The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-10-01
ABUSE OF
INJUNCTI0NS
Taft Considers Party Har-
mony Greater T h n
Party Pledges.


pledged himself to suppbrt a move-j
ment for limiting the power of the
courts to issue iniunctions. His pro.
posed amendments to the present law
are by no means radical. On the con
trary, they are ultraconservative. They
are, in short, the views of LAWYER.
h"t we are TAR even from obtaining the
relIei from government by Injunction"
that the chief executive advocates We
are by no means certain that even,
slight changes can be made in the
statutes, This uncertainty is increased
since we now fully understand that
President Taft considers party har-
n"nN matter of greater Importance
than the exact fulfilment of party
pledges. Everything depends on the at
tltade of the Republican leaders in
'ongress, with whom the present exec
ntlvc is not inclined to wage open war
even when these leaders are out of
harmony with party principles as laid
down in convention platforms.
Ii one desires to <now the possibih,;
ilr~ OF unfair use of the Injunction, the
information may be obtained by a
Judy of the fight that the Illinois
Manufacturers Association is making
on the Illinois law limiting the hours
oi employment of women factory work
ero. This law was enacted by the last
legislature. Labor interests wanted an
eight hour law for women, but the
aforementioned manufacturers as
.ociation opposed the bill with such
rigor that in order to get any legisla-.
tive action whatever it was necessary
for the friends of the measure to com
promise on a ten-hour day. But even
this does not suit the Illinois Manu-
iacturers' Association. II has now
gone into court and obtained an in
junction against the state law enforce
ment officers to prevent them from
giving heed to the new statute. The in
junction was granted on the theory that
he law interfered with the right of
women workers to make free contracts.
In other words, the association, asi-
suming the position of being the friend
of the interests that obtained the en-
actment of the law goes into court
to obtain a Judgment that will prevent
the enforcement of the law. Nor is
this all The complainants have actu-
ally succeeded in preventing the opera
ion of a criminal statute. The situa-
ton is much the same as if a burglar
should attack the cOnsttutiOnality of
law designed to prevent thievery, go
into court and obtain an injunction
against the police restraining them
from srresting him in event that he
should decide to rob the home of John
Smith Bill Jones or some other citizen.
The strangest part of the illinois
Manufacturers Associations case. how
ever. lies in its open confession in
court of doing the very thing that the
ten hour law seeks to prevent it and
other employers from doing. In order
to show that the right of free contract
is imperiled by the new statute it. of
course. became necessary for the as
sociation to take up its legal fight
from the standpoint of the employe.
Accordingly. its lawyers prepared a
petition and had it signed by two wom-
en-. These women are dummy plain,
lifts. 1t is represented on their behalf
hat if the right of contracting to
work for longer than ten hours a day
is denied them, they will not be able
to make a living. As it is, they al
lege, they now only make a little more
than their living expenses, and shorter
hours would 50 decrease their earning
capacity as to curtail their bread and
butter supply.
Does the reader grasp the situation?
Here is a humane law, passed for the
purpose of tightening the burden of
women employees. Here is an associa
ion of employers that is opposed to
the law because its enforcement would
decrease profits. And here are two
beneficiaries of the law going into the
courts at the behest of the association
of employers to serve the interests of
the latter in the fight on the statute.
But, worse vet, here is this powerful as
sociation, in order to make a plausible
legal fight, virtually corvessing that it
does not pay its employees living
wage. One industrial sin is advanced
as reason why there should be no
enforcement of law that is designed
TO prevent the commission of another
sin. And Judges, sitting in temples
of Justice" refuse to remove the veil
hiding the iniquity and grant injunc-
tions on flimsy pretense! Does anyone
wonder that there is such popular
camor against government by in
junction" National Woman's Daily.
The Trades Council is standing pat
with the local electricians in the con
troyersv between them and the A. F..
of L., and will retain them in the cen
trail body. This action is being fol.