El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-06
TAFT URGES
IMPROVED
FARMING
Tells Farmers They Must
Study. Their Calling Re
fers to Nation and Labor.
GOVERNMENT IS
RATHER PATERNAL

farming, according 10 modern IDEAS III
wolves a knowledge and understanding
of the chemical qualities of the soil and
| the scientific method OF its treatment,
so that instead of being a mere manual
vocation as it was years ago, it has
now become a scientific and practical
profession said president Taft. ad-
| dressing the State Agricultural society
yesterday. This has been recOg-
| Iized by the general government in the
establishment of a department of agri-
culture, wherein its bureaus OF re-
| search, the secrets of nature have been
revealed in the possible development OF
| modern farms, and proper publicity has
| been given so that those who till the
soil may take advantage of the new
discoveries.
All the legislation in the interest of
the farmers might be characterized as
class legislation, but so great is the
| general public interested in the promo
| tion of agriculture that il cannot be
! termed Anduly privileged or objection
able.
so on the other hand, take the work
| ingman. The government has created
| a bureau of labor in which statistics
| are gathered and Investigations are had
| into the conditions prevailing in all
classes of labor, including child labor,
with a view of making clear the rem
edies needed, whether by state or ma
| tiOnal legislation.
The head of the bureau of labor and
| the chairman of the interstate COM
| known as the Erdman act. intervene
officially in every dispute between i'm
terstate commerce railway companies
and their employees; and the amount of
good in the settlement of controversies
and the stopping of strikes that has
| been done by commissioner Neil and
chairman Knapp cannot be overesti-
mated.
Again with respect TO the employees
| Of interstate commerce railways, a law
| has been passed by congress making
easier for the employees who have been
( injured through the negligence of the
company or some other employee Of the
company. to recover compensation for
| their injuries.
Finally. bureau of mines has Just
| been established in order that bv in
vestigation and close observation Of
| the practical working of mines, the
best appliances for preventing the
enormous loss of life that occurs from
! the explosions of gas and fire in coal
and other mines may be devised and
adopted.
This legislation is in the interest
and for the benefit of class-the
| large a class and their welfare Is so
| important to the public ar large, that
while IL might be characterized as class
| legislation, it is greatly for the public
welfare and cannot be denominated
/ privileged or. Objectionable.
Need More Legislation.
I'VE need and hope we shall secure
more of such legislation. But there is a
kind of legislation to which 1 would
refer, that does come under the head of
vicious class legislation and 1 hope /
can make the distinction clear between
this and what I have been describ-
/ ing.
! y number of statues have been
| passed in the states against combina-
| tons or cOnspiracies to restrain trade,
/ TO suppress competition, and there, has
been sometimes an attempt to- insert
! in such statutes a provisO or a section
exempting farmers or other classes
from the operation of the statute so
as to enable the exempted to corner
products and raise prices while no 9TH
er class in the community can do So
| The supreme court has held that
such law gives an undue privilege to
| a particular class in the community
! creates an unjust exemption from the
operation of a useful law. denies the
equal protection OF the laws. violates
I lL0 COASlAtulIOH anu Is Invalid
| Labor as Trust"
Again, 1.-THE federal antitrust law
has been held by the supreme court to
denounce combinations, to >obstruct in
| terstate trade and to prohibit traffic
/ Illegal boycotS to injure the Interstate
trade of any person. At the last session
| of congress, in an appropriation bill,
some 100000 was appropriated for the
| enforcement Of the antitrust law. To
hi lot
! proposed providing that no part OF the
100000 should be used in the prose-
cution of the worlIingmen engaged in
a boycott in violation of the statute
That is not the way the amendment
! read, but that was in way its neces-
sary effect
"a majority of the house after a
very hot discussion. routed the amend
| merft On the ground that it was vicious
class Legislation. As a mater OF fact
the money previously appropriated to
enforce the anti trust law had never
been used for the prosecution Of work
lngmen engaged in such boycott but
| there was no occasion for such use and
| in all probability the money now ap-
propriated will never be used for such
! a purpose.
Glass Legislation.
But it was the proper view of the
majority, WHO NCleu SSdluSl the dlHenO-
ment that principle such class ex-
| emption or privilege should not ha de-
clared and approved in a statute. I have
not the slightest expectation that the
money will ever be used for anything
! but the prosecution of corporations and
business firms engaged in combinations
| in restraint of trade; but tOitie the hands
of the executive against an unlawful
| combination, and thus make a group
or privileged class OF law breakers, Is
neither justice nor wisdom nor good
| craftsmanship.
But it is said that I am not con-
sistent because I proposed to the last
congress that interstate railroad COM
panies be permitted to make temporary
| arrangements lasting for 30 days and
fixing uniform rates for traffic be-
tween the same places and to this ex-
tent be exempted from the operation Of
/ antitrust law
1T was said with great plausibiiity
| you are opposed to eXempting work ing
men from the operation of such law,
| but YOU favor the exemption Of rail-