The Ordway new era., 1908-03-27
CANNON AND FAIRBANKS TELL
LABOR LEADERS IT WILL
PASS.
PROTEST TO CONGRESS
GOMPERS LEADS REPRESENTA-
TivES OF EIGHTY-SEvEN DiF-
FERENT ORGANIZATIONS.

Washington-Speake Cannon and
Vice President Fairbanks Thursday an
nounccd their belief that the present
Congress will pass an employers la
bility act which will meet and over
come the unconstitutionality of the
present law pointed out by the SUI
prem Court of the United States in q
recent decision.
These statements were made unre-
servedly by Speaker Cannon and
guardcdly by the vice president, TO q
delegation led by Samuel Gompers.
president of the American Federation
Of Labor, from eighty-seven national
and international trade and labor or
ganizatio..s and farmers organizations
assembled in a national conference in
this city.
The delegation requested the speak
er TO lay before the House OF Repre-
scntatives. through him, memorial
entitled "Labor's Protest to Congress"
The scope OF his memorial was set
forth in the following opening para.
graphs:
I'VE. The official representatives OF
the national and international trade
and labor unions and organizations OF
farmers. appear before Congress to
voice the earnest and emphatic protest
of the workers of the country against
the Indifference. II not actual hos
tiiity which Congress has shown to-
ward the reasonable and righteous
measures proposed by the workers for
the safeguarding of their rights and
interests. .
I'm the name OF labor we now urge
upon Congress the necessity for imme-
diate action for relief from the most
e-tt to-, ,tFItf ri
has ev confronted the working people
Of this country This crisis has been
brought about by the application by
the Supreme Court OF the United
States of the Sherman antitrust law
10 the workers. both organized and in
their individual capacity.
Labor and the people generally
look asaance at the invasion of ths
court upoa the prerogatives Of the law.
making and executive departments OF
our government.
The workers feel that Congress it.
self must share our chagrin and sense
Of injustice when the courts exhibit an
utter disregard for the real intent and
purpose OF the laws enacted to safe
guard and protect the workers in the
exercise of their normal activities
There is something ominous In the
guarantee to workers:
THE right to be manned and killed
without lie bility to the employer.
THE right TO be discharged for be-
longing 10 a labor union.
THE right to work as many hours
as employers please and under any con
ditions which they may impose.
Labor iG justly indignant at the he.
stowal or the guaranteeing of these
worthless and academic rights by the
courts. which in the same breath deny
and forbil the workers the practical
and necessary protection OF laws which
define and safeguard their rights ana
liberties and the exercise of them indi-
vidually or in association"
The protest" submitted by Mr.. Com
rers and his associates-Joseph p. Val
entine. eighth vice president of the
American Federation of Labor; w. r.
Farley of the United Mine Workers Of
America: c. NJ. Burnett of the Ameri-
can Society of Equity: w. d. Mahon.
president of the Amalgamated Street
and Electric Railway Employees. and p.
J. McArdle of the Amalgamated Asso-
citation of Iron and Steel Workers-re
fers to the Supreme Court decision IN
the hatters' case as the most recent
perversion of the intent of law by
the judiciary. by which the Sherman
antitrust law has been made to apply
to labor. although 1t was an accepted
fact that Congress did not intend the
law to so apply, and might even have
specifically exempted labor but for
fear that the Supreme Court might con.
strue such an Affirmative provision to
be unconstitutional"