New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-09
The West Virginia Antitrust Law
Indictment Puts MIR. Wilson in
an Unhappy Fix.

President Wilson will be relieved Of much embar
lassment if the two branches of Congress remain
eadlocked for the of the session the sundry
civil appropriation bill Washington dispatches have
suggested that the Democratic leaders at the Capitol
are willing to do him service by preventing an
agreement in conference the trivial dispute which
now holds the conferrees apart 1t is certainly suS-
plcious that last ditch struggle has been kept up
for weeks over the utterly unimportant question
whether the membership of the board of governors
Of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Sol
diers shall be reduced from eleven to five.
The sundry civil appropriation bill contains
rider providing that certain funds for the prosecu
ton Of offences against the Sherman antitrust law
shall not be used against farmers or laoorers VINO
enter into combinations 10 advance wages or the
prices Of farm products Both houses approved that
discrimination in favor Of two classes Of Offenders
against the Sherman law and against all other
classes and the conference has now no jurisdiction
over that paragraph Mr.. Wilson could not sign I"
bill carrying that rider without repudiatng the
earnest protests which he has made against class
legislation and legislation expressly for the benefit
Of special interests Yet he could not veto the bill
without coming into unpleasant collision with the
Democratic maiorities in the House and the Senate
The Indictment in the federal court for the DIS
trict Of West Virginia Of nineteen omclaIS oil ''e
United Mine Workers for conspring with coal oper
ators in other states who friendly to union labor
IA unionize the miners Of West Virginia and intro
duce into that state the higher union scale of wages
has DESTROYED the main argument made in congress
in favor Of the exemption of union aborers ana
farmers from prosecution under the sherman law.
The apoogists for the rider said that 1t was never
intended that the government should seek to make
cases against these two favored classes and those
who asserted that Mr.. Wilson was not opposed 10
the discrimination predicted that he would sign the
bi on the ground that its provisions were only TEN
porarv i'm scope and would not conflict with the set
fled policy Of the Department Of Justice
But the West Virginia procedure knocks that ar
cllment into a cooked hat" The Wilson admins
tration itself now stands sponsor for prosecution
aimed al labor leaders who have conspired to al
vance wages and the President would no longer be
able 10 say that the policy of exemption approved
bv Congress did not conflict with the governments
Interpretation Of the scope Of the Sherman law
II was imprudent on the Presidents part to allow
the Democratic leaders in Congress TO play politics
afh the question of special favors for union labor
ors and farmers The only safe escape from very
awkward dilemma is to get Congress TO keep M
sham fight on the Soldiers Home amendment until
means can be found OF Kidding the sundry civil bill
Of the obnoxious clause which partially rcpeals the
antitrust law.