The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-06-01
Mr.. WILSON AND
THE LABOR UNIONS
What the President Has to
Say About Amendment
to the Anti Trust
Program.
CLEAR DOUBTFUL POINT

Nothing to Prevent Prosecution Of
Organizations Which Knowing
" Violate the
Laws.
[By John Edwin Nevin. United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June Labor is
given nothing more In the accepted
exemption amendments to the anti.
trust program than capital already
enjoys in the opinion OF President Will
son. He took this position today In
discussing the executive position. The
,, president who today was resuming his
! semi-weekly conferences with news
papsr correspondents indicated that
the entire proposed amendment is
simply to clear up the doubtful ground
OF the Sherman law. The labor lead
ers, he said, argued that their organi-
cations exists only through suffrage
of the department OF justice While
he personally does not agree that this
is the fact, he does believe that the
people OF the country want all the
workers given tn. right TO organize
for mutual self protection. So under
this amendment he said there could be
no questioning the right 70 organize
and exist while the unions would still
be answerabls to the law II they vio-
lated It. The president emphatically
denied that boycoting would be legal
lied as is contended by certain or
ganization OF employers. He explain
ed all that was done by the amend
ment was to regulate the issuance o.
injunctions and to prevent them being
used as weapons to crush strikers.
When It was suggested that under
the proposed amended law, organiza.
ton of employers would operate on
the same plane as employees, the pres
ident declared that 1t was rs It should
be. He signific emily added. however,
that such organizations already exist
and operate but on such high social
planes that their right to exist has
never been questioned In the opin-
ion Of the president. while tns amend
ments Will remove the doubtful
ground in the Sherman act, there is
nothing in them which will prevent
criminal pros ecutions Of laoor unions
il they knowingly violate the criminal
provisions OF the antitrust laws.
Callers saw an answer to former
President Roosevelt's parting shots In
ths statement by the president that
he would be delighted II the group OF
five conservation bills were passed at
the present session. The president ex-
planned that tn ese measures had been
agreed upon after the legislative pro-
gram was settled, although he ex-
poets all Of them to go through II
not at the present sssion, then imme-
diately aftsr congress reassembles.
The west has waited long for the
federal government to MAKE up its
mind what to do, the president said,
but now it demands action and he will
aid to get It. The i've bills now In
congress, ths president characterized
as the first constructive program on
conservation ever designed which will
release the great wealth OF the coun-
try to the people and at the same
time protect the nations title to Them.
The president defined In somewhat
clearer tones his opinion Of the so.
call sN business depression throughout
the country. He stated his informa-
ton shows that while therf is gen
eral business depression throughout
the entire world, it has been less felt
in the Unit ed States than anywhere
else'
There is no depression Of business
in this country. the president said.
Wholesalers are getting plenty OF or.
ders, The depr sssion seems to cen.
ter in the industries dependent on the
railroads, especially the steel trade.
In that industry, the president says,
experts. such as Judge Gary. and
President Farrall Of the steel trust,
agree that conditions are improving
and the outlook good.
The president believes, he explain
ed, that conditions are fundam sntally
sound everywhere and that with
bumper crops as forecasted. business
will improve very much in the future.
Mexico and the Mexican situation
" sre barred subjects, the president
taking the position that until the final
result is reached in the mediation
conferences he can make no state
ments. He. said that he has complet-
ed the fsderal reserve board but viii
not SEND 1t to the senate until after
Secretary Of the Treasury McAdoo re-
ssrue = this city.