The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-12-14

several countries tcNOS " IIc IcCO6Al-
ton of the fact that our interests are
not inimical; that we have the
same. or very nearly the same. con-
test for the establishment of a higher
conception Of human rights; and that
in the same proportion as our fellow
workers organize, unite, and federate
shall we not only help to further pub
lie opinion, but largely constitute that
public. opinion by our very unity and
the common polity which guides US.
We are justly proud Of having in"
augurated the exchange Of fraternal
delegates with our organized fellow
workers of Great Britain, and Canada.
We trust that the time Is not far dis
tant when this rule shall be more gen
eral, and that asian outcome we shall
see: a federation of the workers Of the
world.
Having in mind the dangerous fea-
lures which often creep into bills for
the passage of which there is a popu-
lar demand, we are exceedingly eau
tious about giving our assent to the
bills formulated by the committee Of
congress, popularity known as the
"Anti-Injunctfon Bill and the Anti
introduced in the last congress was re-
ferred to the House Judiciary COM
mittee. (See page POI, July, 1900, Ameri-
can Federationist.)
1t was an effective measure, designed
to give the workers proper protection,
and shield the people from the abuse
of injunctions, the growth of which we
have seen within the past ten years.
Such a. law, however, did not meet the
views Of labor's opponents, who, in a
bill designed to abolish, restrict, or
regulate the issuance of injunctions
sought by amendment to engraft in It,
provisions which would, for the first
time in the history of our country, give
statutory authority for their issuance.
An effort was made to secure sep
arate vote in the house upon the
amendments offered by the committee.
When that was defeated the alterna-
tive was presented to us of favoring
the passage of a misnamed anti-injunc-
ton bill with the inimical provisions
already referred to contained in it, or
to favor the defeat Of the entire propo-
sition. We had no hesitancy in declaring
for the latter; and notwithstanding
visions referred to, had the prestige Of
the favorable report Of the committee
and the advocacy Of the most conspic-
uous leaders OF the majority in the
house, when representatives in congress
Of the minority Ito whom we had just
then communicated our position) stated
on the floor that the representatives Of
organized labor preferred the defeat
Of the bill to its passage In the shape
in which it was before the house., the
vote was taken and the bill defeated by
a vote Of yeas, "a; nays, 145.
While it is true that an anti-injunc-
ton bill did not become law, it is
equally true that an overwhelming re-
buke was administered to those who
sought to engraft upon the statutes Of
our country the legal authority for the
monstrous injunctions which not only
have been, but which would have been
more wantonly had this Ubiquitous pro-
vision Of the bill become law.
In my last report your attention was
called to the fact that the Chinese
Exclusion Act will expire May S, 1902.
This fact is reported now, and the
warning given that energetic and i'm
mediate action is an imperative neces-
sity. There is no question to be con-
sidered by the present congress fraught
| with half so much import to the AM
erican people as is the question wheth-
err or not the Chinese shall be exclud-
| ed from the United States. Fully re-
alizing the immense Importance at
| tached to the work done by the AM
erican Federation of Labor. and the
| ~ e,ke ~
of the antagonistic element, have ar
ranged for a most active and energetic
campaign. Being aware that the pro-
in a large measure upon the general