Trade Union Notes.
Bosfon Photo-engravers' Union has
discontinued all out of work assess
ments, there being no further need of
them.
The Sheet Metal workers' union of
Boston has increased Its death benefit
to $G00 and also extended its sick and
accident benefit system.
The new price list for lasters of the
southeastern Massachusetts district
has been agreed upon. It grants bet
ter prices than the old schedule.
Speaking before an audience of the
metal workers of Toledo, Samuel Gom
pers declared himself unalterably op
posed to l ho amalgamation of the
thirty-eight divisions of their trade.
The Quiucy (Mass.) granite cutters"
unions have entered Into a new five
year agreement, effective March 1, by
which an increase of about 7V- per
cent on the average is secured by the
men.
The San Francisco Typographical
union is making arrangements for the
entertainment of 5,000 delegates dur
ing the month of August, when the
annual convention of the International
Typographical union will be held.
To force John B. Lennon, national
treasurer of the American Federation
of Labor, out of the National Civic
federation a motion was adopted by
the Seattle Tailors union to exclude all
members of that organization from the
National Civic federation.
The Gary (Ind.) Illinois steel plant
recently notified 1,000 men who have
been laid off for a considerable time to
report for duty. Another 2.000 men
will be taken back In the same plant
on April 5, when the full quota of
7,000 men will be at work.
The Cleveland city council unani
mously indorsed Representative Ev
ans bill to limit the working day of
all females employed in manufactur
ing, mercantile or other commercial es
tablishnmnts to eight hours and their
working week to forty-eight hours.
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CASE OFHATTERS
federal Court of Appeals Re
verses Trial Judge.
A NEW TRIAL IS GRANTED.
Judge Lacombe Holds That Member
ship In Union Does Not Entail Re
sponsibility For Its Acts Brief His
tory of the Case.
By the reversal the other day of the
case against the United Hatters" union
of Daubury by the United States cir
cuit court of appeals, in which a judg
ment aggregating, with costs, $232,240
had been obtained in a lower court on
a charge of boycotting as defined by
the Sherman anti-trust law, it appears
that the American Anti-boycott associa
tion has received a black eye. While
the issue will be tried again, the deci
sion is regarded as a victory for the
union.
It is seven and a half years since
the "Daubury hatters' case" was
started. A strike was called in the
factory of D. E. Loewe & Co. of Dan
bury on July 25," 1002, and 240 union
men walked, out. A boycott, which
eventually extended throughout the
country to the Pacific coast, was de
clared against Loewe hats, and on
Aug. 31. 1903. suit was entered against
Martin Lawlor, secretary of the United
Hatters, and the 240 strikers as indi
viduals for $S0,0C0 damages.
Various postponements carried the
case along until 1907, when Judge
James I. Piatt of the circuit court at
Hartford and the court of appeals
aked for, a ruling on the damages
clause of the Sherman law from the
supreme court of the United States.
Feb.. 3, 1908, this clause was upheld,
and Oct. 13. 1909. the case was finally
brought to trial.
In the meantime twenty -six of the
original defendants had died. Attach
ments were issued against property
belonging to 100 others, and bank ac
counts aggregating $50,000 were tied
up In the same way. The American
Federation of Labor, with which the
United Hatters are affiliated, stood be
hind the men, while D. E. Loewe & Co.
were supported by the American Anti
boycott association.
The trial at Hartford lasted four
months. It took the jury only three
hours and twenty minutes to return
its verdict for $74,000, for in the charge
to it Judge Piatt said:
"If the essential elements of such a
(boycott) plan and the " means em
ployed to make the plan a success
have been clearly established by the
evidence, that ought to be all that is
required to entitle the plaintiffs to
prevail. Having given you my posi
tive convictions about a large part of
the case. I must impress upon you that
it is your positive duty to accept them
as a law in this case; that the defend
ants now remaining on the records of
this court are parties to a combina
tion which has been found by the su
preme court to form a valid basis for
this suit.
"The only question, therefore, with
which you can properly concern your
selves is the matter of damages."
It was upon this charge that the or
der for a new trial was based by the
United States circuit court of appeals.
Two days after the verdict in Hart
ford was returned the hatters deter
mined to appeal from the judgment.
On April 29. 1910, they gave bond for
$250,000 and filed their exceptions.
The opinion of the higher court, writ
ten by Judge Lacombe and concurred
in by JudVes 'oxeand Noyes. com- ,
rrienfs on the exceptions as Follows:
"The first assignment of error which
challenges attention in this appeal is
i he action of the trial judge in taking
the case from the jury and himself
deciding every question except the
amount of damages. The defendants
contend that in so doing the trial court
assumed the function of the jury in
passing upon the credibility of wit
nesses and weighing the conflicting
testimony. We think this assignment
of error is well taken."
In conclusion Judge Lacombe says:
"Since there is to be a new trial it is
desirable that the opinion of this court
should be expressed on two questions
as to the admissibility of. evidence
which shall probably arise again. The
court admitted evidence of the pay
ment of their dues to the union by de
fendants after complaint was served.
This was not competent as showing
ratification, and. as we understand
their brief, plaintiffs do not so con
tend. It was offered as tending to
show that the acts (of the mission
aries) were authorized at the time they
were performed previous to their suit,
upon the theory that otherwise the
disclosures made to an individual de
fendant by his reading of the com
plaint would have brought forth pro
test and disapproval on his part. We
think it should have been excluded."
The court also holds that much of
the evidence as to the "missionary
work" admitted at the first trial was
hearsay and at the next it should be
got at first hand.
President Samuel Gompers of the
American Federation of Labor takes
an optimistic view of the reversal and
the effect it will have throughout the
American labor movement. He says:
"The decision will have a farreaching
and steady influence in the cause of
justice and right. It has always seem
ed to me almost unbelievable that our
unions, which perform so important a
service in the interests of civilization
and moral and material progress, could
be accorded the treatment of male
factors under the Sherman law. The
decision Is of tremendous importance."
Trade Union Briefs.
One-third of Britain's telegraph op
erators are women.
St. Paul painters have inaugurated
the Saturday half holiday.
The American Federation of Labor
is to issue a union label directory.
A shoe shining stand has been open
ed in St. Louis by a woman. Two
feminine shiners are busy there daily.
The addition to the Louisville and
Nashville railroad shops at Howell will
mean the employment of GOO additional
men.
It is said that the garment workers'
strike fund will exceed $2,000,000 by
next July. More than 150,000 persons
belong to the union.
San Francisco's Building Trades
council decided that for an indefinite
period it would not sanction any de
mand for an increase in wages.
Indianapolis sheet metal workers ob
tained an increase from 42 cents to 47
cents an hour. Hoisting engineers ob
tained an increase from 50 cents to
5G14 cents an hour.
Michael Ilalapy, the new editor of
the United Mine Workers' Journal,
was born in Austria in 1882 and immi
grated to tills country with his parents
when he was ten years of age.
A number of bakery wagon drivers
in Chicago are members of the bakers'
union. Officials of the Teamsters' union
want these drivers transferred to their
organization on the theory that they
are "teamsters." The drivers in ques-;
tion insist ijie.v are "salesmen" -more
than mure wagon drivers.
