Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-01-11
WILL TALK DELIVER CAREFULLY
PREPARED SPEECH IN NEW
YORK ON SUSPECT OF "cAPl.
tai AND LABOR" TONIGHT.
GIVES VIEWS AS TO
USE OF INJUNCTION
SECRETARY WRITES LETTER TO
OHIO LABOR LEADER IN WHICH
He EXPLAINS HIS sTAND-FAv-
oRs CHANGES IN LAW.

Washington, d. c.. Jan. 10. - Sec
retary Taft left Washington this
morning for New York, where he will
deliver an address tonight at the
Cooper Institute on the subject Of
Capital and Labor" The secretary's
speech has been prepared with great
care and it is expected to prove par
ticularly interesting in view of the
desire of the labor element to have
him announce his position on these
important subjects.
Views In Letter.
Martins Ferry, o., Jan. 10. - The
views of Secretary Taft in regard to
the use and abuse of injunctions, as
stated in q letter yef reply to the ques-
tions propounded Llewellyn Lewis,
secretary of the Lilo Federation of
Labor, were give out here last night.
Taft prefaces his statement with the
declaration that he believes tit to be
highly beneficial and entirely lawful
for laborers to unite In their common
Interests" Taft says he sees no OBJ
lection to the enactment of statute
which shall define the rights of labor
ers in their controversies with their
former employers. AS this statute
would fix the full limits of their ac-
ton. tt would necessarily furnish a
definite rule for determining cases in
which injunctions might be Issued, as
well as their character and scope he
says.
Congressional Statute.
Such a statute, however, If enacted
by congress, could relate only to places
within the exclusive jurisdiction Of the
fiaY~c ~ -.
ployers and employees whose relations
are within congressional definition and
control.
Speaking generally, however, both
as to federal and state legislation" :"
says Taft, II see no objection to a
statute which shall, as far as possible
define the rights Of both parties in
such controversies more accurately.
As to a provision that no restrain
ing order or Injunction shall be issued
except after notice to the defendant
and a hearing is had, Taft calls atten-
4tion to the fact that this was the rule
under the federal statutes for many
wears, but 1t was subsequently abol-
ished. He sees no objection to the re-
enactment OF the federal statute, and,
says he has declared in public speeches
that the power to issue injunctions
ex parte has given rise to certain
abuses and injustice. to laborers en-
gagged in a peaceable strike"
Might Go Back to Original.
Taft adds that he believes the "fed-
eral statute might well be made what
it was originally, requiring a notice
and a hearing before an injunction is
issued
4 He thinks 1T eminently proper the
statute should require the court issu-
ing the ex-parte injunction to give the
persons against whom the injunction
is issued an opportunity to have
hearing thereon with very short
space of time, not to exceed, ] should
say three or four days.
He is also Of the opinion 1t would be
well were the law SO amended as to
accord the defendant the right to take
a contempt case to another court than
the one which issued the injunction,
the alleged violation OF which brought
about the contempt