Show I I THORNY PATH TROD BY ENGLISH UNIONS At First Practically Outlawed the Workers Have Steadily Forced Recognition Recognition Rec flee of Their Rights StrIking RIghts Striking Result of One Court Decision lon Trades unions In England at a first were generally frowned upon As early as 1305 a a law was vas passed in In England defining defining- certain trades union efforts to raise wages as an Illegal conspiracy cy In It 1549 49 another law prohibited combinations combinations com corn of ot craftsmen to keep up wages or reduce hours In 1818 the tue courts sentenced certain cotton spInners spinners spinners spin spIn- ners to prison for conspiracy y to raise wag wages s. s About the middle of the Nineteenth NIneteenth Nine NIne- Nineteenth century the unions found themselves themselves them them- selves so far outside the law that they had no recourse against their officIals officials dais who might embezzle their funds They were held to be If not actually criminal yet so BO far tar In restraint of ot trade that the organization was an illegal Il Illegal il- il legal association This was a heavy blow It It stort started d a which con con- several years before In ta the ae jOB TOs they obtained legislative certification tion of at their lega legality complete protection protection pro pro- of f their funds and legal safeguards safeguards safe safe- guards against being sued The situation continued more or less unchanged until In 1001 after atter 30 years ears of Immunity the courts decided that these provisions had not been properly enacted and In th the famous Taff Taft Vale Vole case found the railroad union responsible responsible responsible sible for damages Inflicted by Its members mem mern- bers born In the Taff Taft Vale Vole railway strike and ond assessed damages a against the union Unionism was shaken to Its roots Dy By- making unions responsible for the acts I of their members or agents the decision decisIon de do- cut down the number umber of strikes by 50 per cent But Dut It did something more than that It developed the British trades unions Into a successful success success- successful ful Labor party so determined to adjust adJust adjust ad- ad Just the laws to the benefit of members mem mern- bers bern that when the next general election election elec elec- tion took place the laborites put 5 50 Independent candidates Into the field and returned 29 of ot them to parliament Chicago Tribune |