The Washington times., 1907-12-03
LABOR LEGISLATION
ASKED Of CONGRESS
American Federation Want
Anti-Injunction and Eight
Hour Bills.
Will Concentrate Forces
and May Work at
Polls.

American Federation of Labor leaders
will make a great effort to get two bills
passed by Congress this winter. These
are the Pearre ant-injunction bill and
the eight-hOur bill.
But the labor leaders are looking
farther than the Capitol. They are not
at all certain they will get the Legislation
they want this winter. L fthey do not
they may be expected to become ex-
tremely active in next year S elections.
and they are laying their plans to that
end They are getting ready for the
hardest fight organized labor has ever
made in a national political struggle,
one TO which the activity Of labor in
the last Congressional elections will, as
labor men predict, prove TO have been
but preliminary, a sort CT slCrmish pre-
ceding the real battle.
Work for Two Bills
The plan OF the legislative committee
OF the American Federation of Labor is
to concentrate its attention on but t-Fc
bills. as already mentioned. and not TO
scatter ammunition by attempting too
many things. 1t is felt that to try -
get more than these measures would be
useless. Both the Pearre anti-injunction
bill and the Gardner eight-nour bill. the
ones organized labor wants, were before
the last Congress. They have been re-
introduced. and already active work IS
being done In their behalf.
Mr.. Pearre's bill prohibits injunctioas
In labor disputes unless necessary TO
prevent irreparable injury to prop
erty or TO a property tight OF the party
asking the application"
The bill also seeks to restrict the
meaning Of the word Conspiracy" 50
that it will not apply to agreements be-
tween laborlng men, concerning the
terms or conditions Of employment Of
labor.
Eight-Hour Bill.
The Gardner elght-hour bill Is intended
10 limit to eight hours the daily ser
vice of 1aborers and mechanics employed
upon work done for the United States
or any Territory or the Distric tot Co
lumbia. This bill was favorably re-
ported by the Labor Committee Of the
House last session, but nothing more
came Of II.
Labor leaders recognize that they
have a long and bitter fight ahead Of
them before they can get the legisla-
ton they desire from Congress. They
consider Speaker Cannon hostile to
them. They recognize that the Speaker
has the power to name the committees,
and that II will be hard TO get an anti
injunction bill out of a judiciary Com
mittee named by the Speaker.
II the labor forces fail to get the con-
sideration they ask then they will at
tempt 10 carry the war into every Con-
gressionaI district next year.
Work at Polls.
Organized labor will do it's utmost 10
prevent the nomination OF men for the
House who are opposed 10 labor legig-
lation. and II their enemies are nomi-
mated win try to beat them at the polls.
It is the purpose OF the labor leaders,
too, to make their power felt in the
Presidential election. II a man is named
for President who is rated unfriendly
TO labor. the power OF the American
Federation of Labor, so far as Presi-
dent Gompers and his associates can cor
troll 1t, will be thrown against him. In
n contest between Bryan and Taft, for
Instance, the American Federation of
Labor would DO everything in its power
for Bryan. The same is true in a con-
test between Bryan and Cannon.