The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-02-27
FOUGHT BY WILSON
EXEMPTION OF LABOR UNIONS
AND FARMERS FROM TRUST
LAWS PLANNED.
IS AWKWARD FOR PRESIDENT
II Paragraph Is Inserted In Anti-Mo-
nopoIy Measure Consistency Would
Require That He Veto the
Entire Legislation.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.


President Wilson may be obliged to
use his personal influence to prevent
his partly in congress from inserting
in one Of the antitrust bills para
graph which may cause trouble The
president 1t is known Is opposed to
any legislation which will exempt GER
tain organizations from prosecution
under the antitrust laws, but it is be-
leved that the majority in congress is
preparing to insert just such a provi-
sion into pending legislation and Mr..
Wilson, it is said, wants to stop it.
1t is the intention of these Demo
Gratis, who probably can dominate the
house, to secure the insertion in one
Of the antitrust laws of a provision
which shall exempt from prosecution
labor unions and farmers organiza-
tons. 1t is of course the intention of
the Democrats to make some excep-
tons. The organizations Of the kind
named Of course can be prosecuted If
they do certain things, but they first
are not to be prosecuted for entering
having in view an increase of wages,
a shortening Of hours, a lettering of
the conditions of labor, or, and most
important, for any act done in fur
therance thereof that is not in itself
unlawful" AS for the farmers or
CARNATIONS, 1t is intended to exempt
them from prosecution when they CO.
operate in an effort to obtain and
maintain a fair and reasonable price
for their products.
Fear 1t VIII Be Abused.
On the face of things this legisla-
ton may look fair and square. Per-
haps it is, for many of the legislators
and thousands of their constituents
are coming to the belief that labor and
the farmer should be put into classes
by themselves and should be helped
by legislation which would be perhaps
unconstitutional if enacted in favor of
any other classes, or divisions If you
will, Of the citizenship of the United
States. The objections which will be
entered to the legislation rest upon
what some men say is the certainty
that it will be abused and that II 1t
becomes part of the law Of the land
labor unions will be allowed to do
what they will unchecked, and that
the farmer will be allowed to raise
prices to the sky provided he can do
1t through cooperation with his fell
lows.
Last year the Democrats did what
they could to exempt labor and the
farmer from prosecution under the
Sherman antitrust law. In the sundry
civil bill which was passed one year
ago this month there was inserted
provision forbidding that any of the
money voted for the use of the attor'
ney generals office in prosecuting the
trusts should be used to prosecute la
Dor unions and farmers organizations
engaged in such lines of endeavor as
those drawn above. Mr.. Taft vetoed
this bill as one of the last acts~of his
administration.
In March last the Democrats re
passed. the sundry civil bill in virtual
ly the form in which it was sent &c
Mr. Taft. President Wilson approved
the measure, but attached to II
memorandum "condemning the prin
ciple of special exemption of organi
cations of farmers or laboring mel
from prosecution for maintaining
combinations in restraint OF trade ano
commerce."
Would Tie McReynolds' Hands.
After President Wilson had signed
the sundry civil bill, including the ex
emption clauses, Attorney Genera
McReynolds started prosecution o.
labor unionists in West Virginia. He
was not allowed to use any OF the
sundry civil bill money in the case
but there were funds at his dispose
which enabled him to secure indict
ments, carry the matter into cour
and start the trials. This was pointed
to by the administration as showing
that it had no intention OF exemptlnt
labor unions from the operation OF tn'
Sherman antitrust law.
If the Democrats, however, carr.
out their present intention and exemp
the unions and the farmers organlZa
tons from prosecution by means OF al
actual law of exemption, the hands 0
: the president and his attorney genera
will be tied. AS things are, the Inn
bition lies simply against the use o
certain money to pay for prosecution
of this kind. The paragraph OF eA
emption in one of the antitrust law
actually will prevent the bringing Q
any suits against labor unions am
farmers organizations for acts "nlcl
on the part of other combination
would be criminal.
Some of the Democrats seem
think that if their party shall lnsis
upon legislation of the kind outllne'
Mr.. Wilson will veto it, even II IN S.
doing he must veto all of the amt
trust legislation which goes with !,
If the matter is put up to the pres
dent he will be troubled to sign Tn
bill containing it and be conslsten
with his utterances of last Marcn
when he virtually rebuked his part
for doing what it did through the me