Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-06
TAFT'S VIEWS GIVEN
ON MOOTED SUBJECT
OF CONSERVATION
Continued From Pace One

controversies and the stopping of dlsas-
/ trous strikes that has been done by COM
missioner Knapp cannot be overstated
| Again, with respect to the employees OF
| insterstate commerce railways, all or
which passed by congress making easier
| for the employees who have been injured
through the negligence Of the company or
| some other employees of the company, TO
recover compensation for their injuries.
1 The old common law upon this subject
was unjust to the employees. and seemed
| to have been in the interest Of the en-
ployer. Moreover congress has empow-
| cred the interstate commerce commission
| to- require all interstate railroad COM
/ panies to adopt every reasonable safety
| appliance in order to reduce the deplor-
| able loss of life and limb among railway
| employees engaged in and about the run
| ming Of trains.
Again, the alien contract labor law has
/ been passed and strictly enforced with
| view to prevent the bringing In from
| other countries to compete with the set
| tied laborers of this country, pauper labor
| to serve at wages far lower than the
prevailing wage in the United States
| Finally, a bureau of mines has just been
| established in order that by investigation
| and research and close observation of the
| practical morking of mines, the best ap-
! planes for preventing the enormous de-
struction of life that occurs from the ex-
plosion of gases and fire, to mines in coal
and other mines, may be devised and
| adopted
| This legislation is in the interest and
| for the benefit of q class-the working
men; but they are so large a class, and
| their welfare is so important to the pub
| lie at large, that while it might be char
| acterized as class legislation it is greatly
| for the public veal and cannot be de-
| nominated privileged or Objectionable. We
need and hope we shall secure more of
! such legislation.
But there is kind of legislation to
| which / would refer, that does come I'M
| der the head of vicious class legislation
| and hope 1 can make the distinction
| clear between this and what l have been
| indicating. A number of statutes have
| been passed in the states against COM
| binations or conspiracies to restrain
| trade to suppress competition or to main
| tain prices, and there has been an at
| tempt to insert in such statutes a pro-
vision or a section exempting farmers
| or other classes from the operation of
| the statutes, to enable the exempt
| classes to corner products and raise
prices while no other class in the COM
munity can do so. The supreme court
| of the United States has held that such
| law gives an undue privilege to par
! ticular class in the community, creates
an unjust exemption from the operation
| of useful law, denies the equal protec-
| ton of the laws, violates the constitution
and is invalid.
| Again the federal antitrust law has
| been held by the supreme court to de-
nounce combinations, to obstruct or re-
strain interstate trade, and to prohibit
therefore illegal boycotts to injure the
| Interstate trade of any person At the
last session of congress, in an appropria-
ton bill some 100000 was appropriated
for the enforcement of the antitrust
law. To this appropriation. an amend
| ment was proposed providing that no
part of the 100000 should be used in the
| prosecution of the working men engaged
| in a boycott, because there was no oc-
casion for such use and in all probabi-
| ity the money nov appropriated will new
| er be used for such a purpose. But 1t
was the proper Veiw of the majority,
| who voted against the amendment. that
\ on principle such a class exemption or
| privilege should not be declared and
| approved in a statute of the government
| have not the slightest expectation that
the money will ever be used for any
| thing but the prosecution of corporations
and business firms engaged in combina-
lions in restraint of trade; but to tie
1
! unlawful combination of working men
or any other men, If such a combination
/ existed and thus make any group a
privileged class of law breakers. is Meth
| err justice nor wisdom, nor statesman
ship.
But It is said I am not consistent be-
cause l proposed to the last congress that
interstate railroad companies be permit
ted to make temporary agreements last
on Exfv, YI0ffn afoe
| for traffic between the same places, and
to this extent be exempted from the OPP
| Grafton of the antitrust law. 1t was said
with great plausibility, you are opposed
! to exempting working men from the OPP
Grafton of such law. but you favor the
exemption of railroad companies" The
answer is that interstate railroads are
restricted much more closely and are
under much more minute observation by
the provisions of the interstate commerce
/ law than they can possibly be under
the antitrust law. The interstate COM
merce law thus logically makes them a
special class to be treated by them
selves The reason for my recommen-
dalton was that the business of railroads
and the fixing of rates cannot practi-
! cally be carried on without either an
express or tacit arrangement for uni
| formity in rates between competing
lines for a short period. Otherwise there
will be a constant changing of rates,
| ending generally in war of rates which
| inures to the benefit of no one.
| In order to avoid any possible danger
from the exemption, however. it was
| proposed that the temporary agreement
permitted should only be regarded as
| legal and binding after approval by the
interstate commerce commission. That
commission, of its own motion or upon
complaint of another, can find a rate
TO be unreasonable and can change it.
Everything which the railroad does is sub
ject to examination and correction by
the commission. No such rule applies
in the case of farmers or workinSmen,
or of individuals generally. They have
a right to charge wnat they choose for
HhE' they sell. whether it be products