The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-02-01
The Presidents
Special Message.

Washington advices last night indi-
cate the president made an almost I'M
precedented hit with his special mes
sage, in the course of which he advo-
Gated the prompt enacting OF valid
employers liability law.
But probably the most interesting
part of his speech TO the greatest
number was his treatment Of the use
and the abuse of the Injunction, in
which he said, in part:
The judge who uses it cautiously
and conservatively, but who, when the
need arises, uses it fearlessly, confers
the greatest service upon our people,
and his ,preeminent usefulness as a
public servant should be heartily rec
ognized. But there is no question in
my mind that it has sometimes been
used heedIessly and unjustly, and
that some of the injunctions issued in
fiict grave and occasionally frrepara-
BILE wrong upon those enjoined- 1t Is
indefensible for men TO be enjoined
from peacefully soliciting others to
join labor union, or, under any ordi-
nary circumstances, from withdrawing
from the service of any employer, in
a controversy, arising in good faith,
as to the terms of their employment.
1t is all wrong to use the injunction
to prevent the entirely proper and le-
Ultimate actions of labor organizations
In their struggle for industrial better
ment, or under the gutse of protect
Ing property rights unwarr antahly to
invade the fundamental rights of the
individual. 1t is futile to coneede,> as
we all do; the right and the necessity
of organized effort on the part of
wage-earners and yet by injunctive
process to forbid peaceable action to
accomplish the lawful objects for
which they are organized and upon
which their success depends.
Continuing. the president goes right
TO the fountain head of the poison,
when he says:
The fact that the punishment for
the violation of an injunction must,
to make the order effective, neces-
sarily be summary, and without the
Intervention of jury makes its issu-
aRee in doubtful cases dangerous
practice, and in itself furnishes rea-
son why. the process should be sur
rounded With safeguards to protect In
dividuals against being enjoined from
exercising their proper rights Rea-
sonable notice should be given the ad-
verse party.
This matter is daily becoming of
graver Importance and | can not too
urgently recommend that the congress
give careful consideration to the sub
ject. If some way of renedying the
abuses is not found, the feeling Of in
dignation against them among large
numbers of Our citizens VIII tend to
volt against the whole use of the
process Of Injunction.
To the ''uitra-conservatiyes," as the
president calls those who look on prop
erty rights as the only rights worth
considering, he utters, inferentially,
warning that none but Balshazzar
wershippang at the shrine of vested"
rights can Vail to recognize as the
handwriting on the wall, when, with
trenchant wisdom, he says:
The uItra-conservatives who object
to cutting out the abuses will do well
to remember that if the popular feel
ing does become strong many of those
upon whom they rely to defend them
win be the first to turn against them
Men of property cannot afford to trust
and fair play; for those very public
men who, while it is to their interest,
defend all the abuses committed by
capital and pose as the champions OF
conservatism, will, the moment they
think their interest changes. take the
lead in just such matter as this and
pander 10 what they esteem popular
feeling by endeavoring, for instance,
effectively to destroy the power of the
courts in matters of Injunction: and
VIII even seek to render nugatory the
power to punish for contempt, upon
which power the very existence of the
orderly administration of justice de-
ponds.
Pretty straight talk. that, and whole
some stun for the upper classes to
''read, mark and inwardly digest