The Washington herald., 1907-10-20
TAFT AND THE UNIONS
His Decisions Not Eniraical To Labor's
Interests.

course to be taken both in regard 10 their
common employment. or, il they choose
to appoint any one. be may order them
upon pain Of expulsion from the union.
peaceably TO leave the employe Of their
employer because any Of the terms OF
employment are unsatisfactory
This decision was aftcrward used by
the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engi-
neers in a case growing out OF a strike
on the Wabash Railroad The railroad
averrcd that the officers Of the unions in
volved were not employees Of the road and
should have no voice In the matter The
court accepted the ruling Of Judge Taft
in the Phelan case, and the contentious Of
the labor unions were sustained.
Boycott Not Legal Weapon.
In the Moore case a firm dealing in
building materials furnished such ma
terials to a firm Of contractors denomi-
mated unfair A boycott was declared
against the firm. Judge Taft declared It
to be in violation Of the law, inasmueh
as the MOores were not parties to the
dispute between the labor unions and
the contractors in question.
The Toledo and Ann Arbor case was
one in which the employees Of one railroad
were directed not TO receive and handle
| freight from another road upon which a
strike had been declared Judge Taft
held that the men of the former road. so
( long as they held their places, were COM
PEELED 10 handle freight from all other
roads. The interstate commerce laws OF
! the United States required that railroads
should exchange freight and 10 refuse
/ freight from any road was, therefore, a
/ violation OF the law OF the United States.
The soundness and justice Of these de-
/ cisions has been affirmed by all courts
and by the wOrkingmen as "A class. This
/ fact has been ably and clearly set forth
! byFrederick y. JUdsOn. Of ST. Louis. who
! has represented labor organizations in
/ a number OF important contests and who
/ recently published a thoughtful article
dealing with the effect Of Judge Taft's
/ decisions upon the welfare Of the labor
( ing men. Mr. Judsou was associated
7 with Jutson Harmon. Of Cincinnati. in
/ investigating the charges against the
Santa Fe Railroad. He is a lawyer Of
great ability and enviable standing.
Judson Discusses Decisions.
Concluding his discussion Of the de-
cisions themselves. Mr.. Judson said.
/ While these important decisions were
rendered by Judge Taft. declaring the
freedom Of interstate commerce from
illegal combination both of labor and cap
itaI, the limitations upon the rights Of
organized labor. as well as the essen
tial principles involved in the right OF
organization for the betterment Of their
conditions. it would be an imputati0n
upon the brilliant judicial record Of Judge
Taft TO suggest that in any Of these
opinions ne declared the law as a friend
Of any class, or that he made any ju-
dicial utterance in any OF the cases
otherwise than as a living oracle Of the
law. bound 20 declare in every case
brought before him, not his own private
judgment. but the judgment Of the law
"Mr. Judson's reference TO the free
dom Of interstate commerce from the
Illegal combinations Of either capital or
labor has bearing on Judge Tafts de-
cision in the Addyston Pipe case IN
that case he applied exactly the same
rule the first and most important Of
the antitrust decisions, which he ap-
piled in the ease Of the railroad en-
plOyes who refused 10 handle freight
from another railroad.
These decisions are to be widely dis
cussed within the next few months II
is apparent from their examination that
the more closely they are studied the
more admirable they viii appear as pub
lic-spirited announcements Of the rights
as well as the limitations. Of labor or
CARNATIONS