The Colorado statesman., 1906-03-24
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ANSWERS
MEMORIAL OF LABOR LEADERS

WASHINGTON. -- GIeSlQGnt Roosevelt
received a large body of representa-
tives of organized labor Wednesday at
the White House and talked to them
about their request for the enactment
of labor measures now pending before
Congress.
Samuel Gompers, president, and
Frank Morrison, secretary of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, headed the
delegation, which consisted of about
hundred members of the executive
council of the American Federation of
Labor and officials of the organiZa-
tions which comprise the federation.
Practically all of the important labor
organizations of the country were rep
resented. Secretary Morrison read to
the President memorial of the eXecu-
tive council of the American Fedora
ton urging action on the various de-
mands for legislation being made by
organized labor interests of the coun-
try. The memorial dwelt particularly
on the nine-hour law and its enforce
ment on government works, including
the Panama canal and the immigration
laws, especially the Chinese exclusion
laws.
President Gompers and James Dun
can of Quincy, Massachusetts, first Vic2
president of the federation and presi-
dent of the Granite Cutters union, fol
lowed with brief addresses on the lines
of the memorial. President Roosevelt,
after listening to the statements, re-
piled in an extended address. On the
subjects of general immigration and
the exclusion of Chinese labor the
President indicated that he was in
practical accord with them, but on
some other matters he differed from
them radically. The text of the Presi-
dents remarks follows:
"Mr. Gompers, if your body objects
to the passage of the proposed anti-in-
junction bill | have no question that
you can stop it, for there is not capl-
talist concerned who simply as capital
list is not against it; though | believe
that a goodly number both of capital
lists and wage workers who are con
cerned primarily as citizens favor it.
"The law was worked over and sub
stantially whipped into its present
shape at n number of conferences be
tween representatives. CT the railroad
organizations and the Department of
Justice and the Bureau of Corpora
tions with me. 1t goes as far as ! per
sonally think It should so, in limiting
the right of injunction; at any rate no
arguments have hitherto been ad-
vanced which make me think it should
go farther. ] do not believe it has any
chance of passing, because there has
been great criticism in both houses o.
Congress against the attitude of the
administration in going so far as we
have gone, and if you think it is not
far enough, why, You will have no
earthly difficulty in killing the bill. Per
sonally. l think the proposed law
most admirable one, and l very sin
cerely wish it could be put through.
"As for the right of injunction, 1t is
absolutely necessary to have this
power lodged in the courts. though, of
course, any abuse of the power is
strongly to be reprobated. During the
four and a half years that | have been
President | do not remember an In
stance where the government has in
voked the right of injunction against
combination of laborCrs. We have
invoked it certainly a score OF times
against combinations OF capital,
think possibly oftCncr. Thus, though
we have secured the issuance of injunc'
tion in a number of cases against cap
ital. it has happened that we have
never tried to secure an injunction
against a combination o. labor. But,
uIutl HtduN lllt, tnNllll'ih'ii' - L 49,
thought it necessary; if | thought a
combination of laborerR was doing
wrong. / would apply for an injunction
against them just as quickly as against
so many capitalists.
"The conditions Of labor, such as we
have to work with in the tropics, are
so absolutely different that there is no
possible analogy between them, ana
AN eight-hour law for the Panama ca
nal is an absurdity. Every one of you
knows that we can not get white Ia
Dor: can not get labor of the United
States to go down to Panama ana
work We are driven to eNtremities In
the effort to get any kind of labor at
all Just at the moment we are work
ing with negro labor from the west
Indies. The usual result in the EN-
ployment of these men is that Mon
day and Tuesday they work fairly well,
Wednesday and Thursday there is a
marked falling off and by Friday and
Saturday not more than half, some
times less than a fourth of the labor
ers will be at work The conditions
that make the eight-hour law proper
here have no reference to the condl-
tions that make the eight-hour law en-
tirely improper there. The conditions
are so utterly different on the isthmus
as compared to here that it is impos'
sible to draw conclusions affecting the
one from what is true about the other.
You hamper me in the effort TO get for
YOU what think you ought to have in
this connection when you make a re-
quest that is indefensible, and TO grant
which would mean indefinite delay and
injury to the work on the isthmus.
"As to the violations of the eight
hour law, Mr.. Morrison, you give me
no specifications. AT your earliest
convenience please lay before me in
detail any complaints you hava of vio-
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