The labor world., 1914-02-14
COMPERS EXPLAINS
ANTITRUST DEMAND

OofOr0 tho law, ana TO prUv100 tnat
they shall bo punished only tor acts
In themselves unlawful.
No Special Fkvors.
"Is It not clear to any one who ID
willing to accept tho plain unmistak- .
able meaning Of words in common
usage that tho purpose Of tho proviso
- not special favors and class legis-
lation but equal rights and equal op-
portunities for oil?
"Organisations OF Iaborers exist be-
cause Of human needs: they seek
human welfare and betterment: they
control only human labor power. ono
| and inseparable from their very life.
Commercial and industrial asso-
Citations are organized for profits: they
seek industrial control. supremacy
over competitors: they deal In mate
rial things--the products OF labor.
Labor power Is q part of human
beings; 1t Is throbbinE. pulsating life.
Material things are for the service
Of human beings: they are external
| and Appropriate.
ITO classify organizations OF human
laborers. who possess only the power
| to labor, with organizations which
deal In the products OF that labor and
| to- place both kinds Of organizations
under the same regulation, estab-
fishes conditions that can result only
in injustice.
1T Is against the injustice Of inter-
! preting the Sherman Antitrust Act
| to apply to organizations Of working
mon organized not for profit that the
I workers have made their protest.
How Labor May Be Reached.
III workingmen should organize a
| company to engage in business. pro-
ductive or distrtbutive-for example.
| open a cooperative establishment,
and should deal in products--in such
| operations they would undoubtedly
! come under the same classification as
other employers. business men en-
gagged in industry or commerce. But
| when workingmen are organized SIM
ply for the purpose OF controlling
their own physical power, their power
| to labor, such associations cannot be
classified as combinations in illegal
restraint of trade whose regulation
| was contemplated by the Sherman
| antitrust law.
Cannot Col. Harvey see that there
| are real differences between organiza-
tions for profit and unions Of work.
ingmeh? Col. Harvey laments the
course Of President Wilson In signing
! the sundry civil appropriations act
| containing the proviso quoted above.
Indeed, that course is not in harmony
with the interests which Col. Harvey
represents the special pleas which he
voices, or the purpose for which he
indulgcs in sophistries and patent
! misrepresentations.
President Wilson Approves.
TN signing the sundry civil appro-
priations act containing the provtso
asked for by the. workers, Presiden,
Wilson was in accord with that which
| had had the organic consideration OF
those for whom he is spokesman.
| The proviso does represent national
will and intent. as Representative
Henry has rightly observed. 1t was a
part OF the Democratic party plat
form declarations. The candidate OF
that party received s,2s3.403 votes In
the 4 912 election. II was also 4 part
OF the declarations OF the Progresslva
lparty. The candidate Of that party
received 4,11s,574 votes For the
other big party, which did not indorse
this principle. 3,4s4,s74 votes were
cast.
Ought not even Col, Harvey to un
derstand that whether he likes 1t OF
not the principle representa- the will
OF tho people? In addition to these
facts indicating the will OF the people
the purposes of the organized workers
as expressed in this amendment have
for years been a current issue dis
cused before platform committees, be.
fore party conventions in campaign
speeches, before congressional com,
naittees, before both houses Of con,
gress. by the daily press and the mag
azines Of the country, when the issue
has been a subject for special consid
Grafton in connection with proposed
legislation and with the Hatters ant
contempt cases. which are we'll known
to all the public men OF the past few
years.
Despite all the opportunities o
information, Col. Harvey published
| his editorial grossly misrepresentinf
the D1Irnoaoa ~ orro - i1oI lohor