The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-24
TAFT REVIEWS ACTS ON LABOR Addresses a Chicago
 Audience. TELLS OF COURT DECISIONS Explains Injunction to the Rail-
 road Men.
Reasons That Trial By Jury in Ger tain Contempt Cases Would Handicap Justice in Many
 Cases.

Chicago, Sept. 2s.-william F. Taft. Republican candidate for President, In two addresses tonight opened what his leaders declared would be from now on an aggressive campaign.
 A crowd that blocked most Of the massage ways of the La Sale street station greeted MT. Taft on his arriv- al at Chicago this afternoon. The He- publican standard bearers smile, which had beamed through the State of Indiana, during the earlier part or the day. showed no hint of fatigue as he was escorted through the crowd to a waiting automobile. All along the streets on the way to the Auoi- torium Annex the laudation contin- ued.
 Al the hotel MT. Taft was closeted campaign chieftains for some time
 Speaking before the Railwaymen's Independent Taft Club, in Orchestra Hall, Mir. Taft paid his respects 70 union labor. dealing particularly with decisions in labor cases rendered oy him when judge.
 He spoke as follows.
 T am glad to meet so many mem bers of organized railroad labor. have accepted this opportunity to ad- dress an audience of members Of the x aBrotherhoods in order that I may take Lup A question which has been given great prominence in this campaign and In which I must say that every e1lort has been made unjustly to arouse the prejudice of organized labor against the Republican party and its candidate.
 Tn the first place I wish to affirm, without fear of contradiction that the Republican party has done vastly more than the Democratic party both on state and national legislation for the protection and in the interest of labor. 1t passed in General Harrisons ad- ministration the eight hour law for government workmen and gave an inn petus to a reduction of hours in other employments. The safety appliance acts were passed in the same admin istration. An act for the promotion of arbitration between the railways and their employees in interstate commerce is also one of those acts of beneficence to both employer and employe.
 ''The last congress enacted a law which was declared unconstitutional and then in its second session re- enacted the law to avoid the constitu- tional objections.
 "By this act a railway emplcye who brings suit for damages against the company cannot now be defeated on the ground that the negligence was the negligence of a fellow servant. If he Is shown to have been guilty of negligence himself in slight degree he does not forfeit his right of action but it is left to the jury to apportion the damages and reduce them as equity shall justify.
 'In addition to this law limiting the hours of labor of interstate railway employees has been passed. A bill was also passed by the last session of Con- Kress providing for compensation to government employees for injuries re- ceived in the government employ It Is an inadequate law and will doubt less be improved by Congress.
 An issue, however. has arisen as to the attitude of the two parties on the subject of injunctions in labor disputes.
 Reviews Acts as Judge.
 q propose first to take up the personal relation to this question. It fell to my lot to be. judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati for three years and a judge of the United Cir cuit Court for the sixth district in- cluding Michigan. Ohio. Kentucky and tennessee, for eight years and dur ing that time had to consider a number of important cases involving the rights of labor and the right of the employers the practice in equity with reference to the issuing of in- functions in such cases.
 ''The first cases was not a suit at all. A boss brick layer quarreled with the Union and their members who were in his employ, struck. In order to embarass him, the union no- tifed all the local dealers in materials