The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-03-23
LABOR FEDERATION
Continued From Page one.)

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 it's present
shape at number of conferences be-
tween representatives of the railroad
organization and the department of
| justice and the bureau of corpora
tions and myself. 1t goes as far as |
personally think it should in remedy |
ing the right of injunction; at any |
rate, no arguments have hitherto been |
advanced which make me think it |
should go further. | don't believe it |
has any chance Of passing, because |
there has been great criticism in both |
houses of congress against the atti
tude 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 present bill Personally, 1 think
the proposed law a most admirable
one and | very sincerely wish it would
be put through. AS for the right of
injunction, it is absolutely necessary
to have this power lodged in the
courts, though of course, any abuse
of the power is strongly to be repro
bated. During the four and half
years that l have been president, l
don't remember an instance where
the government has invoked the right
of injunction against combination OF
laborers. We have invoked it, GER
tainly a score of times against com.
binations of capital, l think possibly
oftener, Thus though we have secur-
ed the issuance of injunctions in a
number of cases against capitalistic
combinations, it has happened that
we have never tried TO secure an in
junction against combination of labor
But, understand me, gentlemen, if l
4 ever thought it necessary, if thought
a combination of laborers were doing
wrong, | would apply for an injunction
against them just as quickly as
against so many capitalists.
EIGHT HOUR QUESTION.
"You hamper me in the effort to
get what L think you ought to have,
in connection with the eight hour
law, when you make a request that is
indefensable and to grant which
would mean indefinite delay and in
jury to the work on the canal. AS
to the violation of the eight hour law,
Mr. Morrison, you give me no speciti-
cations. At your earliest convenience,
please lay before me in detail, any
complaints you have of violations OF
the eight hour law. Where [ have
power, will see that the law is obey
ed.
"All | ask Is that you give me the
cases. l will take them up and if they
prove to be sustained by the facts 1
shall see that the law is enforced.
. There is no appreciable influx OIL
Chinese laborers, and there is not the
slightest or most remote danger OF
any. The whole scare that has been
, worked up on the subject is a pure
chimera but l will do everything in
my power to make it easy and desira-
BILE for the Chinese of the business
and professional classes, the Chinese
travellers and students to come here
and | will do all can to secure their
good treatment when they come ana
no laboring man has anything what
ever to fear from that policy.
have right to challenge you as
good American citizens to support that
policy and in any event, l shall
stand unfiinchingly for it and no man
can say with sincerity that on this,
or indeed, on any other point, he
: has any excuse for misunderstanding
my policy.
: I'VE must not let our national sem
timent to succor the oppressed and un-
fortunate of other lands lead us into
that moral and mental attitude by
trying to succor them at the expense
of pulling down our own people. Laws
should be enacted to keep out all inn
migrants who don't show that they
have the right stuff in them to enter
into our life on terms of decent equal
ity with our own citizens. l cannot
have and will not have, when | can
prevent 1t, men who are concerned in
the administration of government af-
fairs, going to congress and asking for
increased pay without the permission
of the heads of departments. Their
business is to come through heads OF
departments"