The Washington herald., 1908-03-22
PURPOSES OF MESSAGE.
Legislative Program Being Mapped Out
by President and Advisers.

Legislative ProEram Being Mapped Out
by President and Advisers.
President Roosevelt Is getting along
we'll in his conferences with Republican
leaders In Congress whom he asked 10
put through at this legislative session
certain measures TO be recommended in
the special message 10 be sent TO Con-
eress next week.
There has not been a complete agree
ment by any means, however. Congress
sional leaders will not consent TO the
enactment of any inti-injunction legisla-
ton. and are not willing 10 say they will
not support the bill drawn az the White
House to amend the sherman antitrust
law
They want 10 see The bili in its final
shape before making any decision. The
bin has not yet been completed owing
to differences over some Of its suggested
provisions with reference TO labor
unions.
Legislative Programme.
Up TO this time the legislative pro-
granme which the Republican, leader Of
the Senate and the House are willing to
adopt and to use their best efforts 10
have Congress carry out include these
four measures;
A financial bin along the lines OF the
Aldrlch currency measure
An employers liability bill
A joint resolution for an inquiry into
tariff ccr ditions by the Senate Committee
on Finance and the House Committee on
vision Of the tariT in the Sixty-frst or
next Congress.
a hin regulating the employment Of
child labor in the District of Columbia.
Model for All stnteS.
The Beveridgc child labor bill. which
excluded from interstate commerce all
articles produced by child labor. will not
he pressed. The District Of Columbia
child labor bill is intended to Serve as a
model for States and 10 induce States 10
enact such legislation.
The anti-injunction propositions have
met with so much opposition already
be included IN the legislative programme
II is expected Roosevelt will say n good
word for the anti-injU1Ction cause in his
special message.
The President is anxious to get on the
statute books an amendment to the Sher-
man antitrust law. II was with that pur-
pose that he has been holding conferences
with representatives, OF the Civic Fedora
ton and others.
Roosevelt desires 20 have the Law
amended in several respects. He wants Il
changed 20 permit railroads and Industrial
corporations 20 make combinations under
certain restrictions
Modification Now Considered.
The latest proposal considered BY the
President and those with whom he rad
been conferring is that the Sherman law
shall be amended 20 insert the werd ''un-
reasonable" among the first few words Of
section one. which now reads as follows:
Every contract. in the form Of trust
or otherwise. or conspiracy in restraint or
trade or commerce among the several
states or with foreign nations, is hereby
declared to be illegal
he modifying effect Of tho word ''un-
reasonable as applied to a contract. COM
bination. or conspiracy, is in accordance
with principle laid down by Justice David
J. Brewer. of the United States Supreme
Court IN the Northern Securities case.
IL the law is amended as suggested at the
White House conferences. IL will be left
to jury in all criminal trials under the
Sherman act TO determine whether any
particular boycott affecting interstate
trade is reasonable or unreasonable.
This is not wholly displeasing TO Samuel
G. Gompers. president of the American
Federation OF Labor. Gompers has not
gOven his assent to the White House bin
because il does not include a provision
exempting labor unions from prosecution
as combinations in restraint Of trade
Such a provision was acceptable 70
Gompers. and 10 corporation lawyers with
whom Roosevelt conferred. Roosevelt,
declined to agree to IT,
Actual Damage OnIr.
Another important provision OF the
amendatory bill eliminates the section in
regard TO the recovery Of triple damages
from a combination in restraint OF trade.
and gives authority to collect actual dam
ages 1nly. This is regarded as a conces-
sion mainly to the labor people. who have
been thrown into confusion By the de-
cision of the Supreme Court that the
American Federation OF Labor was a
combination in restraint OF trade i'm its
boycott against firm OF hatteTs in Dam
bury. Conn.
There was a conference at the White
House yesterday between President Roose-
velt. Senator Aidrich, and Representatives
Payne and Dalzell. II was agreed that a
resolution for an inquiry into tariff condl-
tons with the idea of furnishing mate
rial for revision Of the tariff should be
adopted at this session. the inquiry to be
made by the Committee on Finance and
Ia -444-.