The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-04
Secretary Wilson Wants Con-
gress to Stop Interstate Trans
portatiOn Of Them.
APPLICABLE TO BOTH SIDES
Recommendation Regarded as
Most Advanced stand Secrc-
tar, Has Taken.

which viii prevent the Interstate trans
portatior OF armed men. privately en-
gagged for use in labor controversies.
Secretary Wilson has long been known
a. al ardent champion of union labor
and his conduct Of the Department thus
far has caused considerable comment be
cause of his pronounced views on this
subject.
In the recommendations contained In
his annual report. however the Secretary
has gone further In support OF organized
labor than on any other occasion.
He severely condemns the use Of FIRE
arms In strikes and incidentally takes
n fling at the employment of detective
agencies In such controversies
Secretary Wilson says
The use OF firearms in species of
private warfare in connection with labor
strikes calls for serious consideration.
Groups Of men on both sides, without
military or police authority for 1t, have
used firearms with fatal effect in the coal
strike In southern Colorado.
These arms and the ammunition have
doubtless been procured through inter-
state commerce, and many of the armed
men are said TO have been imported into
Colorado from other States through a
business concern engaged commercially
across state lines in supplying corpora
tons with an armed and trained private
soldiery or police in numbers running
into hundreds and even thousands.
Pcrc Marquette strike.
I'm connection with the Pere Mar
Quette strike in Michigan armed guards,
furnished by agencies in other states sup
plying men to take the place of local
strikers, accompanied those men to Grand
Rapids. They were there turned back
by the United states Marshal under In
structions from the District Judgc.
In the Calumet copper mining region
armed guards under contract with the
employers were forwarded To the locality
by agencies in other states.
In view OF the facts in these three
cases and of tn. well known fact that
detective agencies are in = greater or
less extent engaged commercially in sup
plying groups Of armed men across state
lines. tho Department recommends that
Congress take action within its co.-ti-
tu'iuual limitations 10 regulate these bust
nosscs in the interest Of public peace and
order
rho secretary refers to the report OF a
Corsrtss committee in iS'3. which, h,
saw, condemns the practice Of Sh'rifis
Z
posse armed men whom the pnk.rton
agency supplied 10 corporations involved
IN strikcN" The secretary adds.
u would not seem to he So clear At
this day ~ IL appeared to the members
Of the lud'ciar, Commute. of the itous.
of R.prcss natives twcutv-ouc years ago
that Congress has NO constitutional au.
thoritN over this subject IN It's interstat"
characteristics. The view appears no
longer 7" prevail IN Congressional l"ssla-
ion that interstate cutnmer", relates to
traf1c in commodities only.
This Is plainly true of the so-cslled
white slave legislation of Congress rs
its powers with reference TO interstate
commerce are thereby recognized by Con-
grcss there would seem to hc no reason
now why the transportation OF private
troops or private police or armed guards
or armed mobs. whether by employers or
strikers, from one state TO another under
commercial contracts should not be re-
Earded a. coming fully within the scope
of Congressional authority over inter
state commerce.
Though Federal control of such inter-
state trafflc was regarded as unconstitu-
Ocnal In 1893. II would appear by analogy
70 be regarded as within constitutional
sanction nov The evil being still great
enough TO demand such Congressional
legislation as may be constitutional
hereby commend the subject to Congress
FOR consideration"
This recommendation by Secretary vii
son Il regarded nv many here as one o'
the most radical that has emanated from
the present Administration. II is amed
apparently at preventing big corporations
from hiring Pnkertons and other guards
IN strikes