The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-30

fuse to work for him on better terms
at time when their withdrawal will
cause great loss to him and they in
tentionally inflict such loss as to force
him to come to their terms, they are
bona fide exercising their lawful right
to dispose of their labor for the pur-
pose of lawful gain. But the deal
ings between Parker Brothers and
their material men or between such
material men and their customers had
not the remotest natural connection
between either the defendants wages
or their other terms of employment.
There was no competition or possible
contractual relation between the
plaintiffs and defendants, where their
interests were naturally opposed The
right of the plaintiffs to sell their
material was not one which in it's ex-
ercise brought them into legitimate
conflict with the rights of the defen-
dants union and its members to dis
pose of their labor as they chose The
fort Of the defendants to use the plain
tiff's right of trade to iniure Parker
| brothers and upon failure Of this to
use plaintiffs right of trade to injure
plaintiffs. Such effort cannot be in
| the bona fide exercise of trade. is
without just cause and is therefore
malicious. The immediate motive of
the defendants was to show the build
ing world what punishment and dis
aster necessarily followed a defiance
OF their demands. The remote motive
or wishing to better their condition
by the power so acquired, will not
as we think we have shown. make
any legal justification for defendants
acts"
| Here is case in which the court
had it's eye not on one side of labor
or capital but on the side of the Great
American Public which is often drag
ged in unfortunately as the real suf-
ferer in the disputes between employ
er and workman. The non combat
tant has in all ages and places been
entitled to immunity from loss. There
fore Tafts position must appeal to the
people. The cause of labor was done
no violence at his hands. nor was the
right of the employer diminished or
| strengthened. 1t was simply a case
which guaranteed the safety of the
public from being drawn into a souab-
Bile in which it had no concern in the
remotest way
The next case in which Taft was
concerned was the famous Rule - of
the Brotherhood of Railroad Engi-
neers. This was almost a parallel
case in regard to the involving of a
third party against whom neither the
Brotherhood nor the railroad had any
grievance. AS it stood Rule - was.
under the laws of interstate com
merce, in danger of being held a Grim
inal conspiracy. The Brotherhood saw
the justice of the criticism and re-
moved it. Taft was at much pains to
show the men the injustice of the rule
with the expectation that it's Illegally
would be recognized. His confidence
was well justified as the action of the
Brotherhood showed.
Cases might be cited indefinitely
but in no particular could it be shown
that Taft had been partial either to
capital or to labor. Take the case OF
the trial of Debs and Phelan at the
time Of the Pullman strike 1t is the
same story. 1t was not only that the
boycott was illegal-it was that Debs
and his associates trampled on the
rights of the public. Certainly star
walton of a nation can not be a law
full purpose of combination" Thus
spoke Taft and he meant it as much
for organized capital as he did for or
ganized labor.
A writer on that occasion said
i, ''The two qualities which make &
: great judge are wisdom and courage
1t was the very crisis of the strike
. The friends Of the judge feared for hi.
life and asked him not to read the de-
cision from the bench. He read it,
Taft had the courage to be impartial
Apart from all this, Taft has time
and time again not only expressed a.
=, his conviction the right of labor to
strike for just cause. but his decision.
i, have guaranteed this right to tn,
q union. His decision in regard to work
: men injured while in employment hav,
been quoted and used time after tim,
q in successful behalf of the laborer.
r Thus it is that the laboring man ha
nothing to fear from Taft when h,
q has just case, nor need the employ
Z er in his turn dread anything from