Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-23
IMPORTANT Bill!
GOES 1O CONGRESS
Amendment to Sherman Anti
Trust Law as Favored BY
Civic League is Presented
STRIKES TO BE LOCALIZED
Measure Excepts Labor Organizations
and Combinations From Provisions
of Old Law-corporations to Be
Exempt Must Register With Federal
Authorities.

: washington, March 23.-The Bill
prepared by the National Civic FEEDER
atian after a conference with the pres
ident and representatives OF capital
and labor to relieve the stringencH OF
the Sherman antitrust law, was nitro
duced in the house today by Hepburn
of Iowa, chairman of the committee
on interstate commerce. 1t was re-
ferred by Speaker Cannon to that com
,nittee for consideration and report and
it is understood President RooseVeit
will, in his message to congress. make
recommendation concerning 1t.
There is no Indication on which TO
frame a prediction of the failure or
success of the bill in the house, nor
will there be until hearings have been
piven in committee. Party leaders to-
day professed to be wholly ignorant OF
the details of the bill and to have only
a general understanding of its pur-
pose.
One Of the most Interesting sections
of the federation's bill is that which
seeks to relieve organized labor from
the suppressive effects of the recent
supreme court decision declaring labor
unions to be conspiracies in restraint
of trade and therefore unlawful. The
bill. broadly speaking, aims to restore
to unions their right to peaceable eS-
istence. including the right to strike,
t1er,o
Sherman act in the matter of boycotts,
picketins and similar coerciVe prac-
tees The section follows:
..Nothing in said act approved July
Q. 1890. or in this act. is intended, nor
shall any provision thereof hereafter De
enforced, so as to interfere with. or to
restrict any right OF employees to strike
for any cause or to combine or to con-
tract with each other or with employ
ers, for the purpose of peaceaoly op-
tanning from employers satisfactory
terms for their labor or satisfactory
conditions of employment. or so as to
interfere with or to restrict any right
of employers for any cause TO discharge
all or any of their employees, or to
combine or to contract with each other
or with employers, for the purpose of
peaceably obtaining labor on satisfac-
tory terms"
The bill has been prepared under the
auspices of The National Civic FEEDER
alton, in consultation, on the one hand
with the president and other eXecu-
tive officers of the government. and on
the other hand. with representatives
of the business and railroad interests
of the country and of organized labor.
The United States supreme court, by
a long series of decisions. has held
that the Sherman law applies to COM
mon carriers, to business corporations,
and to business men, and also to labor
organizations and to labor men. The
supreme court has also decided that
any action in restraint of trade, so far
as it applies to interstate commerce,
is unlawful, whether such action be
reasonable or not.
The bill submitted by the National
Civic Federation does not attempt TO
change the legal status OF anything
condemned as in restraint of trade un-
der the Sherman anti trust act; but II
aims to provide way by which, un-
der certain conditions, combinations
and contracts in restraint OF raoe
that are not unreasonable may be
saved from attack The dement's and
flnmunities offered by the proposed
bill, therefore, will be in the main con-
fined to those who register in accord
iance with the terms of the Dill Com
mon carriers may register with the
interstate commerce commission, and
all others. with the commissioner OF
corporations in the department OF
commerce and labor
Being upon the registry. the corpora
ton, or association, or individual, gets
certain immunities as to the past and
the benefit of provisions by Which 1t
can ascertain as to future contracts |
whether these will or will not be at |
tackled by the government as in unrea-
sonable restraint of trade AS to fu- /!
ture combinations or contracts, the |
governm ent is given thirty days in |
which to disapprove any contract or
agreement filed by a corporation or as
sociation registered under the act; and |
if within thirty days the government |
does not disapprove the contract, the |
government cannot thereafter attack it |
except thru the courts, and then only |
on the ground that it is in unreason- |
able restraint of trade. Contracts or |
agreements calling for new business |
combinations must be filed. Contracts |
or agreements entered into in the or
binary course of business may be filed |
or not al pleasure. Such contracts. II |
not filed. do not get the benefit Of the I
immunities OF the new act, but nobody |
is obliged TO file such a contract unless |
he wants to do So
In view of the doubt that has been
raised i'm the minds of many as to |
whether the Sherman antitrust act |
does moi make even strike unlawful. |
clause is included in the bill dis |
t.nctly reserving for labor ali rights |
that they have now, irrespective Of tf7a |
Sherman antitrust act. to combine and |
- strikss and to make trade agree |