Evening journal., 1914-05-28
THURSDAY MAY %. 1914
A suRRENDER no LABOR.


THE Wilson administration has made to organized
4 labor what is virtually surrender, although 1t
has endeavored to conceal the badness Of the act One
amendment agreed to provides that labor, fraternal
agricultural consumers organizations shall not be
held or construed to be illegal combinations in re-
straint OF trade under the antitrust laws. Another
amendment stipuates that Of the acts specified
in Section Is forbidding iniuncdns against peaceabe
strikes and boycots shall be construed or held to be
unlawful
The Democracy discovered that it must do what or
ganzed labor demanded lose the labor vote this Fall
ana two years hence President Wilson had declared
that he never would approve a bill giving specific
exemption to labor unions AS result of Democratic
conferences the Capitol nd the White House. it was
decided - offer the above amendments. While not
exactly what the labor leaders asked for, they Will
serve the ends sought most persons will think that
they represent surrender by President Wilson 10 the
labor men,
President Wilson, who, n 1912 professed to enter
tain such high regard Tor labor unions, announced
that he would veto any measure passed by Congress
which exempted labor unions from the operations of
the antitrust laws.
The labor leaders. who contributed largely to the
success the Wilson campaign insisted that such ex
empton be granted In that they we're supported by
many Democratic Congressman. Those Congressman
are candidates reelection. They know the prac-
tcal political value OF the labor vote The controversy
threatened TO develop into spirited fight, with the
big labor and their Congressional supporters
on the side, and President Wilson and his par
tisans the other side
The labor leaders insisted that the Wilson admins
traton live up the pledge given to organized labor
by the Democracy in the Baltimore convention. That
pledge the platform 1908 and reafirmed in
the platform Of 1912, is follows:
"The expanding organization of industry makes II
essential that there should be abridgement of the
right Of the wage-earners and producers TO organize
for the protection of wages and the improvement OF
labor conditions, to the end that such labor organi
Eatons, their members, should not be regarded
Illegal combinations in restraint of trade"
That plank was put in the Democratic platform I,
catch the labor vote. Il caught it and when the Wilson
administration sought to eyade the performance o
its part of the compact the labor leaders furious
No matter what persons may think OF labor union
and their exemption from punitive legal process
they cannot help but feel that the labor leaders de
lvered the votes to Wilson upon the strength Of tn
explicit promise set forth above, the only honorabl
course for the President and the Democracy to pun
sue, is to the price agreed It may hurt bus
and the Democracy. but those are things this
should have been thought OF by the Democratic leaC
before they put the pledge to labor IN the
party platform. Organized labor in America is in n
mood 10 brook administrative reputation of th
platform plank Nor is American capital in any moe
to countenance condone legislation that will p
labor unions beyond the reach Of the law. Those a
the horns of the dilemma which confront the wills,
administration and gives to il so much concern