New-York tribune., 1909-04-03
BOYCOTT AS A WEAPON
PRESIDENT TAFT QUOTED.
National Civic Federation Instructed
as to the Right to Combine.

Whether any PORTION of society has the right to
its combined purchasing power for its own bene
ht, and if so. in what manner and to what extent.
the question discussed by the New York Council
of the National Civic Federation yesterday. The
meeting held in the rooms of the Board of
Trade and Transportation. at No. 203 Broadway
and Samuel GOmpcls, president OF the American
Federation of Labor, who present by invita-
tion heard four speakers arragn the secondary boy
1t in connection with this kind of boy
the Bucks Stove Company that Mr. Gompers
ami John Mitchell cIashed with the courts and were
adjudged in contempt and sentenced Their appeal
is pending
John Bates Clark professor of political economy
Columbia was the first speak and Mr.. Com
pers the last. Professor Clark said that the
primary boycott something to be not merely
tolerated but also encouraged But the real weapon
of trade unonism, the secondary boycott, tried 10
impose costs upon the of the community by
making it inconvenient for others than the unonists
to buy the goods which were made under conditions
that entail smaller cost. Whatever such boycott
might be in the eyes of the law, it was both dis
turbng element and of injustice In the eyes
of the economists.
Nearly all the speakers quoted the Presidents
labor decisions while Judge. Frederic j. Stmson,
Harvard University Law School, the next speak
er. did frequently OF the secondary boycott
Professor Stimson said:
You have right to combine TO get better wages
from your employer. but you have right to COM
blne with the direct purpose OF injuring your en-
or expectation. however well founded that such
injury result in some benefit to you"
The law considered the direct intent; the com
mon law Of conspiracy went into the motive he
said That was the dividing line, and il was the
very spIendor of the law that it did go
into the intent. what is called guilt. He then said:
The Sherman antitrust law should be so
amended as to make the criminality of the COM
bination upon the intent with which the men
or the corporations come together, whether to
make n reasonable contract of sale and purchase
and fair dealing and equal 10 the public, or
with the purpose and intent Of getting a monop-
oily"
Presiden, Taft had been in correspondence with
ex-Iudce Reuben u. SIiman in answer to the lat
ter.s letter OF conEratulation the letter OF
ceptance Of the nomination for President. and
Judge Siliman Who followed Professor Stmson.
quoted literally from the letters, IN one OF which
the President said;
The secondary boycott involves the compulsion
~ third uersons not engaged in the controversy,
TO ion the boycotters I'm their fight against an en-
e,ny of theirs who is no enemy Of the person boy
cotted am convinced from long thought over II
that compusion Of third persons against their VIII
is the nab Of the offence OF boycottng-
Judge Siliman said that the dividing line thus
,,ol,,ad ont was this. When what was done passed.
from persuasion to duress and coercion 1t became
,,rIavful and when that dividing line so clearly
drawn l,y the President was fully understood the
-. 80, ,,i,,, The subject would be settled Wal
ter Drew counsel of the Nationa! ErectoTS AS
so>,iation held that the boycott was essentially a
var measure. It's avowed purpose was to inJuFe'
cripple and destroy ,, -.
,tr c,rnars who had been busy taxing notes
,,,l, th. platform He wanted TO know what
s,r-,dpa the speakers had against President lait
tbat caused them to quote him against LABOR rms
caused a laugh Mr. Gompers then SAID that "hhe
,bsr, had been many remarks against organized
Iobo, ba had not heard a single word oil comment
-, tho EMPLOYERS blacklist or the lockout OF
,,,,o,..s 10 Justify the Wholesale condemnation OF
,.,rLfngr,en for presuming 10 act along Hhes
hi,h seemed similar. although with different ends
- iur Men of labor were not in love Win inc
,,.cotr or the strike. Re then said;
cod beip the people Of this country II the rlsh'
., s,ril,e is taken away from them IL IS 'le
,oyyar ~ the strike that acts as constant eh@eA
., tho greed of concentrated wealth. ana say
mis- with no feeling OF enuity. In the case Oh ''
stove company tae practical power ot tndrtiai Jaw
,,,s oronIoved against with this difference: In
martial law the embargo is removed wheh tne
,si, for IT mas passed. whereas the same
r,n.sr has been applied against us for the pro'ec-
,,, NJ an old stove in perpetuity-
,ri,ootbv Healey president OF the Eccentric fiFe-
mems Union was the only person III the auuieHCe
,,, rsy,ared the invitation to enter the discus
i ua asked that the whole SUBJECT De uls-
,,sod ~ some future meeting. when hoth siueS
-, h,a . hearing and 1t was so decided