The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-05-07

Il
Secretary of Commerce and Labor
Is authorized to carefully consider
such claims and to decide whether
or not agreements as to hours of
labor and wages were unreason-
able. If he belives the agreements
are unreasonable he is empowered
to declare them null and void
Such Il law, besides being un
wieldy and impossible OF oper-
alton, is dangerous to the best in =.
tereStS OF the members of the Fed
Grafton 1t is the entering wedge
for Federal control of the labor
unions, and the members of organ
lied labor should oppose all efforts
along those lines with all the
power they have at their command.
The followering is what President
Roosevelt has to say in his mes
sage regarding the exemption of
labor unions:
a strong effort has been made to
have labor organizations com plete-
ly exempted from any of the oper.
atOrs OF this law, whether or not
their acts are in restraint of trade.
liability make the bill uncOnStrict-
ional, and the legislature has no
more right to pass IL bill without
regard to whether it is constitu-
tional than the courts have light
ly to declare unconstitutional a
law which the legislature has So
lemnly enacted.
The responsibility is as great on
the ore side us OH the other, and
an abuse of power bv the legisla-
ture i'll one direction is equally to
be condemned with an abuse of pow
er by the courts in the other di-
rcction. it is not possible wholly
to except labor organizations from
the workings of this law, and they
who insist upon totally excepting
them are merely providing that
their status shall be kept wholly
unchanged, and that they shall
continue to be exposed to the ac-
ton which they now dread.
During the period the members
of the Civic Federation were en-
deavoring to prepare an amend
ment to the Sherman AntiTru
|
proval of interests affected, this
particular clause WAS opposed by
the representatives of the FEEDER
alton i'll an effort made to have the
American Federation of Labor
amendment, contained in the
Wilson Bill, inserted in the Civic
Federation Bill before it was in
troduced i'll Congress, but our
overtures were not successful, and
the Civic Federation Bill was in
troduced without our request
being favOrably considered.
Hence, the Federation introduced
an amendment to the Sherman
Anti Trust Law. known as the
Wilson Bill, and requested the Of
licerS and members of the unions
of the United States to urge thell
Senators and congressman tC
adopt the Wilson Bill at this Ses
sion of Congress.
Acting by this Congress car
only be secured on the measure:
that labor desires through th'
earnest. faithful and intelligen
work of the officers and member
Vi llle q ~ ~
uncertain manner, to their Sena
tors and Congressmen that the,
are intensely in earnest in thel
endeavor to have this Legislation
enacted. If they receive rep].
, from the Senators and Represen
. tatives, saying that they will Civ
the bills careful consideration
> such a reply should not be con
a sidered sufficient response, the.
should require a definite answer
: either affirmative or negative.
: Not one of the measures namet
l is unreasonable, nor can any Sc
: nator or Representative be foun'
Y who will in so many words Sa,
: they are unreasonable. But Will
e agreeing with labor representative
:, that the sherman Antitrust Lay
5 should not be applied to labo
e unions. many express the 1eai
e fancied or otherwise, that II tn
e amendment is adopted contalnln
ii the provisions desired by Iabo
20 unions, the Supreme Court WI
5s decide that it is unconstltutlona
=. The measure of success the laDC