In 1910 the Socialist Party elected to Congress Victor L. Berger, of Wisconsin. Berger failed of re-election, owing to a fusion of the old parties, but in 1914 Meyer London, of New York, was elected. REPORT OF THE WORK IN CONGRESS OF VICTOR L. BERGER. REPRESENTATIVE The following are extracts from a booklet compiled by Carl D. Thompson, "Some Anti-Socialist Voices of the Press on Victor L. Berger": During the first two sessions of the Sixty-second congress Mr. Berger introduced 24 measures. Eleven bills expressed the party platform, five expressed the interests of the toilers, four dealt with problems peculiar to the District of Columbia, one demanded the recall of the troops from the Mexican border, one called for the impeachment of a corrupt federal judge, one requested an investigation of the federal mints, and one represented a local need of Berger's constituents. Bills introduced by Berger. (Special session, April 4 to August 22, 1911.). April 5-Joint resolution demanding withdrawal of troops from the Mexican border. April 19-Joint resolution for a constitutional amendment giving Congress the right to call a constitutional convention. April 25-Concurrent resolution demanding an investigation of the kidnapping of John J. McNamara. April 27-Joint resolution for a constitutional amendment abolishing the senate and the veto powers of the president, and the invalidating powers of the courts. May 17-Bill for the erection of a post-office in Waukesha, Wis., "with such structural conveniences as will contribute to the safety and comfort of the men and women to be employed there." May 22 Bill to regulate woman and child labor, in the District of Columbia. May 30-Bill to revise the interstate extradition law. June 8-Bill to transfer the speaker's automobile to the District of Columbia committee. July 28-Bill to prohibit employment of children by the federal government. July 31-Bill to provide old age pensions. July 31-Joint resolution for appointment of a commission to report on old age pensions. (Regular session, Dec. 4, 1911, to August 1912.) Dec. 4 Bill to repeal the anti-trust act and to provide for the social ownership and operation of certain industries. Dec. 20-Joint resolution for the termination of the treaty of 18871893 between the United States and Russia. Jan. 9, 1912-Bill to create a public store in Washington for civil service employees. Jan. 16-Joint resolution for a constitutional amendment extending the suffrage to women. Jan. 16 House resolution directing the commissioner of labor to prepare a report on old age pensions. Jan. 31-Bill for government ownership and operation of railroads, telegraphs, telephones and express properties. Feb. 1-House resolution to investigate the strike on the Harriman railroad lines. Feb. 5-Bill for local self-government in the District of Columbia. Feb. 7-House resolution to investigate the Lawrence strike. Feb. 23-House resolution to investigate the treasury department's attitude toward the government mints. April 24 Bill for government ownership of wireless. June 7-Resolution impeaching Judge Cornelius H. Hanford. July 10-Bill to provide for the employment of all willing workers and for other purposes. One of the most important bills ever introduced. Berger's work before committees. The Socialist Congressman never lost an opportunity to advance the cause of labor before the committees of congress. Following are the dates and occasions of these committee appearances: May 11-In favor of the Lloyd bill to give government employees the right to organize and to petition congress. May 29-In favor of investigating the kidnapping of the McNamara brothers, and conducting the examination of witnesses, securing a report condemning the act. Jan. 17, 1912-Again favoring the passage of the Lloyd bill. March 1-Conducting the hearing on his own resolution for the investigation of the Lawrence, Mass., outrages. March 4-Favoring the establishment of a legislative division of the Library of Congress. March 16-By his statement-presented by Mrs. Elsie Cole Phillips in his absence, advocating woman suffrage. March 4-Opposing the Root amendment to the immigration bill which provided for the deportation of political refugees. Berger's two great achievements. Among the greatest achievements of Representative Berger was the settlement of the Lawrence strike, which was the direct result of a congressional investigation initiated by the Socialist congressman and the forced resignation of Federal Judge Hanford while a sub-committee of the house committee on the judiciary was investigating the impeachment charges against him by Berger on the floor of the house. REPORT OF THE WORK IN CONGRESS OF MEYER The only Socialist member of the 64th Congress, and the second of his party to sit in the national legislature, Meyer London announced at the beginning of his service that he would advance two principal measures in the House. He introduced, on the opening day, December 6, 1915, a joint resolution (H. J. Res. 38) calling upon the President to convene a Congress of neutral nations to seek to bring about a durable peace in Europe. Later he introduced another measure (H. J. Res. 159), which provided for a federal commission to investigate and report a scheme of national insurance against unemployment and sickness, together with old age pensions. The peace resolution, asking that a mediation conference of neutrals sit in continuous session until the end of the war, suggested the following as principles on which a durable peace could be established: 1. Evacuation of invaded territory. 2. Liberation of oppressed nationalities. 3)Plebiscite by the populations of Alsace-Lorraine, Finland and Poland, as to their allegiance or independence. 4. Removal of the political and civic disabilities of the Jews. 5. Freedom of the seas. 6. Gradual concerted disarmament. 7. Establishment of an international court of arbitration, with the commercial boycott as a means of punishment for disobedience. The proposal was laid before President Wilson at the White House in January by Rep. London and a delegation from the National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party, consisting of Morris Hillquit of New York and James H. Maurer of Pennsylvania. Hearings were given to a score of advocates of the resolution, February 24 and 25, by the House Committee on Foreign Relations, Morris Hillquit leading the discussion on behalf of the Socialist Party. Spokesmen for labor, religious and peace organizations and for the oppressed nationalities of Europe took part. Hundreds of petitions in behalf of the resolution were filed with the Committee. No action resulted. Hearings on the social insurance resolution were given by the Committee on Labor, of which London is a member, on May 6 and 11. Action by the Committee was long delayed, but a favorable report on the proposal to investigate the subject was granted. Action by the house this year was considered unlikely. London at the outset of the session demanded and secured recognition in committee assignments as a separate minority. He voted alone against all increases in the army and navy, and against the use of American troops in Mexico. At one stage of the fight over the Hay bill, increasing the army, London was recognized as the official minority, and was so enabled to use the parliamentary situation as to prevent an increase of the army from 140,000 to 250,000 men. He offered amendments forbidding the employment of militia. in suppressing strikes, but was overruled. His speech on "Preparedness" was circulated to the extent of over 300,000 copies. London spoke in favor of the Keating child labor bill, the eight hour day and other labor measures. He urged the publication of the report of the U. S. Commission on Industrial Relations. He led the fight against the bill disfranchising 165,000 workers in Porto Rico who had voted for 14 years. He spoke in opposition to the literacy test in the Burnett immigration bill, both before the committee and on the floor of the House. He advocated taxation of large incomes, of inheritances and of the speculative value of land. He voted against the sugar tariff. He voted for a government-owned and government-operated merchant marine, and demanded that the waterpower on the public domain be developed directly by the government rather than be disposed of to private in terests. Finally, he urged that a federal board be created to deal with the problems of river and harbor improvement, flood control, irrigation and reclamation, reforestation and the scientific development of the public lands and forests for the nation as a whole. At intervals of four to six weeks London has made per sonal report on the work of Congress, addressing meetings of the voters of his district in public school auditoriums. At these meetings he has described the principal measures over which Congress has been struggling, and has answered questions put to him from the audience. This plan of keeping in touch with the sentiment of the voters has been generally commended in the press of the country. London is a member of the House Committee on Labor, the Committee on Mines and Mining and the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Labor. II. STATE. Socialist Party State Legislators in Office January, 1915. California-George W. Downing, Los Angeles. L. A. Spengler, Los Angeles. Idaho-E. W. Bowman (senator), Council, Adams Co. Jos. M. Mason, Chicago. Massachusetts-Charles H. Morrill, Haverhill. J. W. Woodfill, Two Harbors. Montana-Leslie A. Bechtel, S. Main Street, Butte. Alexander Mackel, Silver Bow County, Silver Bow Blk., Butte. Nevada-M. J. Scanlan (senator), holdover, Tonopah. C. A. Steele, Yerington. New Mexico-W. C. Tharp, Curry Co. New York-A. I. Shiplacoff was elected to the Assembly in the Fall of 1915. Oklahoma-C. E. Wilson, Cestos (senator). N. D. Pritchett, Snyder (senator). S. W. Hill, Roll. C. H. Ingham, Ringwood. D. S. Kirkpatrick, Seiling. T. H. McLemore, Elk City. Pennsylvania-James H. Maurer, Reading. Wisconsin-Louis A. Arnold (senator), Milwaukee. Frank Metcalf, Milwaukee. Carl Minkley, Milwaukee. William L. Smith, Milwaukee. George Tows, Milwaukee. James Vint, Milwaukee. Frank J. Weber, Milwaukee. Edward Zinn, Milwaukee. |