Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-13
CIVIC FEDERATION MEETS
Conference at New York Discusses Govern
ment BY Injunction and Child Labor
OPENING ADDRESS BY AUGUST BELMONT
Presidents Of Number of National
Organizations 60 Appoint Com
mittee to Investigate Child
labor situation,

NEW YORK, Dec. R-The NauonAi
Civic federation began its ffth annual
meeting at the Park Avenue hotel today.
There were about $50 persons present, in
Guiding a number Of leading men in COM
merce, labor, the professions and other
walks Of life.
The meeting was called to order by Au-
gust Belmont the president. In an address
Mr.. Belmont viewed briefly the two topics
for discussion at the first days session,
namely, "Child Labor" and Government by
Injunction" The discussion Of thse two
questions, which followed was participated
in by a number Of men well qualified to
speak thereon. |
The annual banquet OF the association
was held at the Park Avenue hotel tonight.
The meeting will be continued tomorrow.
August belmont Presides.
August Belmont, president of the fedora
tlon, In his opening address urged the APP
pointment Of a committee to investigate the
problems growing out Of the accumulation
Of great fortunes This subject Will be con-
sdered tomorrow. mo subject will bring
greater good to this country II correctly
solved" said he, cor greater harm II, for
wise and just taxation, punitive spoliation
and the destruction of our boundless spirit
Of enterprise through hampering regulations
be substituted"
Government by injunction" was char
acterized by Mr.. Belmont as another burn
ing subject TO be discussed" He said he
was not sure that President Roosevelts
proposition for compulsory investigation OF
Industrial disturbances in advisable. He
doubted the wisdom Of such interference,
but the greatest justification for such a
policy would be in the case of quasi public
corporations.
! Mr.. Belmont also called attention to that
portion of President Roosevelts message
wherein the president denounced the effort
to prohibit all combination Of capital.
Government by Injunction.
The federation then took up government
| by injunction Carl Spelling, general at
! torney for the American Federation Of La
Dor, said that in. labor disputes judges have
sent foI, DEGREES which were special leg
! islation and have paralysed and rendered
abortlve all the efforts on the part Of the
labor side Of that dispute. An injunction,
he said, should never be granted except to
protect property or property rights.
He declared that it was seldom that
strikers. ever resort to actual violence, but
they frequently appoint committees to help
the police preserve order.
The speaker said the Paree bill, which Is
before the congress- embodies the proper
and legitimate demands of organized labor.
! Walter Drew, commissioner of the Ma
tional Iron Erectors association, in replying
to Mr.. Spelling, replied that the latter's
argument was fallacious in that It went
! to prove that injunctions should not Issue
! in any case, while he sought to prove that
! they should issue to protect nothing but
purely physical property and physical prop
erty rights. ,.s.
Mr.. Drew said that separated from any
question OF defect In the law or its ad-
mnistration, the demand that temporary
injunctions should not issue In labor con-
troversles because a demand that the prac-
tioe of our courts shall be changed to
grant special immunity and privileges TO
one particular class openly and avowedly
engaged in warfare with another class"
Child Labor Question.
Samuel McCune Lindsay, secretary of the
national child labor committee, said it
was impossible to e~lsgerate the real ex-
tent or the real evIs of child labor. He
believes that other forms Of legal protec-
tion than absolute prohibition are Needed
for the greater part of the 100000 chill
dren between the ages OF 10 and l6, now
engaged in gainful occupations. Recent re-
ports show that the number of children in
specially harmful occupations is incrdGeing
faster than the population.
Mr.. Lindsay said the Beveridge1Parsons
bill recently introduced in congress for q
national child labor law. would cut the
heart out of the child labor evil at a single
blow.
Mr.. Mitchell said in part: I'VE want now
to change the law so that there childreI
can play before ever they are obliged tc
nF ~
work when they were years old; many
others between 10 and y. I regret that the
operators, while trying to raise the stand
ard have seen fit to fight the educational
conditions"
John Golden, president OF the Textile
Workers Of Fall River, stated that when
some four years ago, he was commissioned
BY the American Textile Workers of
: America to study the conditions in South
Carolina, and ne contemplated visiting a
, certain mill, was warned from doing 90
| by the statement that the owner had
sworn to shoot the FIRST northern man that
came down there interfering with his help
Mr.. Gompers, the last speaker. said that
when he sent James Leonard OF New Or
leans to one Of the towns OF Mississippi
for the purpose Of trying to make an In
vestigation of the conditions OF the cotton
, operatives there, Leonard was quietly in
formed that unless he left the state al
once he would be escorted to the state
8 line by the police.
zone Of the representatives Of the city
r government, I believe the mayor" added
Mr. GOmpers, appointed a gentleman tC
entertain Mr.. Leonard on the train on his
Q way to beyond the borders OF the state"
A resolution was adopted providing that
= the presidents, the National Association o
5 Manufacturers, the American FederatiSN
OF Labor, the General Federation oi
Womens Clubs, the National Educationa
I association, the National Economic sssO
: citation. the National Conference OF Chari
- ties and Corrections and the National Child
Labor committee be invited to name sever
+ members 90 act with a like committee o
the National Civic Federation as com
n mission to make a thorough investigation
OF the whole subject OF child labor in thu
e United States.
:, Charles A: Moore president OF the New
h York City Federation, presided at the ban
quet this evening.
3 Archbishop ireland, in a speech said, Fl
a part: d.
a This Is an American institution. II thi
meeting that We have witnessed today hei
taken place in any country OF burop
J. there would have been a riot before ut
meeting closed. and when man WOul