Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-03-25
TOday's Telegraphic News.
The Presidents Message.


Immediate resnactment Of en- employers
liability law, drawn to conform 70 the recent
decision OF the Supreme Court. Within the
limits indicated by the court, the law should
be made thorough and comprehensive, and
the protection il affords should embrace every
class Of EN- lOyee 10 which the pOSer OF the
Congress can extend. In addition TO a lie
biliiy law protecting the employees OF COM
mon carriers, the government shout show
its good faith by enacting further law CIV
ing conversation to its own employees Tor
injury or death incurred in its service: j
also urge that action be taken along the line
OF the recommendations have already made
concerning ipjunctions in labor disputes No
temporary restraining order should be issued
by any court without notice; and the petition
fCr a permanent Injunction upon which such
temporary r, straining order has been Issued
should be heard by The court Issuing the same
within a reasonable time-say, not 10 exceed
a week or Whereabouts from The date when
the order was issued Ii is worth considering
whether it!would not give greater popular
confidence in the impartiality ofsen,ences tor
contempt iii was required that the issue
should be decided by another judge than the
one issuing the injunction. exec pit where the
contempt IS committed in tn presence OF the
court, or in other case Of urgency. again
c all attention to the urgent need OF am ndlng
the in erstate-c1m law aud especially
he antitrust law along the lints lndicsted
| il my last message The interstate commerce
| law should be amended o as to give railfO -ds
the right to make traffic SO e'ments, 81 ject
| TO these agreements being approved by the
| Interstate CONNER Commission and pub
| lished in all of their details The commits
sion should also be given the power TO make
public end pass upon the issu nee OF all Sc
curties hereafter issued by railroads doing
an intertate commerce business. A Jaw
should be SEED providing in effect that
| when fe deal court determines to place
| common carrier or other public utility con-
Germ usder tn. control of receiyership, the
| Attorney General should have the right 10
| nominate At least one of the receivers; or else
| in some O her way the inter, sts of thu stock
| holders should be consulted, SO that the man
acement may Lot be wholly rsdeliyered TO
| [ emin or men the lure Of who rOlicy
| NAV have neee stat. the cree ton OF the re-
ceiyership Recelverships should be use !,
MT 10 olerlte rOa IS. but as speed y rs pos /
| bic to pas their debts and return them to the
proper owners
| In addition 10 the reasons 7 have already
urged on your attention, it has now become
| ina ortsnf that IN re shout be n amendment
| of the anti trus. law. beceuss OF the uncer'
| teiuty as TO how this law ell scts combinations
| among lator IN n and farmers, ii the con BIZ
| nation has any tendency 10 restrict interstate
commerce.
| In the molern industrial world combina-
lions are absolutely necessary; they are nece'-
ssry among business meU, they are necessary
| among labOnDg mn, they are becoming
more and more necessary among fsrmsrs.
| some of these combinations are among The
| most powerful Of ali instruments for wrong
doing Others offer the only elective way OF
ms citing actual business n'eds. IL is mis-
chievous and unwhoe.Ome to keep upon the
statute books unmodi6sd law, ike the anti
trust law, which, while in prac ice only par
| tally effective against viciou. combnatl' rs.
| h Is nevertheless been construed 50 as sweep
iDgly 10 prohibit every combination for the
| transaction If modern business. | would
suggest the following chang in the law:
| The substant We psrt OF the anti trus law
| should remain as at present; that is, every
contract in restraint Of trade or commerce
| among the several State or with foreign ma
| tons should continue to be declared Illegal;
provided, howeyer, that some proper govern
mental authority lslch as the COMMISSIONS
| CORPORATION eeting under the Secretary Of
| Commerce and Labor be allowed to pass on
/ any such contracts. Probably the best
method of providing for this would he TO
enact that any contract, subject to the prohi
biion cOatsined in The antitrust law, INTO
-IFI = :. +Sas desired to enter, might be filed
| with III Bure7 l+-of Corporations or other ap-
D oprIats executive boay.-this would pro.
vide pu licity. Within, say, sky ny
| the fill g-which period could be extended
| by der Of the d rtment whenever for any
reason it did not give the d partment suf'
| fei mt time for thorough examination
ne execuiyed pariment having power nil hit
torbld the eO.tricl, which would then he. ONE
subject TO the provisions Of the antitrust
| law, if at all in restraint of tr de.
| IfnO such prohibition was issued, the con-
| tract would then only be liable 10 attack on
| the ground that it constituted an unreason.
able restraint Of trade. Whenever the period
tf fling had passed without any such prohi.
biton, the contracts or combinations cou d
| be disiIproved CT 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
purposes of profit, should be allowed TO regis.
| ter under the law by giving the location Of
| the head Office, the charter and bylaws, and
| the names AID addresses Of their principal
officers. In the interest Of all the le organize
tions-busness, labor, and farmers organiza-
| tons alike 1.-The present provision permitting
| the recovery Of threefOld damages should be
| abolished, and as q subs itute therefor the
right of recovery allowed for should be only
the damages sustained by the plaintiff aud
the cost of suit, including a reasonable attOr.
| ney 3 fee
The law should not affect pending suits;
short statute of mutations should be provided
so far as the past is concerned, not to exceed
| q year. Moreo er, and even more IN the in
terest of labor than Of bu iness co nbinations,
al such suits brought for causes of action
| heretofore occurred should be brought only
| if the contract or combination complained Of
| was unfair or unreasonable. IL may be we'll
TO remember that all Of the suits hitherto
/ broufht by the government under the anti
trust Law have heen in cases where the combi-
nation or contract was in fact unfair, unreas-
enable, and against the public interest.
il is important that we should encourage
trade agreements between employer and EN-
ploye where they are Just and fair. A strike
is a clump,y weapO1 for rightlng wrongs
done TO labor, aud we should extend as far rs
possible, the process of cOncilation and
arbitration az substitute for strikes
! More-v,r, violence, disorder, and coercion,
when committed in connection with strikes,
| should be as promptly and as sternly re-
pressed Is when committed 10 any other con-
nectiOn. But strikes themselves are, and
shon'dl b recogniZ 10 he entire Legal.
| COmoinati ms Of wofkingmen have peculiar
| re son for their existence. The very wealthy
individual employer and still moro the vOry
wealthy corporation, stand at an enorm us
| advantage when compared 10 the individual
workingman; and while there ore many cases
where it may not be necessary for laborers to
| form a union, in many other cases it is indis
pensabe, for otherwise the thousands Of
sdall units, the thousands Of individual
workingme1, will be l-ft helpless in their
d, aings with the one big uuit the big indi-
vidual or corporate employer.
The right Of employers to combine and con-
tract with one another and with their en-
plcyets ST ould be explicitly recognized; and
so should the right Of the employees TO com.
bine and to contract with one another aud
with the employers, and to seek peacea1ly TO
persuade others to accept their views, and to
strike for the purpose Of peaceably obtaining
| from employers tis'actory terms for their
| Ia or. Nothing should be one to legalizs
either blacklist or boycott, that would be