Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-26

| tions. farmers organizations and 9TH
er organizations not organized for pur-
! poses Of profit. should be allowed to
| register under the law by giving the To-
| cation of the head office, the charter
| and bylaws, and the names and ad-
dresses of their principal officers. In
| the interest OF all these organizations
j-bl,sinesS labor, and farmers organi-
cations alike--thc present provision
permitting the recovery Of threefold
damages should be abolished, and as Il
substitute therefor the right of recoN-
| cry allowed for should be only the
damages sustained by the plaintiff and
| the cost of suit, including d reasonable
attorneys fee.
| The law should not affect pending
suits; Il short statute of limitations
/ should be provided, so far as the past
is cOnce rned, not to exceed a year.
Moreover, and even more in the inter-
| est of labor than of business conbina-
| TONS all such suits brought for causes
of action heretofore occurred should be
brought only if the contract or combi-
nation complained of was unfair or un-
Reasonable. 1t may be well to renlc,n-
Der that all of the suits hitherto
brought by the Government under the
antitrust law have been in cases where
the combination OF contract was in fact
unfair. unreasonable, and against the
public interest.
1t is important that we should en-
,oura Gc trade agreements between en-
Tloyer and employee where they are
Just and fair a strike is clumsy
weapon for righting wrongs done to
labor, and we should extend. sofar as
possible. the process OF cancellation and
arbtrat ton It's substitute for strikes.
Moreover, violence, disorder, and corr-
Cion, when committed III connection
with strikes, Should b" as promptly
ard as STORMY rrpreSsed rs when COM
m!tuca in any other connection. Tut
strikes t:I' nisrlVeS are, and ShU"ld be
recognized to be entirely legal. Com
hinations of Workingmef nave a pecu
lial reason for their existence The
very wealthy Individual rrlpl..ycr. and
still more the very wealthy corporation,
stand at an enormous advantage
when compared to the individual work
ingman; and while there are many
cases where il may not be necessary
for laborers to form a union, in many
other cases it is Indispensable. for
otherwise the thousands of small units,
the thousands of individual working
men, will be left helpless in their deal
ings with one big unit, the big in
dividual or corporate employer.
Twenty-Five years ago, by the act of
June %. 1856, trades unions were rec
ogniZed by law, and the right Of labor
ing people to combine for all lawful
purposes was formally recognized, this
right Including combination for mutual
protection and benefits. the regulation
of wages, hours and conditions of la
Dor, md the protection of the individ-
ual rights Of the wOrkmen in the pros
ecUtiOn of their trade or trades; and in
the act of June l, 1898, strikes were rec
ogniZcd as legal in the same provision
that forbade participation in or insti-
CATION of force or violence against per-
sons or property, or the attempt to pre-
vent others from working. by violence,
threat, or intimidation. The business
man must be protected in person and
property, and so must the farmer and
the wageWorker; and as regards all
alike, the right of peaceful combina-
ton Tor all lawful purposes should be
explicitly recognized.
The right of employers to combine
and contract with one another and
With their employees should be expli-
city recognized; and so should the
right of the employees to combine and
to contract with one another and with
the employers. and to seek peaceably
to persuade others to accept their
views, and to strike for the purpose of
peaceably obtaining from employers
satisfactory terms for their labor
Nothing should be done to legaliZe
either q blacklist or a boycott that
would be illegal at common law: this
being the type of boycott defined and
condemned by the Anthracite Strike
Commission.
The question of financial legislation
is now receiving such attention in
both Houses that we have a right to
eXreCt action before the close of the
session. 1t is urgently necessary that
there should be such action Moreover,
action should be taken to establish
postal savings banks. These postal
savings banks are impcrativcly needed
fer the benefit Of the wageworkerS and
men Of small means, and will be val
liable adjunct to our whole financial
system.
The time has come when we should
prepare for revision of the tariff.
This should be, and indeed must be,