The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-06-23
SEN. LA TOILETTE
WILDLY CHEERED
BY A. F. OF L

Cincinnati. Ohio. June 2O.-While
men and women stood and cheered
and waved hats and handkerchiefs
and cheered again and roared their
welcome and their tribute. a little
man, gray of hair. smiling of face,
stood and bowed in acknowledgment
before the convention of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor here TODAY.
The little man of the gray POM
padour was United States Senator
Robert M. aFollette-Fighting Bob,
of Wisconsin.
The day was Flag day. And it
was Child Labor Protest day, and
so designated on the programs dis
tributed through the hall.
President Gompers. himself about
the heighth of the fighting senator,
himself a fighting man grown gray
in the service, his face also alight
with smiles. waited for the applause
to cease before presenting the sena-
tor to an audience, which required no
| introduction of the guest of honor.
When President Gompers began
his introduction there was renewed
applause. When he presented the
senator as the tribune of the peo-
pie the great armory reverberated
with the thunderous acclaim.
1t was a great day. The voice
that spoke for freedom here today
was not one to be forgotten. It's
echoes must have been heard in
Washington. Perhaps even the JUS
tice of the supreme court heard the
resounding cheers for the fighting
senator, and perhaps the Kisses that
greeted the first mention of Chief
Justice William H. Taft. For there
were Kisses for the chief Justice
loud and sibilant
Here is how President Gompers
| presented the senator:
Il don't know that any other man
! has designated our honored guest as
| desire to designate him here and
now. A great Englishman saved the
| lives of thousands and thousands of
! men who went to the sea in ships
and earned their living in their pro-
! fession, saved the lives of unnumber-
| cd people from a watery grave by
establishing the life line of cargoeS
of ships. Aye, Plinsoll of England
-LaFollette. the Plinsoll of Ameri-
ca. Foremost in every piece of leg
! islation and the earnest advocate of
administrative harness, L present TO
YOU the tribune of the American
people. the Honorable Robert M. La
Toilette, United States senator from
! Wisconsin,"
LaFollette paid a splendid tribute
to Andrew Furuseth and launched in
to searching, analytical attack up
on the supreme court.
To-day" he said "the actual ruler
Of the American people is the SUI
preme court of the United States"
Abiding to Chief Justice Taft, the
senator said: mo one will contend
that he could have been elected chief
Justice by the vote of the people"
The two hour address was conclud-
ed by proposal of constitutional
amendment to provide as follows:
"m That no inferior federal
Judge shall set aside a law of con-
gress on the ground that it is un-
constitutional;
"(2) That if the supreme court
assumes to decide any law of con
gress unconstitutional. or by inter
probation undertakes to assert a pub
lie policy at variance with the statu
tory declaration of congress. which
alone under our system is authorized
to determine the public policies Of
government, the congress may by re
passing the law nullify the action OF
the court"