The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-06-08
REFUSE TO CONSIDER
LABOR A COMMODITY
Exempted, With Farmers Unions,
From Provisions Of Trust Laws.
Human Drawn in Another Glass.
MEANS HAPPINESS OF MILLIONS
Debate on Proposition Interesting
Cannot Be Considered as a Prop
erty, Constitution Preventing.

by congressman u. II. FaVenner.
Washington. June S.-The Demo
cratic house exempted labor and
farmers unions from the provisions
of the trust laws simply because the
house refused to consider human
Drawn and brain in the same class
with steel rails and coal oil.
That was the proposition stated
very simply. The bills aim to pre-
vent restraint of trade in oil, steel
and other commodities. But the
house would not include with these
the trade in labor. The opponents
Of the exemption argued that labor
is commodity essentially the same
as oil and steel. But those who
took the humanitarian view of the
subject refused to regard labor as a
commodity at all.
Labor is something different than
steel rail. In a rail there is bound
up no mans welfare But in the
labor of the millions there is in
pluded the hopes and happiness of
the millions who toll and those who
depend on the toilers.
Therefore, the house has said to
the wagewOrkers-Do what you will
with labor. 1t is yours, and your
happiness depends upon the way you
dispose Of it. Bargain as you choose
with it. Use all lawful and honora-
bile means for obtaining a good price
for that labor,and no law will des-
cend upon you on the ground that
you are acting in restraint Of trade.
The debate on the proposition was
highly interesting. 1t served to
bring out as never before the diff
ference between labor and commo-
dities. Representative Hamlin of
Missouri said:
'Surely the law ought to make a
distinction between the two. Human
happiness and human welfare ought
not to be put on the auction block
and knocked off to the highest bid
der as chattel may be.
THE only reason why trusts and
combinations are declared illegal is
because they are organized and oper-
ated for the express purpose of more
effectively exploiting the people by
taking advantage Of their necessi-
ties and controlling the price of these
necessities to the consumers, as we'll
as the purchase price which they
have to pay for the raw material.
Labor seeks only to protect the SELL
ing price Of one article, it's Drawn
and muscle. This amendment pro-
tects the labor organizations, and in
that the Democratic party fulfills an
other pledge made in it's platform"
Representative Lewis of Maryland
called the amendment the magma
charta of labor. He said:
oOlle uOucSC peOple are luCllueu
to think that this section may mean
species Of class legislation. They
commit the error of considering la
Dor as a commodity. But there is
this distinction between labor and
a barrel of Oil, commodity.
Labor is never in truth a COM
modify; labor can never under our
institutions be property, either be-
for the court or before the legisla-
ture. Under our constitution prop
erty in human beings has forever
ceased.
"While a barrel Of oil is not only
a commodity in the market, it is a
commodity before the court, it is a
commodity before the legislature
The legal attribute of a commodity is
property; but the legal attribute Of
the workingman is citizenship. A
different principle of sociology and
justice apply to these two subjects
when they are before congress or be-
fore the courts. The rules that are
nationally applicable to property can
seldom be justly applied to the
man."