The Cairo bulletin., 1908-10-26
PRESIDENT WRITES LETTER TO
u.lN YORK RAILROAD MAN
GIVING FACTS.
WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT
In Matter Of lnjunctions and His
Rulings Have Been BuWarks
of Protection to Labor
Unions,

Washington, Oct 25.--Dated Oct. i
in response to letter from p. II
Grace, a member of the brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen, inquirina
about Mr.. Taft's record in respect t
iniunctions and labor matters in gen
eral, President Roosevelt has writer
to Mr.. Grace, reviewing Mr.. Taft:
attitude toward labor and explaining
the work of the administration to
ward ameliorating industrial condi
items. The president said in part as
follows:
Taft and lnjunctions.
do not believe the wage workers
of this country have ever had a bet
ter friend in the White House than
Mr.. Taft will prove to be. He has
already shown his faith by his deeds
In the matter of the injunctions he
issued he was absolutely right, and
the principles he laid down in those
iniunctions have since then been ac-
cepted by every worthy leader OF
labor, and they are embodied in the
principles and practices of all the
railroad brotherhoods at the present
day, The abuses of injunction have
been fearlessly exposed and attacked
by Mr.. Taft He recognizes, as in
my judgment all fair-minded men
must recognize, that again and again
in the past this process has been
used to the detriment of wage work
ers by certain judges. He Is doing
and viii continue to do everything
that can be done to do away with
these abuses. He will not make
vague promises impossible of fulfill
ment. He will actually and in good
faith try to secure action. Let me
give YOU an example of what he has
just done.
Case of iron MoIders' Union.
A year or so ago the editor of the
paper specially devoted to the Iron
Moulders union called upon me to
say that a decree had been entered
in the United States circuit court at
Milwaukee in the summer of 1906,
which he regarded as grossly unjust
and improper and as practically fatal
to trades unionism. The case was
that of the Iron Moulders' union
against the Alis-C Chalmers company
of Milwaukee. The. members of the
union, having made certain demands
for the betterment of their conditions
of service. which were refused. went
on a strike. and an Injunction suit
followed in the United States circuit
court. The late employees were en-
joined from alleged illegal interfer-
ence. The final decree was of the
most drastic and far-reaching char
acter, and besides enioining the late
employees from doing acts which
we're clearly Illegal. il also enjoined
them from any form of picketing.
from inducing employees to leave the
service of the Allis-Chalmers com
pany by persuasion or otherwise. and
from any kind of interference with
the company direct or indirect So
sweeping were the terms of this in
junction that it practically forbade
the union from making any effort. no
matter how peaceful and proper. to
maintain their position In this trade
dispute. The editor of the Iron
Moulders' Journal Mr. J. p. Fry.I
brought the case before me stating
that the union did not know what to
do; that its funds were limited:
that he felt that they we're suffering
from a gross injustice which they
were powerless to remedy. ! called in
my Taft and asked Mr. Fry to lay the
case before him. as of course Mr..
Taft was far more competent than ]
was to express his judgment as to
the legality and propriety Of the ae-
tion taken.
Taft Recommends Counsel.
Mr.. Taft satisfied himself Of the
facts and at once became exceeding
~ indignant at such an injunction
having issued He stated that in his
opinion the position taken BY the
court in issuing the injunction vas
clearly untenable. and that what was
needed was that the union should
get some first class lawyer 10 repre- I
sent them and should bring the case
before the higher courts. He sug-
gested. In response 10 Mr. Fry's re-
quest that the anion retain Mr.. r y
Judson. Of St Louis. Who had repre- |
sented the Brotherhood Of Loc0mo- |
tive Firemen in the Wabash case Of
1883. ana who. by the way. IS the