The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-02-18
WORD REASONABLE
SHOULD Be OMITTED
Congressman Says New Trust Legis-
lation Must Not Contain Phrase
Would Exempt Unions
FRAMED THEIR OWN BILLS
Stanley Tells Of How Same Lawyers
That Drew Steel Corporation Char
ter Wrote Bills Defeated
From Congressman G. H. Tavenner.

tCI WIVtC 0l1AS OClc0LcO
From Congressman G. H. Tavenner.
Washington February 1S-How
the great trusts once came to Con-
gress and Offered to trade their OPP
position to exempting labor unions
and farmers organizations from the
ANTITRUST law, for an amendment
permitting reasonable restraint of
trade, was the interesting story told
BY Congressman A. O. Stanley, the
steel Investigator. to the House judi
iciary committee which is drafting
part of the new trust legislation.
There is no greater enemy Of or
ganized labor than the steel trust.
From the time of the Homestead
strike the steel trust kept at war
with organized labor until it finally
crushed 1t so far as the steel indus
try was considered. In all that time
20 years-there were continual eff
forts made to exempt labor unions
from the Sherman law, and the steel
trust was the great antagonist fight
ing that legislation. -,
"And yet" Stanley told the COM
mittee, companies engaged in trans
portation and production alike came
before the House and Senate and Of
fered to surrender to organized la
Dor, and to take specifically from
under the operation of the Sherman
Act every laboring organization and
all farmers organizations not in
.corporated, ii you would only permit
them to write the words reasonable
or unreasonable into the organic
law. They made concessions that
they had refused in national con-
ventions." .
"The act has been used with ire
mendous effect against labor organ
izations. Today the most earnest
plea labor organizations are making
before this committee is that they
shall not be included in the terms of
the Sherman Antitrust Act. .sst. ..,-
Mr.. Stanley then told about the
Hepburn bill which wrote "unrea-
sonable" into the antitrust law and
at the same time exempted labor
unions.
THAT bill which came into Con-
gress heralded by organized labor,
backed by millions of money, speci-
fically supported by the President of
the United States, skunk away in the
darkness, and it has been a phantom
ever SINCE" declared Stanley, '1hnd
will tell you why"
Stanley then quoted from the
hearings on the Hepburn bill to
show that E. H. Gary, president of
the steel trust; and Francis Lynde
Stetson, chief attorney for the trust,
drew the Hepburn bill
"This BILL" said Stanley, (which
came very near getting through the
House and Senate this bill that &C
tually elimated organized labor
from the operation of the act-was
drawn by the same men, by the same
pens, that drew the charter of the
United States Steel Corporation, and
the charter of the Northern Securi-
ties Co., and who are the attorneys
for the Steel Corporation now.
I'm spite of the intense opposition
of great manufacturing concerns to
excluding labor organizations from
the operation of this act, they came
and offered that as precious in
ducement to Congress and to organ
ICED labor, as the Kings ransom
they were willing to pay for this
amendment. The purpose OF Mr.
Stetson and Mr.. Gary in eliminating
organised labor, was to secure its in.
fluence, to popularize this thing
which was meant to emasoulate the
Sherman Act
Stanley told this story in support
of his argument that the new trust
legislation must not contain The
word Reasonable" He expressed
support for the proposition to exemp
unions from the trust law.