Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-14

LINwOOD, Neb., August II, 1SOs.-To the
Editor Of The Bee: VIII you explain
through The Bee what reason there is for
some railroad men to claim II it had not
been for Taft they would he getting more
wages than they are. Also, why they call
him the great enjoiner.' Also. why they
have any reason for calling him an enemy
OF the working man? w. ]. BLAIR.
1. There is no valid reason why any
railroad man should claim that he
would be getting more wages than he
is getting had it not been for Taft"
Every railroad man in the country who
is working today is getting more wages
than is paid for the same work in any
other country in the world. He is get
ting a higher rate Of wages today han
he ever got before. II the earnings of
any railroad men have been reduced
they have been reduced by the short
ening of work following a business de-
preston and smaller volume of traffic
whose causes are many and varied.
2. There ia no valid reason for call
ing Mr.. Taft the great enjoiner,"
using the term in any opprobrious
sense. AS a judge Mr.. Taft renered
several decisions in cases arising out
of industrial disputes, only one or
tow of which called for the issue
of in1unctions. That he correctly APP
piled the law and principles of JUS
tice in these cases no one disputes.
He declared that the law does not
tolerate the sympathetic boycott nor
the sympathetic strike making inno-
cent third parties the victims, but
at the same time upheld the rights of
labor organizations for all their legiti-
mate His definition of th 9se
rights Is:
The employees had a right to organize into
or Join a labor union which would take ac-
ton as to the terms of their employment.
1t is a benefit to them and to the public
that laborers should unite for their COM
mon interest ard for lawful purposes. They
have labor to sell. If they stand together
they are often able, ell of them, to obtain
better prices for their labor than dealing
singly with rich employers because the
necessities Of the single employe might
compel him to accept any price that Is
offered. The accumulation of a fund for
those who feel that the wages offered are
below the legitimate market value of such
labor is desirable. They have the right to
appoint officers who shall advise them as
to the course to be taken in relation with
their employers. They may unite with
other urdons. The officers they appoint or
any other persons they may choose to listen
to may advise them as to the proper course
to be taken both in regard to their common
employment or II they choose to appoint
any one he may order them on pain Of
expulsion from the union peaceably to leave
the employ of their employer because airy
Of the terms Of the employment are UNI
satisfactory.
After an impartial review of these
cases Frederick N. Judson, who acted
as the attorney for the railroad broth
erhoods in the famous Wabash case,
says:
There is no foundation for the suggestion
that the decisions of Judge Taft were in
any sense unfriendly to labor.
8. 1t follows that there is no valid
reason for calling Mr.. Taft an enemy
of the working man any more than
there is to call him an enemy of the
business man because as judge he like
wise issued an injunction against an
illegal combination of industrial con-
Germs designed &c ~monopolize the field
for their product to the injury of the
public. AS a judge Mr.. Taft conscien-
tiously expounded and applied the law.
AS a man he has an intimate sympathy
with and friendly feeling for every
man who earns his living by the sweat
of his brow.