Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-01-30

Investigation.
i Des Moines, Jan. 27.---Senatol
Chase yesterday introduced a resolu'
tion in the senate of the Iowa legis.
lature to have the committee which
is Investigating the coal shortage al.
|so investigate the shortage OF
freight cars. His resolution declar.
ed that great loss is being suffered
by farmers and business men because
of the lack of cars and that this
committee should be instructed to
ascertain the cause.
Iowa will have model injunc-
ton law copied exactly from the
sections of the Clayton amendment
to the Sherman antitrust law.
which refer to labor, or it will have
none at all, according to Senator
Chase, father of the bill known as
senate file 3, upon which the first
public hearing was held yesterday.
After the hearing Senator Chase
declared that he has found upon
comparison of his bill with the Sher-
man antitrust law that it varies in
material respects from the federal
statute, and that he will propose
amendments to make it conform ex-
actly.
Senator Chase did not write the
bill he introduced, but presented it
at the request of railroad labor or
|ganizations of his district, who ge-
|ceived it from the American fedora
tion by which it was drafted. He
was at that time under the impress
sion that it was duplicate Of the
sections of those federal statute
which regard labor.
1t was through questions which he
directed to Grant Hamilton, legis-
lative representative of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor at Wash
ington, D. c.. who spoke in support
of the federation's model injunction
bill, that he reached his decision to
amend the proposed law.
He said that he was not wholly
satisfied with Mr.. Hamilton's replies
and that the amendments necessary
to bring about conformity of his bill
with the federal law involve insert
ing several qualifying words and the
dropping of the last section Of the
bill.
Mr.. Hamilton came to Des Moines
from Washington at the request of
the Iowa Federation of Labor to-
speak before the joint session of the
senate judiciary committee and the
house labor committee to which the
bill has been referred to refute
statements of the Des Moines Busi-
ness Mems league, according to J. H.
Strict, president of the state fedora
tion.
Mr.. Hamilton's contention was
against the application Of the in
junction to personal relations, an
application which he declared is not
specifically authorized by any
statute, state or federal.
His argument was based upon the
phrase, written into the federal
statute by Senator Cummins, that
labor is not an article of commerce"
and that it cannot come under the
effect of laws providing for injunc-
tions for the protection of property
or property rights.
Labor is not property and no
employer can claim property right
in the labor of his employees he
said, NOR can the merchant claim
property right in the patronage of
the laboring man."
Mr.. Hamilton traced the history
Of the Sherman antitrust laws and
the Clayton amendment and litiga-
ton that has followed their enact
ment. He declared that Sherman
himself had declared it as his in
tention that the antitrust laws
should not apply to labor.
c. L. Clayton, secretary for Iowa
for the United Mine Workers, spoke
briefly following Mr.. Hamilton's ad-
dress.
Another hearing will be held next
at which time the op-
ponents of the bill will speak.
my fight is going to be to get
my bill reported favorably out of
the committee" said Senator Chase.
Glass in Gymnastics.