Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-04-02
either Ineffective or else mis-

III Jill 49,
business needs. II is mischievous and I'M
wholesome to keep upon the statute books
unmOdified a law. like the antitrust law,
which. while in practice only partially
effective against vicious combinations.
has nevertheless in theory been construed
so as s~weepingly to prohibit every COM
bination for the transaction of modern
business. Some real good has resulted
from this law. But the time has come
when it is imperative TO modify II. Such
sake of the farmers.
Dangers to Be Avoided.
1t has now become uncertain how far
this law may involve all labor organiza-
lions and farmers! organizations. as well
as all business organizations. in conflict
with the law; or. If we secure literal com
pliance with the law, how far 1t may re-
suit IN the destruction of the organiza-
tons necessary for the transaction OF
modern business. as we'll as of all labor
organizations and farmers organizations,
completely check the wise movemznr for
securing business cooperation among
farmers. and put back half a century the
progress of the movement for the better
ment of labor. A bill has been presented
in the Congress to remedy this situation.
Some such measure as this bill is needed
in the interest Of all engaged in the In
dustries which are essential to the coun-
trys' wellbeing. l do not pretend to say
the exact shape that the bin should take,
and the suggestions | have to offer are
tentative; and my views would apply
equally to any other measure which would
achieve the desired end. Bearing this in
mind, / would suggest, merely tentatively,
the following changes in the law:
Actual Damages as Limit.
If no such prohibition was issued. the
contract would then only be liable to at
tack on the ground that it constituted an
unreasonable restraint OF trade. When
ever the period Of filing had passed with
out any such prohibition, the contracts
or combinations could be disapproved or
forbidden only after notice and hearing
with a reasonable provision for summary
review on appeal by the courts. Labor
organizations, farmers' organizations, and
other organizations not organized for pur-
poses of profit, should be allowed to reg
lister under the law by giving the location
of the head office, the charter and by
laws, and the names ana addresses of
their principal officers. In the interest of
all these Observation-Disclosures labor
and farmers organizations alike-the
present provision permitting the recovery
of three-fold damages should be abol-
ished, and as a substitute therefor the
right of recovery allowed for should be
only the damages sustained by the plain
tiff and the cost Of suit, including a rea-
SOnahle attorneys fee.
The law should not affect pending suits;
a short statute of limitations should be
provided. so far as the past is concerned,
not to exceed a year. Moreover, and even
more in the interest of labor than OF
business combinations, all such suits
brought for causes of action heretofore
occurred should be brought only if the
contract or combination complained of
was unfair or unreasonable. 1t may be
well to remember that all of the suits
hitherto brought by the Government UNI
der the anti-trust law have been in cases
where the combination or contract was
in fact unfair, unreasonable, and against
the public interest,
Means to Avoid Strikes.
1t is important that we should encOur-
age trade agreements betWeen employer
and cmploye where they are just and fair
A strike is a clumsy weapon for righting
wrongs done to labor. and we should eX-
tend. so far as possible, the process OF
Cancellation and arbitration as a substi-
tute for strikes. Moreover, violence, dis,
order and coercion, when committed ir
connection with strikes, should be as
promptly and as sternly repressed as
when committed In any other connection
But strikes themselves are, and should be
recognized to be entirely legal. Comb.
nations of workingmen have a peculiar
reason for their existence. The very
wealthy individual employer, and still
more the very wealthy corporation, stant
at an enormous ADVANTAGE when com
pared to the individual w-orkingfGan; an(
while there are many cases where 1t ma!
not be necessary for laborers to form
union, in many other cases 1t Is indispen
sable. for otherwise the thousands 0
small UNITS, the thousands OF llulNllua
w~orkingmen, will be left helpless in thei
dealings with the one big unit, the BIZ
individual or corporate employer.
The business man must be protected i
person and property, and so must tn
farmer and the wagewOrker; and as re
CARDS all alike, the right of peaceful com
bination for all lawful purposes should b
explicitly recognized.
Union But No Boycott.
The right Of employers to combine an
,on+r,ot With noa nt,Nthn~ md with f1ai
employees should be explicitly recognized
and so should the right of the employee
to combine and to contract with one an
other and with the employers and to see
peaceably to persuade others to acceI
their views and to strike for the purpos
of peaceably obtaining from employer
satisfactory terms for their labor. Moth
ing should be done to legalize either
blacklist or a boycott that would be lille
gal at common law, this being the type {
t boycott defined and condemned by tn
t Anthracite Strike Commission.
The question Of financial legislation
now receiving such attention in bot
: houses that we have a right to eXpe
action before the close of the session.
is urgently necessary that there should |
e such action. Moreover. action should /
taken to establish postal savings bank
e These postal savings banks are imper;
4 lively needed for the benefit of the wag,
workers and men of small means. and w
be a valuable adjunct to our whole final
n cial system.
: The time has come when we should pr
r pare for a revision of the tariff. tt
should be, Int indeed must be. preced'
Il by careful investigation. 1t is peculiar
It the province of the Congress and not
= the President, and indeed peculiarly II
$ province Of the House of Representative
= to organize a tariff bill and to determi,
e Upon its terms; and this | fully realize.
Y Remove Wood Pulp Duty.
e I an of the opinion, however. that O.
e change in the tariff could with advanta
l. be made forthwith, Our forests need e
= cry, protection, n one method of pr
tecting them would be to put upon t
free list wood pulp, with a correspond
reduction upon paper made from wo
l. pulp, when they come from any count
W that does not put an export duty up
'e them.
= Ample provision should be made for
Is permanent Waterways Commission wi
IT whatever power is required to make it
is fective.
l. Numerous bills granting water pow
id rights on navigable streams have been
lie troduced. None of them give the Cover
r ment the right to make a reasona'
charge for the valuable privileges
l. granted, in spite of the fact that thu
IN water power privileges are equivalent
many thousands of acres of the best c
st lands for their production of power. \
is any definite time limit set, as sho
always be lone in such cases. / shall
n obliged hereafter, in accordance with
policy stated in a recent message. to v
OF any water owe bill which does not p
a vide for a time limit and for the right
d. the President or of the Secretary CT
n cerned to fix and collect such a charge
he may find to be Just and reasonable
n, each case.
g, THEODORE ROOSEVELT
to The White House, March %. 1908.
Fleet viii Divide at Australia.
as Washington, d. C.-When the Am
IS lea battleship feet reaches Austria