Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1906-03-22

ANSWER TO
LABOR NE N.
American Federation Men Visit
the White House With a
Memorial.
AN ABSURD PROPOSITION
Is In Accord With Views on Im-
migration and Chinese EyCIu-
sion Panama Plan.

W AS1tlNb lDN, March -. - I'FeSl-
dent Roosevelt received large body
Of the representative Of organized la
bor at the White House and talked to
them about their urgent request for
the enactment of labor measures now
pending before congress.
Samuel Gompers president. aud
Frank Morrison. secretary of the
American Federation of Labor. head
ed the delegation. which consisted of
about Il hundred members of the exec
utive council Of the American Fedora
ton of Labor and officials of the or
SaniZations which comprise the feder
alton. Practically all of the important
labor organizations of the country
were represented in the delegation.
Secretary Morrison read to the presi-
dent Il memorial of the executive coun-
ell of the American federation urging
action on the various demands for leg
islatiOn being made by the organized
labor interests Of the country
The memorial dwelt particularly on
the eight hour law and its enforcement
on government work. including the
Panama canal. and the immigration
laws. especially the Chinese exclusion
laws
President Gompers and James Dun
can of Quincy. Mass, first vice presi-
! dent of the federation and president of
the Granite Cutters union. followed
with brief addresses on the lines of
the memorial.
President Roosevelt after listening
to the statements replied in an ad
dress.
ON the sub. .lects Of general immigra-
ton and the exclusion OF Chinese labor
the president Indicated that he was in
practical ace ord with them. but on
some other ~ tiers he differed from
them radically.
The president said in part
IF your body objects to the passage
of the proposed ant-iniunction bill |
have no question that you can stop it.
for there is not a capitalist concerned
who simply us capitalist is not against
it. though | believe that Il goodly num-
Der both of capitalists and wage work
ers who are concerned primarily as cit
iZcns favor it,
II do not believe it has any chance
Of passing because there has been great
criticism in both houses OF congress
against the attitude of the adminiStra-
ton in going so far us we have gone.
and if YOU think it is not far enough,
why. you will have no earthly difficult
ty in killing the bill. Personally |
think the proposed law n most admira-
bic one. and | very sincerely wish it
would be put through.
"AS for the right of injunction. it is
absolutely necessary to have this pow
er lodged in the courts. though OF
course any abuse of the power IS
strongly TO be rcprobated. During the
four and a half years that | have been
president | do not remember an in
stance where the government has i'll
voked the right of injunction against
combination of aborers. We have
invoked it certainly Il score of times
against combinations of capital.
think possibly oftener.
Now. | come to the general subject
of your petition | wish in the first
place to state my regret that you did
not divorce so much Of the petition as
refers to the action of the executive
/ from so much as refers to the action
of the legislative branch. because l
cannot consider any petition that YOU
make that reflects upon the coordinate
branch OF the government or that
makes any charges whatever against
II | would not even receive it save
for the fact that in part it affects the
executive
In what | have TO say I shall limit
myself solely to what you assert in
reference 10 the acts of the executive.
"You speak of the eight hour law.
Your criticism, so far aS it relates to
the executive. bears upon the sigma
tllre of the appropriation bill contain
ing the money for expenditure on the
Panama canal with the proviso that
the eight hour law shall not there ap-
ply. If your statement is intended to
mean that no opportunity was given
for hearing before me then the state
ment is not in accordance with the
facts.
Il believe cmphatically in the eight
hour law for our own people in cur
own country. but the conditions of la
bor such as we have TO work with in
the tropics, are so absolutely different
that there is no possible analogy be
tween them. and al eight hour law for
the Panama canal is an abSurdity,'