Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-24
LABOR FAILS TO
CAIN EXEMPTION
FROM TRUST LAW
Fiuht Is Lost in House to Give the
Unions Immunity from Anti
Combine Prosecutions
STRONG PRESSURE is USED
President Taft ExertS Influence
Against What He Terms
Class Legislation
IAssociated Pressl

WASHINGTON, June 23.-Labor or
ganizations have lost their fight to gain
exemption from prosecution under the
antitrust and interstate commerce
laws.
Following a lively debate and by a
vote of 1888 to 100, the house TO-DAY
agreed to the senate action striking out
a provision in the sundry civil bill that
would have effected this immunity.
When the sundry civil bill was before
the house that body tackled on an
amendment by Mr.. Hughes, Democrat,
of New Jersey, providing that no part
of the appropriation for the enforce
ment of the antitrust laws snail be
spent in the prosecution of any organ
iZation or individual for entering into
anv combination or agreement having
in view the increasing of wages, short
enine of hours or bettering the condi-
ton of labor, or for any act done in
furtherance thereof not in itself unlaW-
full
The senate struck out the amend
ment. The house then instructed It's
conferees to stand by that provision,
and the senate confereeS, reSentlng
such an ironclad instruction, reIuseu "
consider the item.
Today Mr. Tawney, one of the house
conferees moved that the house recede
from its position and concur with the
senate action. The motion stirred up
hornets nest.
KNOCKOUT BLOW GIVEN
On the final vote which gave knock
out blow to the Hughes amendment
and left the way clear to easier agree
ment on the sundry civil bill the fol-
lowing Republicans voted with the
Democrats for the amendment:
Austin, Tennessee; Carey, cooper
Ienroot, Nelson and Stafford, Wiscon-
sin: Davis, Minnesota; Fish, New
York: Creme, Massachusetts,; Forchte
and Reynolds, Pennsylvania; Hubbard
Kendall, Woods. Iowa; Hayes, Califor-
MIA; Kromiller, Maryland; Lundin'
Rodenberg, Wilson, Illinois; Murdock,
kansas; Poindexter. washington.
The democrats who voted with the
Renublicans were: Bartlett, Nevada;
Sherley, Kentucky; Page, North car
olina
sixteen present did not vote and sew
eral were paired.
he hoped the house would recede and
concur with the senate as to this
amendment, asserting that the amend
ment was offered for political bum
combe. He protested against congress
tying the hands of the government IN
the enforcement of criminal law, and
said that the amendment worked a
class DISCRIMINATION NiioN "CNiN 1850
tute policy that some day would
shake the very foundation of this gov
ernment.'
TAFT OPPOSES PROVISION
Mr.. Hughes denied that his purpose
was political He said the charge of
demagogy was easily made and that
in the ordinary acceptance of the term
a demagogue is man who tries to
do after election that which he prom
ises to do before election.
Mr.. Madison of Kansas denounced
the Hughes amendment as an attempt
to write into the law legalizatlon
of the secondary boycott.
The action of the house late today
in receding from its labor amendment
marked the successful termination of
an all day fight by President Taft
against what he termed class legisla-
tion of an improper sort and appar-
emily removed the last real obstacle in
the way of an adjournment of congress
within the next few days.
President Taft bent every energy
toward the defeat of the house amend
ment exempting labor organizations
from the operation of the Sherman
ANTITRUST law. He threw his whoB
Influence into the fight, sending for
scores of representatives and urging
them to defeat the provision. Mr..
raft said if 1t cost him the support of
every laboring man in the country ne
would not approve such law.
The laboring man, he believed,
asked only equality before the law and
was entitled to no more.