The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-03-31
big unit, the big individual or corporate
Trades Unions

Trades Unions. y
Twenty-Five years ago, BY the act Of
June 20, 1886, trades unions were rec
ognized by law, and the right of la
boring people to mbines for all lawful
purposes was formally recognized, this
right including com binatipp for mutual
protection and benefits. the regulatfoR
of wages hours and conditions Of la
,bor and thA protection of tile individua
rights of the workmen INF the pfosecW
lion of their trade-or trades. and in tts
act of June 1, 1893, strikes were re@
Ognized as legal in the same provisid
that forbade participation in or instigM
ton, Of force or violence against peg
sons or PROPERTY or the attempt to pr
vent others from working, by violence,
threat or intimidation. The business
man must be protected in person and
property, and so must the farmer and
the wageworker, and as regards all
alike the right of peaceful cornbina tiQn
for all lawful purposes should be ex-
plicitly recognized. LIZ
Right to Combine Recognized. /
The right of employers to combine
and contract with one another and
with their employees should be explic-
lily recognized, and so should the right
Of the employees to combine and to
the employers and to seek peaceably to
persuade others to accept their views
and to strike for the purpose of peace
ably obtaining from employers salts
factory terms for their labor. Nothing
should be done to legalize either a
blacklist or boycott that would be
Illegal at common law, this being the
type of boycott defined and condemned
by the anthracite strike commission.
Financial Legislation.
| The question of financial legislation
Is now receiving such attention in both
houses that we have right to expect
action before the close of the session
1t is urgently necessary that there
should be such action. Moreover, ac-
ton should be taken to establish postal
savings banks. These postal savings
banks are imperatively needed for the
benefit of the wageworkers and men
of small means and will be valuable
Iadjunct to our whole financial system.
Time For Tariff Revision.
The time has come when we should
prepare for revision Of the tariff
This should be, and indeed must be
preceded by careful investigation. L
Is peculiarly the province of the con
gress and not of the president, and in
deed peculiarly the province of the
house of representatives, to originate 9
tariff bill and to determine upon 1T
terms, and this l fully realize. Yet i
seems to me that before the close O.
this session provision should be mad,
for collecting full material which viii
enable the congress elected next fal
to act Immediately after it comes int
existence. This would necessitate som'
action by the congress at its presen
session, perhaps in the shape Of direct
ing the proper committee to gather thu
necessary information, both through
the committee itself and through gov
eminent agents who should report t
the committee and should lay before |
the facts which would permit it to ac
with prompt and intelligent fairness
These government agents, If it is no
deemed wise to appoint individual
from outside the public service, nigh
with advantage be members Of the ex
ecutiye departments, designated by th
president oH his own motion or on tn