River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-10-19

Our Country Has Even Been Sub
jected.
Declaring that thu campaign Of 1918
is Us important as the campaign of
1896 and resembles That campaign in
that the Democratic party and its
candidate are seeking a vote Of power
for disngenu0us, unsound, bat aIiur-
ing reason, William Fl. Taft, former
President OF the United States, deliv-
cred the opening address of the New
Jersey Republican state campaign ut
Trenton.
Mr.. Taft said. in part:
THE great public advantage in or
ganizatiOn and combination Of cap
ital and of wage-earners we all recog
nize. The power they acquire may,
however become so great as to tempt
to serious abuse and public injury,
and they have done 50. Hence. we
have had the antitrust law anil the
interstate commerce law, directed
chiefly against combinations of cap
ital but cffecting in some measure
combinations of labor. Labor leaders
have sought exemption from such
laws as privileged class, and in some
cases they have been successful.
While Mr.. Wilson in one of his me-
mOrandumS attached to an apprOpria-
ton bill avOwed his opposition to such
class legislation. he united with the
Democratic Congress in passing, at
n, Il Il q II.
ton Act, which, the labor leaders
claim takes unions out of the limita-
tons Of the Trust Act.
"Unwise subserviency to the de-
mards Of leaders of organized labor
finds its browning instance, however
in Mr.. Wilson's dealing with the
threatened strike Of the Railway Or
ders Of conductors, engineers, train
men and switchmen The orders
claim to control 100000 men, who run
the freight and passenger trains of
the country, which constitute the
arterial circulation OF commerce, and
are necessary not only TO the bust
ness but to the health and life Of the
people. Were these men able to tie
up the railways Of the country, as
they said they could and would, it
would mean enormous loss in bust
ness. and great deprivation and suffer
ing 70 the public. 1t would mean that
many millions of other WOrkmen
would be thrown out of employment,
and lose the high wages they are
now receiving, because without com
MERGE local industries cannot pro-
coed. The Hallway unions said to
the railway president eve wish an
eight-hOur day, with ten hours pay,
and if we work more than eight hours,
we demand so per cent more an hour
for the extra hours. IT you do not
give us this, we will not only iniure
you, but we will bring disaster to the
country" The railway managers re-
fused the demand, but offered to sub
nit it to arbitration. They said it
would Increase their cost of operation
$50, 100000, and that this would have
to come out Of the pockets OF the rail-
way stockholders, by a reduction OF
profits, or out of the shipping public
by an Increase of rates. The labor
leaders said they had had arbitration
in the past and that it was not salts
factory that now unless their de-
InandS were fully granted, no power
under heaven could prevent the strike,
with it's disastrous consequences.
Under the duresS of the threat, the
President of the United States and
Congress of the United States sue
cumbed. 1t was one of the greatest
national humiliatiOnS TO which the
people OF this country have ever been
subjected. 1t struck most blow at
the principle of arbitration for the
settlement of industrial disputes.
"Mr. Wilson as a publiciSt, attacked
the enactment of federal child labor
law as an absurd extravaganza, and
departure from constitutional limita-
tons, and now within the last sixty
days he has personally visited Con-
gress TO urge the adoptio1 of exactly
such 4 measure.
''For the purpose of evading response
bility for present conditions, it is ad-
vanccd in behalf of Mr.. Wilson and
the Democratic Administration that
the conditions in Mexico were an in
heritance from the last Administra-
ton. The last Administration did
nothing to complicate Mr.. Wilson's
problems Huerta had been twelve
days in power when Mr.. Wilson came
in. Up to that time nothing had been
done committing the government to
one policy or another. Had the Re
publican administration been contin-
ucd. Huerta would have been recog-
nized. but with only twelve days be-
fore the coming in of a new Admins
tration, it would have been entirely
improper and inconsiderate for the
outgoing Administration to commit the
incoming to any policy on the subject.
Mr.. Wilson cannot shift the blame
for his plumbers in Mexico. He had
clean slate upon which to write
when he came in.