Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-17
TAFT DEFENDS
LABOR UNIONS
PRESIDENT GIVES SUPPORT TO
WAGE-EARNERS
SAYS HE WILL KEEP PARTY PLAT
FORM PLEDGES
chlcasoans Tender Enthusiastic Re-
ception to Chief ExeeutlVe-Un-
usual Address Made in
Windy City
tContinued trom .pags onel

fCOntinued from Page OneI
| the emphasis possible, even though
were 1 a working man l should prob
ably deem it wise to join a union Tor
the reasons given.
1.-THE effect of organized labor on such
! abuses as the employment of child Ia
| bor the exposure of laborers to undue
risk in dangerous employments, the
continuance of unjust rules Of law
exempting employers from liability for
accidents to laborers, has been direct,
immediate and useful, and such reforms
| in these matters as have taken place
would probably be long delayed but for
the energetic agitation of the questions
by the representatives of organized
labor.
Where 1t Does Wrong
"Of course when organized labor per-
mits itself to sympathize with violent
methods, with breaches of the law,
with boycotts and other methods of
undue duress, it is not entitled to our
sympathy.
But 1t Is not to be expected that
such organizations shall be perfect and
that they may not at all times and IN
particular cases show defective tenden-
| cies that ought to be corrected.
zone defect which has been pointed
out has been the disposition of major
ity members in labor unions to reduce
the compensation of all men engaged in
IL particular trade to a dead level, and
| to fail to recognize the difference be-
tween the highly skilled and very in
| dustrious workman and the one less
| skilled and less Industrious.
| ST think there is a movement among
| trades unions themselves to correct this
| leveling tendency, and nothing could
strengthen the movement more than
| the adoption of some plan by which
there should remain among union
workmen the impetus and motive to
be found in greater reward for greater
skill and greater industry.
There Is one thing to be said In
respect to American trades unionism
that Its critics are not generally alive
| to. In France the trades unions are
intensely socialstic. Indeed, In some
of the late difficulties it was plain
that there was a strong anarchistic
feeling among them and that they op-
posed all authority of any kind.
Socialism Increases
It is also plain that the tendency to-
ward Socialism in England and Eng
lands trades unions is growing strong
er. 1 need not point out the deplor-
able results in this country If trade
unionism became a synonym for So
cialism.
"Those who are now In active con-
| troll of the federation of labor and all
the great railroad organizations have
set their face like flint against the
| propaganda of socialistic principles.
"They are in favor of the rights Of
property and of our present institutions
and of Such remedial legislation as to
put workingmen on equality with their
| opponents in trade controversies and
trade contracts and to stamp out the
| monopoly and the corporate abuses
| 4, til, 80
ent system unaccompanied by proper
| limitation.
"I think all of us who favor the
maintenance of our present institutions
should recognize this battle which has
been carried on by the conservative
and influential members of trades un-
ions and willingly give credit to these
| men as the champions of a cause which
should command our sympathy, respect
and support.
Injunction Decisions
"Our friends Of the labor unions at
times complain of our courts. more
perhaps because of the decisions in in
Junction cases, than for anything else.
II have already referred to this par
| ticular phase of litigation in which they
have an interest, but when the subject
of courts is mentioned it suggests to
me a larger field for complaint and re-
form in which all citizens are inter-
ested and have a right to be heard.
There is no subject In which ! feel
SO deeply interested as In the neces-
sity for reform in the administration
of both civil and criminal laws. 20
sum 1t all up on one phrase, the diff
Guilty in both is undue delay.
| "It Is not too much to say that the
administration Of criminal law in this
country is a disgrace to our civiliza-
ton and that the prevalence Of crime
and fraud. which here is greatly in
excess of that in the European coun-
! tries is due largely to the failure of
the law and it's administrators to bring
criminals to justice. 1 am sure that
this failure is not due to corruption of
officials.
"It is not due to their negligence or
laziness, although of course there may
be both in some cases; but it is chiefly
due to the system against which it is
impossible for an earnest prosecutor
and an efficient judge to struggle.
Inherited System
I'VE inherited our system of crimi-
nal prosecutions and the constitutional
provisions for the protection of the ac-
cused in his trial from England and
her laws. We inherited from her the
jury trial.
"All these limitations and the jury
system still remain in England but
they have not interfered with an ef-
fective prosecution of criminals and
their punishment.
There has not been undue delay in
English criminal courts. In this coun-
try we have generally altered the re-
latlon of the judge to the jury.
I'm England the judge controls the
trial, controls the lawyers, keeps them
to relevant and proper argument, aids
the jury in its consideration OF the
facts, not by direction, but by sugges-
tion, and the lawyers in the conduct
| of the cases are made to feel that
they have an obligation not only to
their clients, but also to the court and
to the public at large, not to abuse
their office in such a way as unduly to
lengthen the trial and unduly to direct
the attention of the court and the jury
away from the real facts at issue.
"In this country there seems to
have been on the part of all state
legislators q fear of the Judge and
not of the jury and the power which
he exercises in the English courts has
by legislation been reduced from time
to time until now, and this is es-
pecially true in western states, he has
haru4y more power than the moderator
in a religious assembly.
I Tendency of solons
"The tendency of legislation is to
throw the reins on the backs Of the
jurors and let them follow their own
sweet will, Influenced by all the arts
i of counsel for the defendant In le1d-
ing them away from the real points
/ at issue and in awakening their emo
Il tions of pity for the defendant in for