The Washington times., 1909-01-01
DOES LABOR SEEK UNEQUAL
ITY BEFORE THE LAW?

~
TTY BEFORE THE LAW?
The Federation of Labor decides to
obey the law. The 1--WE Don't Patron
lie" list viii be omitted from current
issues of the Federationist. This course
Is due partly to the Buck Stove and
Range decisions and partly to the find
ing in the Danbury Hatters' case. It
comes upon the heels of initial defeat
under the law, while the country ia
still shocked at sentences OF jail i'm
pFisonment imposed upon the leaders
OF 100000 citizens, and in the face of
Endorsements given those leaders. un-
happily and portentously, by their as
sociates of the Federation of Labor.
The great body of thoughtful friends
OF organized labol-in which number
tins newspaper counts itself earnestly
and hopefuuy-must grieve today that
this decision by President GomDers has
come so late How much better tactics
IL would have been, how much better
citizenship. to have acqmesced in the
first findings of the court. With how
much more force might Gompers.
Mitchell, and Morrison have appealed
TO Congress for an amendment of the
law. With how mach more confidence
the country might have contemplated
their leadership. Today the appeal
Tor new laT. comes from men who have
shown themselves willing to sacrifice
all law. Then it might have come
from men who had shown themselves
It's true supporters.
The mistake was specially costly in
view of the fact that no body of citi-
zens depends more absolutely upon the
JAW than skilled laborers. II there is
revolution, it is upon the mass of the
people that the yoke bears heaviest.
The rich can fly; the others must stay
TO bear the lawlessness, the insecurity.
the destruction of home. the loss of
loved ones. If there Is corruption Of
the courts, 1t is the rich who have the
means Of corruption and the poor uDon
whom the punishment OF Justice mis-
carried is first visited. The law. al
ways and everywhere. offers the weak
pore protection than the strong. That
p irs very spirit. And if Organized
labor here or anywhere, hopes TO OBJ
tain and keep advantage, that advan-
tage must depend more directly upon
law than any which the employers of
labor can ever possess
BY every sign. organized labor as
represented by Gomper5, Mitchell. and
Morrison, viii seek 10 obtain prefer
ment in the terms of the law as it re-
lates to combinations in restraint Of
trade Though their mouths have been
half closed their pleas weakened. bv at
tempted overriding of the law. If is
yet not impossible such preferment
may be had Of Congress. ii has been
had in England, I'm New Zealand. in
Australia IL would seem To Doe re-
ward for united effort on the part Of
organized laborers at the polls. And #
Is perhaps too much to expect that
men who have Endorsed such leadership
ar involved rebellion against the courts
would perceive that such exceptions I'M
der the law are obtained at too great
-E-feriss.
II labor is to De excepted from the
operations OF the sherman act. every
teaching of histczy is that either the
employer viii obtain sooner or later
some compeusatinq exception or that
The privilege which has been SOUGHT
by the laborer viii bc paid for over
and over ia counterbaI8ucing loss. Is
there mo INTERPRETATION i'm England be
tHeen the overeEactions OF miouism
and the army of the UNEMPLOYED
against which now English merchants
are iusuring themselves Is there TO
relation OF cause and effect between
he diminished productivity of the
average English union workman and
The prevailing widespread poverty
amongst English union workman fami-
lies
The tendency on .he uHc hand is rg
socialism; ou tHe other d. Is 20 iudi-
vidual opportunity Who needs the OPP
portunity the moro laborer cor en-.
plRZsgt NAg. lheBs la mage ~ gan