The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-07

are a number of labor leaders suf-
fering this kind of martyrdom at the
present time and the national leaders
Of organized labor are now threatened
with Jail.
I'm opposing the enactment of this
measure the employing classes are at
tempting to outlaw the trade union
movement, by deriving it of the only
weapons with which it can peacefully
and effectively fight it's battles,-the
right to strike, to picket, and to with
draw it's patronage from certain un-
fair houses.
Suppose that the power of the un-
ions becomes broken and the leaders
sent to jail-that will not end the
movement. 1t will not end the revolt,
but make it more bitter. I hope that
conditions here will never arrive at
the unfortunate stage they have reach
ed in France, where adverse labor leg
islation has crushed the laboring
classes and driven them to resort to
a policy for which the French have
coined a new word sabotage
by sabotage is meant the policy
of remaining at work, but hindering
the work, turning out bad jobs, get
ting in one another's way, throwing
metals into the machines to destroy
the machinery and disrupting the
working force and injuring the en-
ployers in this case are far more help
less than they would be under the
peaceful means of furthering labor
disputes, which they seem to dread so
greatly.
I'm our country. Union labor has
becn remarkably patient. The men
have contenIed themselves with plead
ing from year to year. for fair laws,
and justice to Union labor. The lead
ers have taken their liberty In their
hands and sacrificed it for the benefit
of their fellow men.
Senate Bill "a which is before you,
is a duplicate, adapted to the condi-
tons of this state, of the bill now in
effect in Great Britain. And, gentle
men, nowhere in the world are strikes
and labor disturbances carried on SO
peacefully as they are in Great Brit
ain today under this Trades Disputes
act.
.'When this bill was fathered in
England by the Labour party, the
leaders of the Liberal party begged
them to drop 1t. They said that such
a measure never could be passed in
Great Britain. They were willing TO
pass a blacklisting act, but could not
swallow this Trades Disputes act, they
declared. Then came an lnvestlga-
ton; testimony was taken on the sub
ject throughout the country, and the
upshot of it was that this act was
sary, 'and was reported and passed by
parliament.
What does this measure author
ize? 1t legaliZes picketing. This
means in time of strike, the union
men may peaceably accost those who
come to take their places, and may
inform them that a strike is in pro-
gress. Oftentimes the newcomers are
not aware of the fact 1t gives the
union men the right to plead with
these men, not to injure the unions
and themselves, by filling in the
is possible to carry on picketing in a
disorderly manner, but our bill ex-
pressly stipulates peaceful piclketing.
If it is carried on in d disOrderly
manner, then it is a violation of the
law and should be punished.
What does the boycott mean?
Simply that the unions may circulate
lists of the products that are produc-
ed under conditions unfair to union
labor, and ask the union men to with
draw their patronage therefrom. They
cannot enforce the boycott; they can
not force anyone to withhold his
patronage, they may simply request
it.
In conclusion l will say that it is
to the interests of both the employ
ing classes and the state to have
these labor wars conducted with as
the interest of the employers to drive
the unions underground and force the
workmen into introducing sabotage
I'm the interests of justice, and for
the best of all concerned, the state
should assume in these disputes q
position as nearly neutral as possible.
1t should not interfere as it does now
always i'm the interests of capital"
Representative George B. Chandler
asked Mr.. Hunter if the English
Trades Disputes act legalizes the sec
ondary boycott.
1T certainly does" replied MIR.
Hunter; sit expressly legaliZes the
secondary boycott and gives as nearly
as possible equal rights to both sides
in the controversy You cannot beat
the blacklist. You cannot legislate
it out of existence. 1t is always pres
ent-a powerful weapon in the hands
of capital. 1t is impossible to put it
out of existence. This was clearly
demonstrated by the investigation in
England. The only fair course to
pursue. is to legalize the boycott and
give labor the same weapon that is
already in the hands of capital"
what can be done to protect the
innocent third party?'' asked Repre-
sentative Chandler.
1T is an obvious fact that the third
party always suffers t@ &ll labeg dis