The Washington herald., 1910-04-04
TAFT UNBURDENO
TO RAILROAD MEN
Continued from Page One.

mendous power that by both organiza- |
tons must be placed in few men is the |
power that may be abused, and when It |
is abused by either side the public. that |
belongs to neither the capital nor the |
labor classes. suffers more, think, than
either the labor classes or the capitalists. |
Hence it Is that the legal means Of
restraining any abuse by either ought
not in any way to be weakened. But Il
in the administration of the law there
comes out some evidence OF a defect in
that administration that can be corrected
by legislation, then we ought to cor
rect it.
The Value of Injunction.
II was proclaimed TO you when was
nominated and afterward as the father
of injunctions' Wen. am not so old
man. The remedy by injunction without
respect to labor disputes is a remedy In
equity that is the most valuable one that
know in doing justice. because instead
of attempting TO compensate for injury It
prevents injury being done. In labor
cases where unlawful injury is threat
ened 1t has been used for a great many
years. but it was permitted and is per-
mitted TO the chancellor now to issue an
Injunction where he anticipates injuries
so quickly that he cannot reach it after
notice to issue It without notice. and that
has been complained Of by labor organiza-
tons, because in a strike or in any united
action the issuing Of a formidable legal
process sometimes takes the life out Of a
movement that needs courage to begin,
for, bear me out. strikes are legal If they
are conducted for a legal purpose. either
Of increasing wages or securing any terms
Of employment that are better for the
labor man.
Then there grew out Of four OF FIVE
Instances. where there was an ill-advised
issuing of an Injunction without notice, a
feeling that injustice was done. and I
believe. and my predecessor, Theodore
Roosevelt, believed. that that power ought
TO be defined and limited in such a way
that there was 10 be In future no danger
of ill-advised issuing OF such injuactions.
We have got a bill OF that sort in Con-
gress. Ny friend. quondam enemy,
| brother Gompers. says it is no good at ALL
| My embarrassing friend Van CIeave says
1t is very vicious. And they are at the
two poles. which. my dear friends. is one
! OF the best evidences that I have that
the bill is a good thing.
Purposes Of the New Law.
what the bill proposes TO do is TO say
| that when a man applies TO a court for
a restraining order he shall bring in his
affidavits and make his case; that the
court shall then write out why the in
jury threatened IS irreparable: that he
finds it to be sustained by evidence and
why he cannot give notice and have the
case heard before he issues the injunc-
ton. He has to spread that on the min
utes. When a judge has 10 do that he is
going to think twice before he issues an
order without giving the other side an
opportunity TO be heard.
secondly, If he concludes that he finds
/ the reason, and IS sure the order Is no
good IL the other side Is not notified, and
il the hearing is not had after seven
days, it ceases TO have effect altogether
That is TO prevent some abuses that we
know Of in the past where a preliminary
order was issued without notice and
lasted three months.
You do not believe. neither do 7, IN
boycotting You don't believe IN the
/ sympathetic strike: neither do I. because
II is blind movement that never &C
composites anything. You do believe in
organization and in standing together
and so do I. You have reached the con-
clusion that everything that does injus-
tee to the railroads that employ you
does injustice to you.
Time Has Bettered Railroads.
ST am not defending the railroads
There was a time-I hope it has passed
land / believe It has-when the system OF
Irebates was so general that they were
Ian law-breakers. II was a sad condi-
ton. But I believe that that time has
lpassed and that the railroads OF this
leountry, as a general thing. are trying
to obey the law and TO get laws which
Ithey can reasonably obey.
II have recommended TO Congress a
bill amending the interstate commerce
law, and one of the objections is that
consulted six railroad presidents before 1
made my recommendation. consulted
tshippers. I consulted the Interstate Com
merce Commission, I consulted everybody
that had an interest, and then it oe-
CURED TO me that possibly the railroad
presidents knew something about inter-
state commerce. and so consulted them.
and that damns the bin.
A Reason for Opposition.
zone Of the reasons for fighting the bill
Is that the railroads are not fighting Il.
If the railroads do not fight a bill, then
you can be sure It must be corrupt and
rotten. Railroad authorities have learned
lot within the last ten years. and they
know that it does not help their interests
TO fight a bill that is just. You found
that out, your representatives have found
that out in Washington.
zone Of the great things that your or
carnations have done is to bring before
the public the necessity for legislation
with respect to safety appliances and
with respect to the employers liability
act. and there is now going Though Con-
gress LEGISLATION which is going to be
the utmost benefit to you In your perilous
profession. I do not know whether the
railroad men realize what debt OF graft
tude they owe to BENJAMIN Harrison. lie
was the first one to bring to the atten-
ton OF Congress the necessity for safety
appliances in interstate commerce. and
he pressed it home with an array OF
startling statistics as to the killed and In
jured among railroad men that shocked
every friend of humanity. He was the
man who first secured the putting on thS
statute book OF that car coupling law
another safety appliance law which has
, aoro 81 much 20 redllce cArtair, kinds III