Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-04-14

Hartford. Conn, April 13.-The su-
preme court room at the capitol was
silled to overkowing today when men,
bers Of organized labor from many diff
ferent parts of the state gathered to
voice their approval of house bill 635,
which Is practically the act at present
on the statutes, which provides against
intimidation and boycott, with some
amendments which are proposed by the
labor interests.
Possible to Work Great Injustice.
The principal contention is that in
tim.dation is not defined in the present
law and that men may be sent to jail
unjustly under the workings of tue
measure as it exists at present. The
claim was made by several speakers
that anything could be construed as
intimidation and that 1t would be pos
sible to work great injustice against
the working classes unless the measure
Is changed. They also desired TO nave
the measure couched in such plain
terms that the workingmen may know
just what they may and may not DO
in the matter of persuading people not
to go to work for the employers.
President Donahue First Speaker.
The first speaker of the afternoon
was Charles J. Donahue, president of
the State Federation of Labor. He
claimed that the present law is based
on the decision OF an English judge
and that the original decision was not
against trade disputes but along other
lines and that 1t was never intended to
be applied to trade disputes.
Make the Meaning Clear.
He thought that the language of the
measure should be made precise and
clear. SO that the public may know
where 1t is az" He stated that the
power Of the law has only been exert
ed against the workingmen and al
ways in the interests of the strongest
party In a trade dispute. He believes
the law oppressive and unfair and that
there should be provisions made
whereby people engaged in a trade
dispute might know what to do. He
thought that the withdrawal Of busi-
ness intercourse from a man or a. set
of men is perfectly lawful. He stated
that he did not advocate the secondary
boycott. but that he believed that un-
ton labor should enjoy the right to
the primary boycott. Labor has no
monopoly in boycotting some of the
leading organizations in the state and
even some Of the churches have done
acts which smack Of the boycott. II.
ROW ever, the legislature believes that
all forms of boycott are wrong, why
we will submit to the law as all other
good citizens will" He alluded with
feeling to the attitude of Governor
Iilley on the situation as voiced in his
massage at the Inauguration.
Mr.. Donahue wanted the word un-
lawful inserted in the act prior to the
use of the word intimidation and Rep
resentative Burnes asked If this would
not make the state prove not only the
intimidation, but prove II to be un-
lawful. Mr.. Donahue stated that legal
counsel will explain that phase Of the
matter at a later hearing.
Views of Carpenters Representative.
r. c. Walz of Hartford, representing
some five thousand carpenters
throughout tne state, said that the
laymen do not understand the present
law and that many of the laws of the
state are too intricate. In regard to
the boycott, he called attention to a
recent amendment to the constitution
OF the Hartford Medical society to the
effect that doctors are not allowed to
serve unions or societies at so much
per year and cited it as being a case of
boycott of the unions and societies.
He cited an opinion by Judge Toohey
of Chicago to the effect that in indus
trial warfare the commission of an in
Jury is not a wrong. Mr.. Walz said
that there is an industrial warfare
going on between the Workingmen and
the employers all the time and that
therefore 1t would not be wrong for
the employers to get together and try
TO reduce wages, but under the pres
ent law If employees get together and