The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-21
Does Gompcrs Work Him Too Hard2

Il is now reported from Washington
that Mr.. ROOSEVELT declines TO demand
that Congress enact a measure exempt
ing organized labor from the operation
Of the Sherman act and legalizing the
boycott. The expectation on the part
Of the Federation Of Labor that Mr..
ROOSEVELT intended to pursue a con
trary course was perhaps natural and
was very generally shared by a large
part Of the public. His consistent ours
toward union labor has all along en-
oouraged such a belief. He has never
Wavered in his allegiance to that element,
except upon one trivial and negligible
occasion, when, desiring to put a par
ticularly CALLING afTront upon Mr.. HARRl-
MAN, he qualified him as a person just
as undesirable as Mcssrs, MoYER, HAY
WOOD and PETTIBONE, the same being
individuals at the moment particularly
odious in the public eye, The occasion
was remote from the period Of campaign;
besides, the episode has since been amply
atoned for.
We cannot help thinking that the Fed
Grafton Of Labor was both i'll advised
and unreasonable in calling upon Mr..
ROOSEVELT TO procure any such action
on the part Of Congress. They should
have been Content with what Mr., RoosE-
vEbT had already done for them. II is
quite true that the Supreme Court, which
has proved so inc~onsiderato Of Mr..
RoosEvELT's best interests, had rem
dered an injurious and offensive decision
declaring b%oycotting to be unlawful.
What, really, did that matter? Did not
Mr.. ROOSEVELT promptly vitiate and
nullify that decision? Did he not in
struot his Acknowledgement to suspend
the operation Of the whole legal ma
chinery Of the United States Govern
ment so that the Supreme Court, as far
as its decision went, vas, so to speak,
"hung up in the air?
Decidedly, the Federation Of Labor
was unreasonable and impatient. II was
no light service that Mr.. ROOSEVELT had
done 1t. It was no small or Insignificant
thing that the President of the United
States should in its behalf violate his
osih Of Office and outrage a coordinate
branch Of the Government. IL Is ali
very well for Mr., GoMPERs and his part
ner, SETH Low, 10 observe sneeringly,
'oh, it cost him nothing; he is beyond
the reach Of impeachment" We admit
readily that Mr., ROOSEVELT is beyond
the reach of impeachment, but there are
other considerations involved. The Fed
Grafton Of Labor should take into ac-
count Mr.. RoosEvELT's sense Of honor
and his feelings as a gentleman. Do
they imagine that it costs Mr.. RoOsE-
vEIf nothing to forswear himself and
degrade the trust confded TO him by the
nationY GoMPERs would never do it
we're he in his place.
Is IL possible that Mr.. ROOSEVELT had
led the Federation OF Labor TO expect
that he would, upon demand, hand over
10 that body the functions Of the national
Government? The Federation must have
INDUCED such u belief. It was an in
sane presumption. What Mr., RoosE-
WELT had done in multiplying the action Of
tho Supreme Court was az much as
could be reasonably demanded; and,
moreover, it was effective and operative,
until November beyond peradventure.
Had Mr.. ROOSEVELT compelled Congress
10 enact a statute repeating the Sherman
act In so far as it affects the operations
Of the Federation Of Labor, Mr.. CON-
PBRs ought 10 know that IL would have
been declared unconstitutional by tho
first court that dealt with IL. At best II
could have been but an inusory and
i~mpalpable benefit, good enough per-
haps until November, but dust and Dead