Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-10-26

NV greatest aim and desire have been
tn do all that in me lies to advance
their interest. / wish to help them to
get the best out of their present po-
sitions; wish to help them make those
positions permanently better, of perma-
nently greater importance and reward
No consideration of party fealty or
personal Friendship would induce me to
advise either farmer or working man
to do anything that was not for ms
Uermancnt benefit. With this TACT
keenly before me, earnestly advise all
working men, in their own interests as
working men, but above all as Amer
lean citizens concerned in the honor
and the prosperity of this great free
republic, to support Mr.. Taft for Pres
idcnt; just as / advise all trainers
business men and men of the profess
sions.
Taft and lnjunetions.
I do not believe the wage workers OF
this country have ever had better
friend IN the White House than Mr.
Taft will prove to be. He has already
shn"n his faith by his deeds. In the
matter of the injunctiOns he issued he
was absolutely right, and the prlncl-
ples he laid down in those injunctlons
have since then been accepted by every
worthy leader of labor, and they are
embodied In the principles and pr@-
tees Of all the railroad brotherhoodS
at the present day The abuses OF IN
junction have been fearlessly exposed
and attacked by Mr.. Taft. He recog-
Mes as in my judgment all falr-mind-
ed men must recognize, that again and
again In the past this process mas been
used to the detriment of wage workers
by certain judges He is doing and
viii continue to do everything that can
be cone to do away with these abuses
He will not make vague promises I'M
possible Of fulfillment. He VIII actual
ly and In good faith try to secure
action. Let me give you an example
of what he has Just done.
Case of Iron Molders' Union.
A year or so ago the editor of the
paper specially devoted to the Iron
Noulders' union called upon me to say
that q decree had been entered in the
United States Circuit court at Milwau
kae in the summer of 1906. which he
regarded a S grossly unjust and improp
er and a. practically fatal to trades
unioni!m The case was that of the
Iron Mouldcrs union against theAlls
Chalmers Company of Milwaukee. Th'
members Of the union, having made
certain demands for the Detterment o
their conditions Of service, which Were
refused, went on a strike, and an IN
junction salt followed in the United
states Circuit Court. The late employ
es We're eEjoined from alleged lllega
interference. The final decree was o
the most drastic and far reaching char
acter. and besides enjoining the lat
employees from doing acts which wer
clearly illegal, it also enjoined then
from any form of picketting. from in
ducing employees to leave the servic
Of all AlIis-Chalmers Company b.
persuasion or otherwise, and from an
kind of interference with the compan
direct or indirect. SO sweeping wer
the terms of this injunction that
practically forbade the union from
making any effort. no matte
how peaceful and proper, t
maintain their position III thi
trade dispute The editor of tn
Iron Mouders Journal Mr. J. I
Fry, brought the case before me stat
ing that the union did not know wha
to do; that it's funds We're limited: tina
he felt that they were suffering from
gross injustice which they We're pow
erless to remedy. | called in Mr.. Tai
and asked Mr.. Fry to lay the case be
fore him. as of course Mr. Taft wa
far more competent than | was to ex
press his judgment as to the legalit.
and propriety of the action taken.
Taft Recommended Counsel.
Mr. Taft satisfied himself of tn
facts and at once became eXceedingi.
indignant at such an injunction having
issued. He stated that in his Opinion
the position taken by the court III is
suing the injunction was clearly unten
able. and that what was needed wa
that the union should get some first
class lawyer to represent them am
should bring the case before the highe
courts. He suggested, in response t.
Mr.. Fry's request that the union re
tain MIR F n. JudSon. of St. LOui
who had represented the Brotherhood
Of Locomotive Fremcn in the Wabash
case in 1898. and who. by the way, il
the author of the review of the laHo
decisions of Judge Taft. published il
the "Review of Reviews in 1907. Mr.
Taft eXpla med that one OF the trouble:
Of the labor unions was that 50 Otter
they did not get the best type OF coun
sci, so that their cases We're not prop
erly presented, and that in his judge
ment Mr. Judson would be sure to pre-
sent this case Alright. He stated thai
the decision of the court ought certain
ly to be in their favor. The ease was
argued before the United States Cir.
cult Court of Appeals by MIR. Judsor
and Mr.. Rubin. of Milwaukee,. Tor the
union. and by MIR. James NJ. Beck
counsel for the National Manufactur-
ers' association, for the company.
Court Agrees With Taft.
The decision of the court was handed
down in Chicago on the Sth day of this
month, and it justifies Judge Taft's
Wisdom, Cor it sustains the most impo"-
tant contentious of the labor unions
The count holds that while under the
facts of TIE case the company was en-
titled to some injunction relief, the de-
cree Went far beyond the proper limits
1t struck out of the decree all of ,he