The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-07-07

House had yielded it's amendment to the
sundry civil bill against the use special
appropriation for the prosecution of
the organizations of labor under the
sherman antitrust law
betrayal of the rights and inter
ests of the workers of the country.
is the way the Executive Council charac-
terIzes the action of the House in res
ending its former instructions to it's CON
ferees to oppose the stand of the Senate
against the labor cause
The reactionary part played by Presi
dent Taft in forcing the regulars to line
up against the House proviso which had
been introduced by Representative Hugh
es, OF New Jersey, is described in glow
ing terms by the administration organs
OF Washington. Here is the Washington
Post S story, showing the animus Of the
President and the prejudice of the paper
against labor unions:
president Taft ordered the House
Republicans into finish fight on the
troublesome little issue raised by the la
Dor amendment to the sundry civil bill.
and worked with might and main himself
until he saw them win.
AS the result of stiffening influence
Literally applied at the White House. the
representatives,, by a vote of lbs to 100.
recedcd from their action in DECLARING
the labor unions immune from the oper-
alton OF the fund authorized to prose-
cute attractions OF the Sherman anti
trust law, and Joined the Senate in it's
view that punishment under this law
should extend to tull legal lengths and
include, II necessary, conspiracies in the
nature Of boycotts to increase waves
shorten hours or better conditions of Ia
Dor.
The President took into his own
hands the fight against what he termed
class legislation of an improper sort. He
swept aside every engagement, and made
an hil-day job of it, commencing with
the delivery OF line of convincing ar.
sument to Representative Tawney at the
White House breakfast table. talking
with every doubtful congressman who
could be found, and ending with the
dlctation Of a telegram to w. S. Carter.
president of the Brotherhood of Loco
| motive Firemcn and Engineers in session
ut st. Paul.
President Carter's telegram to Taft
read:
Press reports of today Indicate that
you favor using the people s money to
prosecute labor in their efforts to better
conditions. The 79S delegates attending
the twelfth biennial convention of the
brotherhood Of Locomotive tircmen and
Engineers ut st. Paul, instruct ME to
protest against this unjust policy
The reply of President Taft was to
] the effect that he opposed the Hughes
I amendment because he believed it to be
class legislation. lie even suggested to
'i'e hrelhen organization to take a SINH
| lar position.
When the amendment came up on the
floor Representatives Tawncy and Hugh
cs FLASHED, and each led the opposing
forces. On the vote by which the House
rejected the Hughes amendment, p Re
publicans, most of them recognized in
surgents voted with the Democrats in
favor of the labor priviso A good
| many Republicans and Democrats
'dncked' the vote and fled to the CORR
doris.
Representatives Sherlcy of Kentucky,
Bartlett of Nevada and Page of North
! Carolina, cast the Democratic votes which;
brought the total of the opposition to
the Hughes amendment up to 1873. The
Republicans who voted for the provision
urged by the labor unions were Repre-
sentatives Cary, Cooper, Lenrott, Mel
son and Stafford of Wisconsin, Iowa:
Lundin, Rodenberg and Reynolds of
Pennsylvania; Austin of Tennessee:
Davis of Minnesota; Fish of New York;
Greene of Massachusetts; Hayes of
California;; kronmiller of MARYLAND:
Murdoch of Kansas and Poindexter of
Washington.
1t will be noted that Representative
Stafford, regular Republican of the
Cannon stripe, but representing Mil
waukee, voted for the labor amendment.
The Executive Council of the A. F.
of L., in it's official statement, calls at
tention to the fact that the Department
of Justice was responsible for the indict-
nent of rs workmen in New Orleans a
few years ago under the charge of VIC
lating the Sherman act when they gave
The same law was recently used, says