Denver labor bulletin., 1915-12-25

Continued From Page One.l
insure TO the workers their rights as
free men and women and to diiierenti-
ate clearly between human rights ana
rights derived from the ownership OF
, property.
| Before the final decision OF the SUI
preme court was handed down IN the
/ Hatters' case there was enacted into the
law the labor provisions OF the Clayton
antitrust act, which declare:
| "That the labor power OF human
being is not Il commodity or article Oh
commerce"
In addition to declaring formally the
difference between labor power and ar
/ tieles and commodities to which trust
laws properly apply, the Clayton act
limits and regulates the uses OF lnJunc-
tions and forbids their uses for purposes
against which the workers had so long
and so Justly complained. Thus the Hat
| ters' case has been of incalculable serv-
ice to all of the wage-earners oil the
country, establishing their rights and Sc
curing opportunities necessary for their
protection and the continued betterment
OF industrial relations.
But as a result of the last decision OF
the supreme court many of the Hatters
of Danbury, Conn, find themselves in
dire distress. for, in addition to decid-
| ing the principle against which they CON
tended. the court also reaffirmed the
award of damages against them Inc
award was for three-fold damages and
interest accruing on that amount and
costs, amounting in all to something
| over 100000.
During the early history OF the case
the bank deposits and homes OF these
members of the Danbury Hatters' Union
were attached to insure payment OF any
award that the court might fix. During
the more than eleven years that the case
had been pending some OF the members
I of this union have died. The survivors
were always and are now under the bur-
den of imminent loss of their little saw
| ines and their homes, and suffered III
! mind and in body, and SO have their
dear ones and those dependent upon
them.
It must be understood also that the
suit was brought against members OF the
Hatters' Union who had reached ripe old
ages. ranging from 60 to so years. They
! were selected by Loewe simply because
they had some little savings, some own
ership in their modest homes. Because
OF their ages and enforced INDECENT con
dition. made INDECENT by the attachment,
every device was planned that their con-
dition might be relieved.
\ It is n matter of common information
that the trainers OF the Sherman anti
trust act did not intend that law to ap-
ply to the normal activities of wage
workers. The fact augmented the in
/ Justice of the decision against the Dan
/ bury Hatters and the award Of three
/ fold damages and interest thereon. The
Danbury Hatters were the innocent vic
Tins of the government, due either to
the fact that the congress of the United
States had not been able to write plain
ly into law its intentions. or to the fact
that the judiciary had misinterpreted the
law enacted by congress. Whether the
fault lay with congress, or with the Ju-
dietary, the consequences of the fault
ought not to fall upon the Danbury Hat
tiers. The contentious of organized labor
in this matter were manifestly strength
ened by the action of congress in enact
ing the labor sections of the Clayton act.
Therefore, the Hatters presented to con-
gress petition asking for special ap-
preparation for the payment of this
award that thereby the government
should assume the consequences of the
mistake. made either by congress or by
the judiciary.
The representatives of the A. f.. of L.,
and of the Hatters' organization, and