South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-22
LABOR PROPOSES.
FOUR REVISIONS
In CONSTITUTION
Congressional Veto of SUI
preme Court Decisions Is
One Change Urged.
ACT ON PROGRAM TODAY
Delegates Favor New Child
Labor Law and Repeal
of Sherman Act.

CINCINNATI. O., June 21.-(By
A. P)-Organized labor virtually
committed itself Wednesday at the
American Federation of Labor con-
vention to a program favoring adop-
ton OF four constitutional amend
ments, the repeal Of the Sherman
antitrust law and the enactment
by congress OF two other measures
with an avowed purpose OF curbing
the courts on account OF decisions
sverse TO labor.
A final vote. however was delayed
until Thursday so that delegates
might continue TO unlash their feel
ings against what was described by
the special policy committee report
ing the program as "a judicial oil
garchy that is threatening to set it
self up above the legislatures and
above the people themselves"
The program of amendments in
cludes congressional veto of su-
preme court decisions; the guarantee
to workers of the right to organize.
TO bargain collectively and TO strike,
the prohibition of child labor, and
the adoption of an easier method
than the present one for changing
the federal constitution. The new
laws proposed would interpret sec
tions OF the Clayton act which the
committee said the supreme court
had "manifestly ignored or overrid-
den," and would include a new child
labor law that would meet objections
raised by the supreme court in set
ting aside former enactments.
Noisy Demonstration.
Delegates advocating the program
were greeted with noisy 6emonstra
tions and no dissent from the COM
mittee's program was voiced during
the long debate.
Emphasis was placed by the
speakers on their statement that the
program was an appeal 20 the peo-
pie, and that It was an orderly pro-
cess in defense of labor's rights. Bit
ter denunciation OF supreme court
decisions, however. featured the de-
bate, as also the committees report
on the program.
Before taking up the program
aimed at the courts, the convention
adopted a resolution favoring an in
vestigation of Harvard's alleged dis
criminatory action which is said to
be contemplated" TO place a ban
against admission OF Hebrew stu
dents. and the approval of a report,
made by the educational committee.
which condemned the Lusk laws OF
New York as attempting to censor
the utterances OF school teachers.
Repeal Urged.
such legislation, ostensibly d.
rected against 'radicaIism, said the
report. requires teachers to take a
special oath of allegiance to the con-
stitution of the United States and of
the state in question, and specifies
that a teacher may be dismissed for
deficiencies in character or for dis
loyalty" The practical result of
such laws is TO endanger the indie
pendence Of teachers in dealing with
social problems.
Repeal of measures similar to the
Lusk laws wherever they have been
enacted was favored by the commit
tee and its report was adopted with
out dissent.
In reporting its program for curb
ing the courts, the special policy
committee declared that the supreme
court in particular had undertaken
TO deprive American labor Of funda-
mental rights and liberties" and it
asserted that a series OF such deci-
sions formed "a link in a chain con-
sciously designed to enslave the
workers Of America" Six decisions of
the court in the last five years were
reviewed to support the contention
OF the committee, which added that
the "despotic exercise of a usurped
power by nine men. or bare ma
jority of them. over the lives and