The sun., 1908-03-24
SOMEWHAT JEALOUS"
Comment on the AdmlnIstratIOnS View OF
Contemporary Attempts 10 Enforce the
Law IN the Case Of OrganlIed Labor.
From 10 ChioaQo mn Ooean.

Contemporary Attempts 10 Enforce the
Law In the Case Of OrgsniJed Labor.
From ne Chicago Inter Ocean,
Mr. Bonaparte has q large special appro-
prlatlon 10 enforce the Sherman act but he
now refuses to proceed under the Supreme
Court decision and no characterizes as some
what jealous" District Attorney who began
without Informing the Attomey-General IN
advance, a prosecution under the sherman
aot-of q labor union.
On top OF this we have repeated statements
from Washington that the national Admins.
tration Is determined to have sooner or later
a revision" OF the Sherman act with view
to wIpinE out lts penalties against scomolna'
tlons 10 restraint Of trade" where those com
binatlons are effected by labor unions
Now, Of course there cannot be two KINDS
OF American citizens with different rlghts'
that is, under the Constitution II Is lnpos'
slble. under the Constitution to perpetuale'
for instance, the boycott by law and to penal,
lie the blacklist, to legalize the restraint OF
trade by combination Of union worklhgmen
and to punish the restraint OF TRACE oyAcoh'
bination OF stockholders,
No matt er how insdlous or roundabout an
enactment thus to create q privileged Glass
II would violate both the letter and the splIit
Of the constitutional guarantees OF eqush'y
before the law.
Is il lust and right then, even to attempt such
a discrimination, Is not the very enort 10
do 80 backward step? Especially IN view
OF the Presidents utterances Is II square
deal for the President and Mr.. Bonapsrte TO
try 10 set aside q certain class OF American
citizens who may do with inpunity what the
rest OF us are c1coriated and prosecuted Tor
on suspiclon'
And II the deal itself il square who stacked
the cards before the deal began
From the Richmond TimCs-Dispoich
What the plain man wants to know is why
the antitrust law, which has been enforced
against the Standard OIL and the railroads,
for example. should not be enforced against
labor unions who have Illegally boycotted
their enemies. Some District Attorneys we're
foolish enough to suppose that all lawbreak-
ers must be prosecuted and that II made no
difference 10 the law whether the offender
was L. II Hartman or q DanbuTy natter.
Not so. however. did II seem to President
| Roosevelt. for Il Is now frankly admitted by
Attorney. General Bonaparto that the Govern
| ment proposes TO take no proceedings against
| been made Ia the Law department for pro-
ceednEs to be undertaken at once against
/ illegal boycotters, but though the Admlnlslra-
| ton has a heart Of oak and triple steel for
| nghting individual lswbreakers II has but
! little stomach for the awakened wrath OF
organized labor,
| 80 again the plain citizen, who II neither
| panopned with wealth nor protected By or
| hat haV he a "A =
| are for all alike or are enforceable only a.
the Presidents Uhim and for his political
| benefit
From The Springfield R,pubiIcoH.
Enforce the antitrust Law. indeed Really
! gentlemen. something depends upon whose
! OK is gored How curious that YOU should
! have forgotten g. n labor is 10 be given
SPECIAL status under the conspiracy laws affect
ing the restraint Of trade. why be shocked
| Labor already has special status. What
are strikes Once a strike WAS in ltseli GRIM
! ina because OF the palpdbe conspiracy 10 II
! But a strike Is no longer criminal IN this
country Wage earners we're given the right
TO strike in order that they might protect
| their collective interests by waging indnstrla
war. In England very recently labor nnion'
| we're granted by law special immunities from
damage suits, and thus they we're made under
| English law a privileged class. The Tan
Vale decision aroused 10 political action every
trade unionist m the United Kingdom, and
not even the House Of Lords dared to reject
| the trade disputes bill, which was driver
through the House Of Commons out of fcaI
| Of the labor vote
! With President Roosevelt following rapidl'
IN the footsteps Of SIR Henry Campbell Ban
ncrman, aud seeking TO counieract iudicia
decisions against labor by lagisial ion designed
10 appease the wrath Of unlonisnI, the motion
that he would enforce an old law that Su
prene Court decision had lntrlv sharpeneC
| against unionist methods II warfare is q drol
conceit of the hopelesslc q re8ctiOnsry minded.