
 proportion to the number of votes respectively cast by them in such 
 election. 
 
 III. LEGISLATION. 
 
 1. The legislature of the state shall consist of one house of repre- 
 sentatives. 
 
 2. Upon the demand of any three counties in the state or upon 
 the demand of a number of individual citizens equal to at least five per 
 cent of the number of all voters at the last preceeding general state elec- 
 tion, the legislature shall forthwith refer to the people any proposed new 
 law or measure or any law or measure passed by such legislature, to be 
 adopted, ratified or rejected by the people upon a general vote. 
 
 IV. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. 
 
 1. All judges and magistrates of all courts shall be elected by the 
 direct vote of the people and shall hold office for short terms. 
 
 €2 
 
2. Justice shall be administered speedily and freely, and no fees 
 or charges of any kind shall be exacted from litigants. 
 
 3. In criminal cases the state shall conduct the defense, as well 
 as the prosecution, free of charge. 
 
 4. Neither capital punishment nor money fines shall be imposed 
 for any crime. 
 
 5. No person shall be convicted of a crime within the state, nor 
 shall any person be extradited upon the demand of any state, without 
 a trial by jury. 
 
 6. No person shall be imprisoned for debt, and all household furni- 
 ture, implements of work and homesteads shall be exempt from levy 
 under execution. 
 
 V. PUBLIC OFFICERS. 
 
 1. All elective officers of the state, counties and municipalities 
 shall be elected for short terms. 
 
 2. Upon the presentation to the proper authorities of a petition for 
 the recall of an elected officer, verified by ten per cent of the voters 
 of the district represented by such officer, a new election to fill the said 
 office shall forthwith be called. Upon such new election the name of 
 the incumbent in office shall be placed on the ballot, together with any 
 new candidates who may be nominated for the said office, and the candi- 
 date receiving the largest number of votes in such election shall fill 
 the office during the unexpired term thereof. 
 
 VI. TAXATION. 
 
 1. Neither the state nor any political division of the state shall levy 
 indirect taxes. 
 
 2. The burdens of taxation shall be distributed among those most 
 able to carry them and deriving the largest pecuniary benefits from the 
 protection of the state — the possessing classes. Among the taxes to 
 be levied by the state there shall be a substantial inheritance tax gradu- 
 ated in proportion to the amount of the bequest and to the nearness of 
 kin, and a graduated income tax. 
 
 VII. INDUSTRIAL REGULATIONS. 
 
 1. The legislature shall fix a maximum workday, not exceeding 
 eight hours, for all workers, and shall by proper legal enactment shorten 
 such workday from time to time in keeping with the increased produc- 
 tiveness of modern machinery. It shall likewise provide by law for a rest 
 period of at least a day and a half in each week for workers in all in- 
 dustries. 
 
 2. Employment of children under the age of sixteen years and 
 contracting of prison labor shall be prohibited. 
 
 3. All wages shall be paid at least once each week in United 
 States currency. 
 
 63 
 
4. All workers injured in the course of their employment and the 
 dependents of all workers killed in the course of their employment shall 
 receive compensation, regardless of the cause and manner of the acci- 
 dent, from a state compensation fund to which all employers shall be 
 required to contribute pro rata. Such compensation shall be equal to 
 the full economic loss caused by the injury, and shall be recoverable 
 without delay or litigation. 
 
 5. The legislature shall by proper enactment provide for suitable 
 safeguards and sanitary regulations in all occupations, with ample pro- 
 visions for frequent and effective inspection of the places of employment, 
 machinery and appliances. 
 
 6. The state shall insure all workers against sickness, unemploy- 
 ment, invalidism and old age. 
 
 VIII. EDUCATION. 
 
 1. The state shall maintain a complete and free system of public 
 education, including the furnishing to the pupils of free text books and 
 school supplies and free meals and clothing when necessary. 
 
 2. Education shall be compulsory for all children up to the a,ge of 
 sixteen years. 
 
 IX. AMENDMENTS. 
 
 1. The constitution may be amended at any time by a majority 
 vote. 
 
 2. Proposed amendments to the constitution may be initiated and 
 shall be voted upon in the same manner as above provided for the 
 popular initiation and referendum vote upon ordinary laws and measures. 
 
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