38 ASSOCIATION OF IRON, STEEL AND TIN WORKERS [ 1 7O 



ment " was first submitted to the lodges in a special circular. 

 A majority vote decided whether or not it should be sub- 

 mitted to a referendum. It was further provided that the 

 constitution as amended June i should go into effect on 

 August I, and be in force for a year." 



Thus far the results of the referendum vote have by no 

 means vindicated its advocates. Only a small percentage 

 of the membership votes on the propositions. The total 

 vote on the constitutional amendments proposed by the con- 

 vention of 1912 was 534. or 12 per cent ; in 1916, 1 176 vote?, 

 or 16 per cent. The maximum vote on any single proposal 

 during the year was less than 2000, and the minimum, 944 ; 

 the average, 1394, or barely 25 per cent. During the year 

 1914-1915, a proposal was submitted to popular vote, giving 

 the American Federation of Labor power to levy and col- 

 lect a tax or assessment on the members of affiliated unions 

 to support strikes of a general character. It was adopted 

 by a vote of 560 to 384; the total vote cast being 944, or 

 14 per cent of the membership. This vote is ridiculously 

 small, in view of the importance of the issue, which affected 

 the income of every member. 



The appended table shows the votes cast upon matters 

 submitted to the referendum: 



Table Showing the Percentage of Membership Voting on Ref- 

 erendum Propositions 



" In 1916 three changes were effected: (a) the national executive 

 board was empowered to offer amendments for referendum vote ; 

 (b) the amended constitution went into effect on the ist of Sep- 

 tember, one month later, except in case of (c) a referendum initiated 

 by a local lodge or the executive board during the year. If ap- 

 proved by a majority vote, the proposition became effective thirty 

 days after its adoption, and was printed in the Journal until the con- 

 stitution was reprinted. 



