Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-22
BIG STICK AGAIN
President Roosevelt Flags
Gompers and Bryan for Rails
ing Labor Question
LABOR LEADER is RIDICULOUS
LABOR LEADER is RIDICULOUS
Democratic Platform on Injunctions
Shown to Be ninsiess-President
Says eompers Assumes Right to
Paralyze Business = Does Bryan
Agree With Him? $50

Washington, Oct 22.-Campaign lit
erature was enriched last night by a
letter from President Roosevelt adj
dressed to United States Senator p. C..
Knox of Pennsylvania, in which Mr..
Roosevelt pays his respects to Samuel
Gompers. president of the American
Federation of Labor Speaking at Phil
adelphia on Tuesday, Senator Knox
question of the attitude of organized
labor in the present campaign, and the
presidents letter of yesterday is in sup
port of MIR. Knoxs views.
Mr. Roosevelt says in part:
Mr. Gompers in his letter asserts
that the judiciary of this country is
destroying democratic government and
substituting therefor an irresponsible
and corrupt despotism in the interest
Of corporate power. and he further
makes clear that the means, by which
he believes this alleged despotism has
been set up in the place of democracy
is by the process of injunction in the
courts of equity.
Mr.. Gompers in his letter states
that his appeal to the republican con-
vention at Chicago for remedy against
the injunction was denied: and he then
goes on to state not only that the DEM
ocratic party promised remedy, but
promised him the particular remedy
that he had already asked of con-
gress.
Ills words. are:
"'Labor's representatives then went
to the democratic party. That party
made labor's contention it's own. 1t
pledged it's candidates for every office
to those remedies which labor had al
ready submitted to congress-
"The last sentence in this quotation
indicates very definitely the specific
remedies to which Mr.. Gompers under
stands Mr.. Bryans party has pledged
itself.
His statement now makes perfectly
clear an important plank in the Bryan
lite platform which has heretofore
seemed puZzling to a vast number of
earnest IIlIIlueu, PCopiV. WIZ
are sincerely interested in the steady
advance and the legitimate aspirations
of labor. and who carefully read both
platforms to know precisely what
hopes each hold out for the improve
ment of the conditions of wage earners.
A Meaningless Plank.
That plank reads as follows:
Questions of judicial practice have
arisen especially in connection with in
dustrial disputes. We deem that the
parties to all judicial proceedings
should be treated with rigid impartial
ity and that injunctions should not be
issued in any cases in which injunc-
tions would mot issue if no Industrial
dispute were involved"
This is the plank that promises the
remedy" against injunctions which
Mr. Gompers asked of Mr.. Bryan's
party. In actual fact it means abso-
lutely nothing; no change of the law
could be based on 1t; no man without
inside knowledge could foretell what
it's meaning would turn out to this, for
no man could foretell how any judge
would decide in any given case, as the
plank apparently leaves each judge
free to say when he issues an injunc-
ton in a labor case whether or not 1t
is a case in which an injunction would
issue if labor were not involved. Yet
this plank is apparently perfectly
clear to Mr.. Gompers, and in his letter
to his followers he indicates beyond
question just what he understands it
to mean. He asserts that he has the
requisite inside knowledge. Ills state
ment that Mr.. Bryan's party for it
was Mr. Bryan who dictated the plat
forn) pledged itself "to those remedies
which labor had already submitted to
congress" is a perfectly clear and
definite statement.
"Mr. Bryan failed in his letter of
acceptance to discuss this labor plank
of his party's platform. So far as am
aware he has failed to discuss it since.
"rhere should be such discussion as
a matter of common fairness, not only
to labor, but to all citizens alike. On
a question of such grave consequence
the people are entitled to know where
Mr.. Bryan stands.
'.Mr. Taft has repeatedly explained
exactly where he stands in this mat
ter of regulating injunctions.
Are we HOl eHllLlSu W hlloW WITH
equal clearness exactly where Mr..
Bryan stands?
"Mr. Gompers' public statements as
to what his party has promised make it
imperative that Mr.. Bryan declare
himself
"This bill, to the principle to which
he says Mr. Bryan is pledged, declares
that the right to carry on a lawsuit
business in lawsuit way shall not be
regarded as a property right or en-
titled to the protection of Il court of
equity thru the process of an injunc-
ton, and that all the right to such pro-
lection which admittedly now exists
under the law shall be taken away.