Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-09-08

labor with ClDiuet OHRer NJ its
head The wage-earners deserve this
recognition. and the executive is on
titled to the assistance which such an
official could render him. / regard
the inauguration OF this reform as the
opening OF a new era in which those
who toll will have a voiC- In the de-
N. rations of the Presidents cOunci!
chamber.
Tho labor organization has been ser
iously handicapped b, the fact that
II has been-and ] am not sure that
II has not been done un~itnsly-yok'
ed up with the industrial combinations
known as trusts. The pron"ness OF
trust defenders to use tn" labor organ
iyatiCn As an excuse for combination
in restraint OF trade has :.rous"d III"
suspicion that they have be-. n classed
together for the purpose OF shielding
the combination Of capital. As the
result Of eighteen years OF antitrust
lesis lation, only one man has been
given a penal sentence for violating ihe
federal law on this subject and that
man was member of a labor organ
ization rather than trust maSnatr.
The lahoring man Is justified in MS
demand that q distinction shall be
drawn between the labor organization
and the industrial monopoly.
A Comparison.
The trust and the labor organization
cannot be described In III" same IAN
ruage. The trust magnatrs have
used their power to amass swollen for
tunes. while no one will say that the
labo. organization. has AS yet secured
for its members more than their share
Of the profits arising from their work.
But there are fundamental diff1r'
ences The trust Is a combination OF
dollars: the labor organization is an
association OF human beings. In
trust a few men attempt to control
the products O! others; in a labor or
ganization. the members unite for the
prot ection OF that which is their own.
namely, their own labor which being
necessary to their existence. Is part
of them. The trust deals with dead
matter; the labor organization deals
with life and with intellectual anu
moral forces. No impartial student OF
the subject will deny the right or the
laborine man to exemption from the
operation Of the existing antitrust
law.
II the labor organization needs to De
-egulatc d BY law, let it be regulated ny
a law which deals with man as man.
and not ly law that was aimed 10
prevent the cOrnering OF COMMONLY
or the fostering Of the market.
I shall not speak Of the eight'hour
dav. or Of the employers liability act.
because both Of the leading parties
have endorsed these refOrms: the On
" question to be considered Is: wnlch
party can best be trusted to secure
these reforms. need hardly assure
You that ! am heartily in favor OF
both reforms.
There are two questions, however
intimately connected with the labor
probl- N upon which the Democratic
and Republican parties do not agree,
and | not only feel at liberty to dis
.cass these. but. under the circum
stances, I have no right to ignore
thu m. One relates to the issues OF
injunctions and the other to con-
tempt cases arising under injnnctions.
The Republican convention did not
deal candidly with the laboring man
on the subject Of the writ Of injunc-
ton. Secretary Taft has endeavored
to amend his platform in this respect
and to make some promises. wmch
are not supported by his platform.
hut his promises offer nothing sub
stantial in the way Of reform. and are
not binding en- Republican senators
AMI members The republican Con-
rress has already made a record on
labor questions. and the Republican
marty cannot escape from that record.
Mr.. Taft's SPEECH may be consider
ed as binding upon him. but the con-
yention which selected the Repub'i-
can candidate endorsed the Repubii-
can platform-not Mr.. Taft personal
views. The Republican PLATFORM
while pretending to pledge some
modification Of the law. contains an
exception clause which reiterates the
very language Of the law. whether
this exception clanse was inserted ny
accident or design the effect n the
same. II merely provides. in sub
stance. that restraining orders shall
not issue without notice except wnen
such order can nos issue without
notice The platform vas TRIUMPH
for those who have been opposing the
tailoring man. and they have ben
boasting Of their victory.
Democratic Platform.
The Democratic platform on this
sui Ject copies tine language Which the
labor organizations Submitted to the
|Repub!ican and Democratic conveu-
tons. Mr.. Taft. in his notification
speech obi cts to the language. He
charges that the anttinjunction plank
was loosely drawn and framed TOT
"the especial purpose OF r"nd ring u
susceptible to one Interpretation by
one set Of Zen. and diametricaiiS
opposite Interpretation by another.
AZ Mr.. Taft has had long experience
on tbs bench and is therefore skilled
I'm the Interpretation Of language. ! ASK