Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1908-09-25
sWageworkers in the Country

tnS UoTueFS OIL the UQlLeQ states.
He will do everything in his power
for them except to do that which is
wrong; he will do wrong for no man,
and therefore can be trusted by all
men. During the ten years of my in
innate acquaintance with him, since
I have myself, as governor and presi-
dent, been obliged to deal practically
with labor problems, he has been one
OF the men upon whose Judgment and
aid I could always rely in doing ev-
erything possible for the cause of the
wage-worker, of the man who works
with his hands, or with both hands
and head.
{ Mr.. Taft has been attacked because
Of
The Injunctions
he delivered while on the bench. 1
am content to rest his case on these
very injunctions; maintain that they
show why all our people should be
grateful to him and should feel it
safe to entrust their dearest interests
to him. Most assuredly he never has
yielded and never will yield to threat
| or pressure of any sort, as little If it
| comes from labor as if it comes from
| capital; he will not more tolerate the
| violence of mob than the corruption
| and oppression and arrogance of cor
poration or of wealthy man. He
will not consent to limit the power of
| the courts to put stop to wrong
doing wherever found. This very fact
should make the labor people feel
peculiar confidence in him He has
incurred the bitter hostility of foolish
and bigoted reactionaries by his frank
criticism of the abuse of the power
Of injunction in labor disputes, and
is pledged to do all he can to put a
stop to the abuses in the exercise of
the power of Injunction He will new
err promise anything that he will not
do all in his power to perform. He
can always be trusted to do little
better than his word, and the fact that
before election he will not promise
the impossible is in itself guaranty
that after election all that is possible
will be done.
| His Record as Judge
makes the whole country his debtor
His actions and decisions are part of
the great traditions of the bench. They
guaranteed and set forth in striking
| fashion the rights of the general pub
lis as against the selfish interests of
any class, whether of capitalists or of
laborers. They set forth and stand by
the rights of the wage-workers to Or
ganize and to strike, as upequivocally
as they set forth and stand by the doc
trine that no conduct will be tolerated
that would spell destruction to the
nation as a whole. AS for the attack
upon his injunction in labor disputes,
made while he was on the bench,
ask that the injunctions be carefully
examined. | ask that every respon-
sible and fairminded labor leader, ev-
cry responsible and fairminded mem
Der of labor organization, read these
injunctiOns for himself. If be will do
so, instead of condemning them he
4 will heartily approve them and will
recognize this further astonishing fact
I that the principles laid down by Judge
Taft in these very injunctions, which
laboring people are asked to condemn
are themselves
i The Very Principles
which are now embodied in the laws
or practices of every responsible la
Dor organization No responsible or.
. ganization would now hesitate to con.
:; denim the abuses against which Judge
: Taft's injunctions were aimed. The
, principles which he therein so wisely
and fearlessl laid down serve as a
charter of liberty for all of us, fol-
! wage-workers, for; employers, for the
general public; for they rest on the
principles Of fair dealing for all; Of
even-minded justice for all. They
mark the judge who rendered them
as standing for the rights of the whole
people; as far as daylight is from
darkness, so far is such Judge from
the time-server, the trucker to the
mob, or the cringing tool of great, cor
d rupt and corrupting corporations
Judge Taft on the bench--as since, in
the Philippines, in Panama, in Cuba
In the War OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES him
: self to be a wise a fearless and an
Y upright servant of the whole people
n whose services to the whole people
q were beyond all price. Moreover, lei
!. all good citizens remember that be
4 rendered these services, not when i,
Il was easy to do SO, but when lawless
81 violence was threatened, when malice
n domestic and civic disturbance threat
Z ened the whole farbic of our govern
|ment and OF civilization; his actions
Il showed not only the highest kind OF
Il moral courage but of physical courage
d as well, for his life. was freely and
a yiolently threatened. ~: .s5s #s5 s5 SsS
n Let all fairminded men,, wage-worl
I, ers and capitalists, u II 5-i ID
Consider Vet Another Fact. ii. IA.
!. iii one of his decisions Il. upon the
q bench Jud Sc Taft upheld In the strong
lest fashion, and for the first time gave
I full vitality to- the principle of the
= employers liability for injuries done
Workmen, This was before an ma
3 tionaI law on the subject was enact
Il ed. Judge Taft sense or right. his in
q 1ignation against oppression IN aIly
q form, against any attitude that is not
3 fair and just, dr owe him Sto take Al I'd
a sition viii eli was violently cond emned
q by short sighted capitalists and EN-
HpIoyers OF Iabo which was SO far II
a SadFanne Of the tiIne hat IT Iloi
1 Il generally upheld By the state courts
If bit viii we are now EN- hodyinE liz