| Show T s u b mj reviewing 6 lifts record in respect to ap injunctions and lahr questions washington oct 25 in response to a letter from rom P 11 grace of ding hampton bampton N Y a member of the brotherhood of railroad trainmen inquiring about mr tafts record in respect to injunctions and labor matters in general president roosevelt has written to mr air grace reviewing mr tafts tafta attitude toward labor and explaining the work of the administration toward ameliorating industrial conditions the president after expressing pride ln in the fact that the iho he bo Is an honorary member of the brotherhood of locomotive firemen says in part throughout my whole term as pros pres ident I 1 have devoted myself to especial interests affecting labor tho the lasting prosperity of this country rests resta upon the welfare of the cr and the alio welfare of the tiller of tho the boll no consideration of party fealty or pOrs personal onal friendship would induce me to advise either farmer or working roan man to do anything that vas not for his hie por permanent manent benefit with this tact fact keenly before me I 1 earnestly advise all workers in their own interest as workingmen but above all as american citizens cou concerned in tho the honor aad the prosperity of this gre ireat great at free republic opu alic to support mr president 0 t just as I 1 advise all farmers tari Deng bus iness men and nl men n ol of the professions 1 I do not believe the wage workers of this country have ever had bad a better friend in the white house than mr taft will prove to be he has already shown hla his faith by deeds in the matter of injunctions he issued he was absolutely right and the principles laid down in those injunctions have since then been accepted by every worthy leader of labor and they are embodied in the principles and practices of all the railroad brotherhoods brothe at the present day the abuses of injunction have been fearlessly exposed and attacked by mr taft let me give you an example of what he has just done A year or so ago the editor of the paper special specially lv devoted to the iron union called upon me to say that a decree had been entered in the united states circuit court at milwaukee in the summer of 1906 which he regarded as grossly unjust and improper and as practically fatal to trades unionism tha case was that of the iron Union against the allis aills chalmers company of milwaukee the members of the union having made certain demands for the betterment of their conditions of service which were refused went on a strike find an injunction suit followed in the united states circuit courtw courts th diate late employed emp loyes were dereen joined enjoined from alleged illegal interference the final decree was of the mot most drastic and far reach ing character and besides enjoining the late employed emp loyes doing acts which were clearly illegal fegal Jl it also enjoined them from any form of picketing from inducing employed emp loyes to leave the service of the allis chalmers company by persuasion or otherwise and from any kind of interference with the compani company direct or indirect so sweeping were I 1 the terms of the injunction that it practically forbade the union from making 1 I 1 any effort no matter how peaceful l and proper to maintain their position in this trade dispute the editor of the iron journal mr J P fry brou brought glit the case before me ine stating that the union did not know what to do that its funds were limited that he felt that they were suffering I 1 from a gross injustice which they were I 1 powerless to remedy I 1 called in mr tatt taft and asked mr fry to lay the case case before him as of course mr T taft was far more competent than I 1 was to express his judgment as to the legality and propriety of tile the action taken mr taft satisfied himself of the I 1 facts at once became exceedingly exceeding lv ii indignant n 1 at such an injunction hiving having been issued he stated that in his opinion the position taken by the court in issuing the injunction was wag clearly unlawful and that what was needed was that the union should get some first class lawyer to represent them and should bring the cage cae before the higher courts he suggested in response to mr frys request th that atthe the union retain mr F N judson of st louis who had represented the broth ergood of locomotive firemen lit in tho wabash case in 1993 and who by the way is the author of the review of the labor decisions of judge taft published in the review of Ite reviews views in 1907 mr tatt taft explained that one of the troubles of the labor unions was that eo co often they did not opt the best type of counsel so that their cases were not properly presented and that in his judgment mr judson would be sure to th present this case aright ile he stated that the of the court ought certainly to be in eboli theiu favor tho case was argued before the united states circuit court of appeals by bv mr judson and mr rubin af milwaukee for tho ho union and by bi jaines M K deck counsel for lie ho national manufacturers er association for tile the company the de decision cislon of the court was handed down in chicago on an the ath day of this month and it justifies judge tarts tafta wisdom for it sustains the most important contentions of the labor union the court holds that while under the facts of the case the company was entitled to some injunction relief the decree went tor for beyond the proper limits it struck put of the decree all of the provi provisions alons which prevented ted peaceful picketing or the exorcise exercise of their right of persuasion in inducing em aloyes to join the strike and also all reference to boycott boycotting irig or the ground that there was w as no ao boycott as tho the members of the union had a right to refuse to handle stuck work that is trio tl io work from a factory where they were on a strike wherever they found it the opinion is important especially in ill showing that much can be accomplished in getting the courts to correct abuses against employed emp loyes in the exercise of the of injunction 1 auch abuses are in effective form brought to their attention as thanks to tho the advice of judge judg taft they were brought in this case tho the right of peaceful picketing and persuasion so that employed emp loyes may by peaceful means induce othor other employed emp loyes to join them la is forcibly set got forth in n this opinion and it bases its decision cargol lar gol upon judge tafts decision aud and apon upon the de cislon in the wabash injunction caso case which was largely based upon judge tafts decision de ciston so that judge tafts decision Is ded declared lared by the court to have settled the law as to the substantial right of the parties leaving only the application of the principles so declared as new cases arose the great importance of this opinion Is that it corrects abuses that have crept into injunctions and labor disputes in the federal os 03 well as the state courts this decision goes far to protect the rights of workingmen and it does so because it Is explicitly based upon the labor decisions of judge toft taft and this decision was secured only in consequence of following the advice given by judge taft as to the proper course of procedure A more striking instance could not be imagined of the effort of a public servant which judge taft then was to secure justice for workingmen to whom he thought injustice had been dono done although the matter was not within his immediate control at the time in this one instance mr taft rendered to labor a great and signal service a practical service which shared the peculiarity of mr tafts other services for his services take the form of deeds rather than of mere words the president refers to the de decision clfon of judge taft in the samous famous per personal sonai injury cases at 6 na N rr amore against the C C C st louis doilis railroad in which he held that an employed could not by any form of contract exempt arall a railroad road company from the consequence of failure to obey the law the fault in this case being lack of provision for protection of employed emp loyes required by law these two cases the president says have a further importance when it is remembered that the president to be chosen will probably by himself choose a majority of the justices of the supreme court during the next four years president roosevelt then cites conditions existing among employed emp loyes of 0 the panama canal where thanks to mr taft and the care and supervision he has exercised the men on mus are better paid better protected bett better e r cared for than in any private industrial enterprise in the united states stales the president says that opposed to the entire vagueness of mr bryans proposals mr taft stands pledged to the policy of the administration of conserving the rights of the wage earner the policy Is shown he says in the efforts put forth to settle the anthracite strike and the prevention I 1 last ast spring of a general reduction of wages on the railroads of the country con in comparison the president dett says but if mr bryan were eleckel 1 have little doubt that tho the ensuing 1 b du chaos necessitating great r n of wages and widespread n nc 1 employment would be beyond th reach of such action as that wall averted the threatened disaster list ha spring an answering s the question himself u to why the national govern me through its bureau of labor has mi done for the wage earner what the department of agriculture it hu ha done for tho the farmer the preside t says the time had not yet come wha ate this was possible we have advance in each case just as fast and as far at 21 was possible with the knowledge a 1 means at our commands benee pure science or speculative theory arn a Us its practical application in the harb of a government lies of necess necessity ty i gap of years years of patient invest g gallon atlon and experiment after truth the whole principle of material aal aol a social advancement has come to quicker fruition in our department agriculture for the reason that biolgi Is more easily handled with referent refer cn to seeds and plants and cattle thi as regards men it Is our confide 1 claim however that applied led aelene if carried out according to our will succeed in achieving for dumant above all for the city industrial results even surpassing in value thoy today in effect on the farm the president concludes with ti tl following advice and prophesy mr tafts election should be ad aan dated by all who wha believe in making a far reaching effort toward the bette ment of our scheme of social and is du life it should also be ai adl p bated by all who wish an immediate a vance in these social and Indr conditions it if mr taft is not elected a perio of industrial chaos and business t times will ensue in which the men will suffer far more than nj ail other class they are the people v wl more than any other will III pay the parity because of their own mate ill Int interests oreatt I 1 believe that they shau support mr taft and furthermore believe that they should support tin because he has by his actions and over again proved himself ton to a singularly fearless and effects effect ITI champion of the rights of labor U aai above all I 1 feel that they should su port him as good american because he embodies what Is best ad aca h highest 1 g 11 est in 0 our u r american |
