The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-04-30

.con,,nued from Page ID

sTnHF4nUE1 AE&NA
=. ~-..~~a. the failure Of TIE S"1
% utilize and exercise u" sse.s
- - r,nf.rxra upon u as regards
In.sr-s,ass commerce 10 ee
a act bv the State nor YET -
.c-.~~..wx hut b. the occassoaAi ano
un~srx.rtIy inadequate and one-saue1
- - ~. Federal judiciary. HON
.x~~ uurtxht and able = court r.
40, act eonstructlvely: IL can
on,x act negatively or destFae"'s'f,
:. an agency OF Government ~
,hs. means that the courts are an"
rr.x, ai~nvs be unable 10 deaf easS-
,,x.,x With a problem like the pres
nr, which requires construction &C
a., A court can decide what u
,.,,t,x In; IL has no power TO make
better what IL thus ands TO De ianIss'
There should be an Efficient executive
hodv created with power enough 10
correct abuses and scope enough to
work out the complex problems that
This great country has developed
Therefore. IL IL clear that tunIess
national corporation law can De
forwith enacted) some BODY OF
bodies In the executive service shoaia
be given power TO pass upon any
combination or agreement in relation
m Interstate commerce. and every
such combination or agreement not
thus approved should be treated as
In violation of law and prosecuted
accordingly. The issuance CT the Sc
curities of any combination doing
Interstate business should be under
the supervision of the national gov
eminent
A strong effort has been made to
have labor organizations completely
exempted from any OF the operations
OF this law, whether or not their
acts are In restraint OF trade. Such
exception would in all probability
make the law unconstitutional, and
the Legislature has no more right
to pass a bill with regard to whether
| II Is constitutional than the courts
have lightly TO declare unconstitu-
tional a law which the Legislature
| has solemnly enacted. III
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
fnh
obviously, an organization not form
ed for profit should not be required
to furnish statistics in any way as
complete as those furnished by or
anizations for profit. Moreover, sc
far as labor is engaged in production
lonly, its claims to be exempted from
the antitrust law are sound. This
would substantially cover the right OF
Ilaborers to combine, to strike peace
ably, and to enter into trade agree
ments with the employers. But when
labor undertakes in wrongful man
ner to prevent the distribution and
sale of the products of labor, as BY
certain forms of the boycott, 1t has
left the field of production, and its
action may plainly be in restraint Of
Interstate trade, and must neces
sarily be subject to injury, exactly
as in the case of any other combina
ton for the same purpose, so as tc
determine whether such action i:
CONTRARY to sound public policy. The
lheartiest encouragement should bt
iven to the wage-workers to form la
Dor unions and to enter into agree
ments with their employers; ant
their right to strike, SO long as the.
act peaceably, must be preserved
But we should sanction neither /;
boycott nor a blacklist which would
be illegal at common law.