The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-10-23
LABOR THEME
OF ROOSEVELT
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So f4&tEAEN siMNH aatT>hhss EsfaAtNHU4 fEat 4aa4FEa
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CONTINUED from page Three)
against q locomotive fireman who had
lost an arm In coupling cars, and
by your Intervention secured from the
supreme court q construction Of the
safety appliance act which made II
q vital remedial statute, and there.
fore has secured to hundreds Of Grip.
pied employees and widows of crippled
employees compensation which they
would not have otherwise obtained.
The daily papers Of October 10,
contain an open letter from Samuel
Gompers, president Of the American
Federation Of Labor appealing to
workingmen to vote for Mr.. Bryan.
.In that are certain definite state
ments which interest the American
public quite as much as those to whom
Nr. Gompers makes his appeal. The
statements warrant all you have said
IN your speech. and they would war.
rant you in asking Mr.. Bryan to say
publicly whether MI. Gompers states
correctly the attitude Of his party and
himself On q subject that is Of vital
concern to every citizen, including
every business man, as we'll as every
farmer and every laborer who looks
to the courts for the protection OF his
rights.
"Mr. Gompers in his letter asserts
that the judiciary OF this country il
destroying the government and sub
shutting therefore an irresponsible
and corrupt despotism in the inter-
est Of corporate power, and he fur.
ther makes clear that the means Of
which he believes this alleged despot-
Ism has been set up in the place of
Democracy is by the process of in
junction in the courts Of equity.
mi. Gompers in his letter states
that his appeal to the Republican con
vention at Chicago for remedy as
against the injunction was denied,
and he then goes on to state not only
that the Democratic party promised
. remedy, but promised him the par
tcular remedy that he had already
asked Of congress.
His words are: ;Labor's represent
atives then went to the Democratic
party. That party made labor's con
tentions it's own. 1t pledged its can
didates for every office to those rem
edies which labor had already sub
mitted to congress- rs
"The last sentence In this QUOTA
tion indicates very definitely the spe-
cifc remedies to which Mr.. Gompers
understands Mr.. Bryan's party has
pledged itself.
Ills statement nov makes perfectly
clear an important plank in the Bry-
ante platform which has heretofore
seemed puzzling to q vast number Of
earnest minded thinking people who
! sincerely interested In the steady
advance OF the legitimate aspirations
Of labor and who carefully read both
platforms to know precisely what
hopes each hold out for the improve
ment Of the conditions Of wage earn
ers. $,
THE plank reads as follows:
Questions of judicial practice have
arisen especially In connection with
Industrial disputes. We deem that
the parties to all Judicial proceedings
should be treated with rigid impair
tiality and that injunctions should not
be issued In any cases In which in
functions would not issue II no indus
trial dispute were involved,
This is the plank that promises the
remedy against injunction which Mr..
Gompers asked Of Mr.. Bryan's party.
In actual fact it means absolutely
nothing; no change Of the law could
be based on 1t: no man without In
side information could tell how its
meaning would turn out for no man
could tell how any judge would de-
eide in any given q s as the plank
apparently leaves each Judge free to
say when he Issues an Injunction in
q labor case whether or not 1t Is a
ase in which an Injunction were is
sueable were labor not involved. Yet
this plank is apparently perfectly
clear to Mr.. Gompers and IN his let
ter to Ais followers he indicates be
yond question Just what he under
stands it to mean. He asserts that
he has the requisite inside knowledge.
His statement that Mr.. Bryan's party
(for It was Mr.. Bryan who dictated
the platform) pledged itself to those
remedies which labor had already sub
mitted to congress- Is q perfectly clear
and definite statement.
THE remedy which Mr.. Gompers
has already submitted to congress 10
g matter Of record, and the identiica-
ton Of his remedy against injunc-
tons IN labor disputes Is easy and GER
tain. This remedy is embodied In
house bill No. "a. Of the first SEES
sion OF the sixtieth congress. the COM