The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-03-20
1OMPERS GETS A
REPLY FROM CANNON
Speaker of the House Believes
Employers Liability Act
Will Be Passed.
LABOR MAKES PROTEST.
GRAVE SITUATION THAT HAS
CONFRONTED THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE IN MANY YEARS.

Washington, March 90 Speaker
Cannon and Vice President Fairbanks
have announced their belief that the
present congress will pass an employ
ers' liability act which will meet and
overcome the uncOnstitutionality of the
present law pointed out by the su-
preme court of the United States in
recent decision. These statements
were made unreservedly by Speaker
Cannon and guardedly by the vice pres
ident, to a delegation led by Samuel
Gompers, president Of the American
Federation of Labor, to eightyseven
national and international trade and
labor organizations and farmers or
CARNATIONS assembled in a national
conference in this city.
The delegation called on the speaker
to lay before the house. through him, a
memorial. entitled 'LabOr's Protest 10
Congress-" The scope of this memo
rial was set forth in the opening par
agraph.
We. the official representatives OF the
national and international trade and
labor unions and organizations of far
mers. in nat ional conference assembled
in the District of Columbia, for the
purpose of considering and taking &C
ton deemed necessary TO meet the sit
uation in which the working people OF
our country are placed by recent deCis-
ions of the courts. now appear before
congress to voice the emphatic protest
of the workers of the country against
the indifference, if not actual hostility
which congress has shown toward the
reasonable and righteous measures pro
posed by the workers for the safe
guarding of their rights and interests.
Urge Immediate Action.
In the name of labor We now urge
upon congress the necessity for imme-
diate action for relief from the most
grave and momentous situation which
has ever confronted the working peo-
pie Of this country This crisis has
been brought about by the application
by the supreme court of the United
States of the Sherman antitrust law 10
the workers, both organized and i'll
their individual capacity.
Labor and the people generally look
askance at the invasion of the court
upon the prcrogatives of the law MAX
ing and executive departments of our
government.
Asks Congress to Aid.
The workers. says the memorial
"earnCstly urge congress TO cooperate
with them in the upbuilding and edu-
eating of a public sentiment which will
confine the judiciary to its proper
functions, which is certainly not that
of placing a construction upon Il law
the very opposite of the plain intent OF
congress, thus rendering worthless
even the moderate efforts which con-
gress has so far put forth to define the
status of the most important, numer
Gus and patriotic of our peOple-the
wage workers, the producers of wealth.
Congress is informed in the memo
rial that additionally the most import
ant measures which labor urges are:
The peace bill. to regulate and limit
the issuance of injunctions; the en-
ployers liability bill; the bill extend
ing the application Of the eight-hour
law to all government employees and
those employed on work for the gov
eminent by contractor or subcontract-
or.