The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-10-14
TAFT ON THE BOYCOTT.

The st. Louis Globe Democrat is an
interesting comment on the position of
President Taft on the boycott:
| In his speech at Portland Mr.. Taft
said some sensible things about boy
colts, declaring that they are illegal,
and ought to be suppressed" and add
ing: Il would never countenance a
law which recognizes their legality,
and have not hesitated to say so, but
l do not think the way to suppress
them is to take a federal statute that
was intended for another evil and
make 1t apply to them. If the statute
is changed in the manner which sug-
gest the letter of the statute viii not
cover their cases. The labor unions
say they want definite exemption,
saying that this statute should not
apply to them at ALL would not con-
sent to that. Labor unions must obey
the laws like everybody else"
Every syllable in that expression
viii be Endorsed by all public spirited
Americans, except the implication. that
the federal statute was not intended
to apply to embargoes on trade by
labor unions. During the discussion
of the Sherman antitrust act of 1890
which is the statute to which the pres
ident refers, an attemp was made to
exempt labor unions and farmers So
cieties from the operations of the law
but that plea failed. IT failed because
the trainers of the statute believed that
such an exemption would set up a
favored order of people in the COM
munity, and that the whole statute
would be declared unconstitutional by
the courts on the ground that it was
class legislation. Therefore labor or
CARNATIONS like organizations of cap
italists, were made amenable to the
penalties of the statute.
Mr.. Taft's proposition for an amend
ment to the Sherman act on this point
has never been clearly set forth in
print, but this will probably be done
In his regular message to congress this
winter, or in some special message. He
wants to keep boycotting on the list
OF crimes, where II is now, but his
amendment might throw obstacles in
the way Of the courts in Furnishing this
crime. In the Danbury hat case the
United States supreme court declared
that boycott on the production OF any
article which enters into interstate
commerce is a crime In the meaning
OF the Sherman act, and it's perpetra-
tors are subject to the penalties i'm
posed by that statute. Every Ameri-
can who wants a square deal for ALI
elements of the community appIauded
that decision. For this reason all
propositions to dilute or modify the
afo frv+n at
need to be scanned very closely lest
1t may lend itself to some distortion
which may permit 1t to set up a privi-
legged order of lawbreakers In the com
mNnity.
eT If you stick around and wait long
enough something will turn up-if
nothing but your toes
Miss Ekins wouldn't that stop some
Of this Italian prince talk?
eT With the peanut crop almost q
faiIure-the baseball fans may be fore
ed to chew pop corn next year.
fT Governor AnseII or South Caro-
lima predicts that the solid south"
will all be prohibition within fiye years.
eEIn Kansas merchants are not per-
mitted to make sidewalk displays OF
either fruits or vegetables. North Da-
kota should have the Kansas Law.
~ The people Of New York have
tired Of jerome. He gained notoriety
by bis blatant yelps for that dear ire
form like 4 great majority Of
''reformers he failed to do much aft
er he landed the job. He was long on
invective. an Incorporate cigarette