The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-30
LABOR STARTS
FIGHT ON TAFT
Samuel GOmperS Goes After
the Heir Apparent in Five
Page Editorial.
DECISIONS WHILE A JUDGE
SHOWS UP UTTERANCEs ON IN
FUNCTIONS.
(special to The Heraldl

Washington, D. c.. Sept. 29.-Organized
labor has formally opened its warfare on
Secretary Taft. This was made clear to-
day when the official organ of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor came out with q
hot editorial of five pages. prepared by
President Samuel GOmpers, and headed,
Taft, the Injunction Standard Bearer"
President Gompers treats of Tafts de-
cision while on the bench in Ohio and of
his utterances bearing on injunction mat
ters while on his recent western trip.
He declares Secretary Taft's contention
with reference to what he terms the boy
colt" would. If carried TO its logical re-
suit, lead to the dispersion and forcible
breaking up by court orders of every as
semblage Of workingmen. however innO-
cent or lawful their purpose, and to the
notification of all their agreements.
Mr.. Gompers says further:
The fact of the matter is that Secre-
tdry Taft, as presidential aspirant is
'afeared-' He may have ruffled a feather
here and there in the plumes OF capital
istic power His parting words are to con-
sole corporate influence and the money
power for any uneaSiness as to his posi-
ton He substantially assures them that
If they viii but give him their support
he viii hand over to the tender merctes
of the worst element Of the capitalistic
class the wOrkingmen of the United States
bound hand and foot, shackled by injus-
tees for which he will stand.
zone of the reasons which he gave for
advising the people of Oklahoma to re
JeCt the constitution was that IN his Opln-
ion it contained a bad and dangerous
limitation upon the power of the courts
TO grant and enforce WTits of injunction.
The injunction, he declared, was one
of the most valuable. beneficent and es-
sential Instruments of law and justice. 1t
was even more necessary for the prOtec-
ton of the poor than the rich, and to
limit 1t in any way would put more power
in the hands Of rich criminals and Oppres-
sors-
THE provision 10 which he so seriously
objected did not limit the power to issue
injunctiOns. It only limited the power of
judges to punish alleged viOlators of in
junctiOns TO send them to prison for the
by jury. 1t Is to the Intervention of a
jury between the injunction and the SEN
tence for contempt that the secretary
took exception.
1T does not appear that he was in q
humorous mood. He seemed wholly in
earnest as he argued that 1t Is essential
TO the protection of the poor man that
judges should have the power to find men
guilty of contempt and give them prison
sentences without referring the fact of
the case to a jury Of the defendants
peers.
1T shows that he has not changed his
position since his campaign in Congress-
man Littlefields district last year. Now,
as then, he ignores all the fundamental
and vital objections to the abuse of the
Injunction and the consequent abolition Of
trial by jury in labor cases. He still
seeks to evade the issue, TO find sophisti-
cal reasons for upholding a mOnstrOus
abuse. He was one of the early injunc-
ton Judges, and as a statesman and poll
tician he is evidently determined to de-
II