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VOL.. 3
L.INCOL.N, NEBRASKA, JULY 25, lf08
XO. 17
V
s
Mr. Bryan Talks
With
Friday evening, July IS, some ninety
trades unionists of Lincoln met with
out formality at Carpenters' hall and
took a car to Fairvlew. The occasion
was the visit of the committee from
the Lincoln Central Labor Union, ap
pointed to present to Mr. Bryan the
resolutions, adopted by the central
body, pledging Mr. Bryan the support
of the Central Labor Union.
There was no effort made to get out
a crowd a fact which afterwards gave
rise' to a lot of complaint from men
who would have been glad to accom
pany the committee had they known
it. It was a very informal affair, but.
it was completely successful. The
crowd completely filled one of the big
College View cars. Arriving at Fair
view station the crowd marched four
abreast to the Bryan home, and was
ushered into the "sun parlor" by Mr.
and Mrs. Bryan, who shook hands with
each one of the visitors. Then T. C.
Kelsey, spokesman of the committee,
read the resolutions to Mr. Bryan, sup
plementing them with a few appro
priate remarks. Mr. Bryan, in
acknowledging the visit, spoke briefly,
but to the point, and his remarks were
frequently interrupted by applause.
He said:
"I am very grateful to you for this
generous expression of confidence and
this pledge of your support. The res
olution Is the more pleasant to me
because it comes from you, among
whom I have lived for now a little
more than twenty years. Among the
testimonials that, have been given by
neighbors and friends, there are none
that I prize more highly than this
voluntary proffer of your support
this expression of your confidence and
of your good will.
"It Is true that our platform en
dorses a number of remedial meas
ures, and ! am in hearty sympathy
with the platform endorsements. There
is not a line in that platform's declara
tion in favor of the laboring men that
does not have my most cordial ap
proval.
"This is not the time or the place
to elaborate upon those planks. There
Is one plank there that I was very
anxious to have In the platform; it
was in the platform of eight years
ago; the plank that proposes a new
cabinet position, a department of la
bor, with a secretary at Its head.. 1
have for many years believed that the
great body of our population known
as wage earners ought to be repre
sented in the counsels of the chief
executive. I have long believed that
you ought to have a representative of
the toilers in the Bhops and factories,
a representative sitting at the presi
dent's table, sharing In his delibera
tions, and speaking forth there on
those questions in which labor has
an especial Interest. And I am very
much gratified that that plank is
there, and that . the party has made
this promise, if entrusted with power.
Under Which Flag, : Mr. Union Man?
J. W. Van Cleave Says:
"The injunction's purpose is to head off injury for which, if
allowed to be committed, the victim can secure no adequate rem
edy by the courts. It is the promptness, the certaintly, and the justice
of the punishment in contempt cases which renders the injunction so
effective in preventing attacks on property and life. Jury trial would
bring delay and uncertainty. Thus it would give a license to vio
lence, would make industry and properly insecure, would increase
the number and the destructiveness of labor contests, and would assail
legitimate trade of all sorts.
"It is the duty of American business men, regardless of their
party, to bury Bryan and Bryanism under such an avalanche of
votes in 1908 that the work will not have to be done over again in
1912, or ever." Statement by J. W. Van Cleave, President National
Association of Manufacturers, and President of the Buck Stove Co.,
St. Louis.
Workingmen
to give to labor that high honor to
which it is entitled.
Would Make a Distinction.
"I think, too, that it Is very impor
tant that we should have an amend
ment to the anti-trust law, that will
draw a distinction between those who
associate themselves together for mu
tual benefit a line between those and
those who associate themselves to
gether in an industrial corporation
for the purpose of monopolizing some
article of commerce. There is a dis
tinction so broad between these two
classes of organizations that it seems
to me everyone ought to be able to see
it, and that distinction ought to be
drawn by law. I am glad that that
is in the platform.
"I am glad that there is a provision
in there in regard to a trial by jury
In cases of indirect contempt. It is
now something like thirteen years ago,
I believe, since I first had occasion to
discuss that subject. It was after I
went out of congress and before I was
nominated for the presidency the first
time. A bill was before the senate,
and as I recollect the history of it, It
was about like this. It was reported
back from the committee, of the sen
ate, and in the form in which it was
reported the judge could permit a
Jury. When I read that report I at
once criticised it and said that the bill
should not provide merely that the
judge might permit a jury, but a jury
should be demanded as a matter of
right by the accused, and my recollec
tion is that Senator Allen of this
state Introduced an amendment to that
effect and it was adopted, and that
went through the senate by so unani
mous a vote that no one called fcr the
roll. It is now more than twelve
years since that time, and yet the In
fluences which have been opposed to
this legislation has been so strong
that up to this time that measure of
justice has been deteated. I am very
glad that in our platform there. Is a
provision demanding a trial by jury
In cases of indirect contempt.
Injunction Plank Pleases.
"I am glad, too, that we are able
to agree upon an injunction plank
that was satisfactory to the leaders
of the laboring men and the members
of the resolutions committee. I was
much gratified, and I think the form
in which the party's position is stated
upon that subject ought to be satis
factory to all. You will find that
there Is no attempt to Interfere with
the legitimate use of the writ of in
junction where there is real occasion
for it, but the platform says that this
writ shall not be issued in labor dis
putes under circumstances that would
not justify Its use were there no la
bor dispute; in other words, that it
shall not be issued merely for the pur
pose of giving to one party to a labor
dispute an advantage over the other,
but there must be conditions that
would justify its Issuance if there
were no labor dispute, and I think that
the labor leaders, in stating it in that
way, have acted wisely, for they have
not asked for special privileges for the
laboring man.
"I have simply briefly referred to
these as some of the planks in the
platform. I believe It can be said
that no great party has ever adopted
a platform that embodies so much as
our platform does that is of vital in
terest to the great toiling masses of
the country, and I am glad the plat
form has been broad enough to em
WHY WE OPPOSE INJUNCTIONS
Labor injunctions will be one of the issues during the
coming' campaign and it behooves all workers to "book
up " on this usurpation of courts.
Here are a few points that will "floor" any defender
of labor injunctions:
From the foundation of our government, injunctions
have been recognized, for the protection of property. Sec
tion 917 of the United States Revised Statutes empowers
the supreme court to prescribe rules for its application.
Rule 55, promulgated in 1866, provides that special injunc
tions shall be grantable only upon due notice to the other
party.
Labor injunctions are capitalistic applications of jus
tice, masking under a hypocritical love for courts.
The labor injunction was invented by Alex Smith, at
torney fcr the Ann Arbor railway in the strike of 1894.
It was applied by Federal Judge Taft, who committed
Frank Phelan to jail for six months, and since then near
ly every court has granted the.se writs on demand.
Labor injunctions are not authorized or recognized by
any legislature. ,
Labor injunctions deny workers a trial by jury a
right accorded the meanest criminal.
Labor injunctions outlaw acts committed at strike
times but legal at all other times.
Labor injunctions empower the. court to act as law
maker, judge and executioner.
Labor injunctions class workers as property.
Labor injunctions make no distinction between proper
ty rights and personal rights.
Labor injunctions rest on the theory that when an ac
tion by workers injures property, fundamental personal
rights can be enjoined.
Labor injunctions protect dollars at the cost of a free
press and free speech.
Labor injunctions disregard the wrongs of workers in
a desire to protect gold.
Labor injunctions are issued on the sole affidavits of
men who place spies in unions.
Labor injunctions class the patronage of workers and
sympathizers as a property right that cannot be jeopar
dized by a statement of facts.
Labor injunctions still the voice of protest against
the grinding policy of unfair employers.
Labor injunctions differ from injunctions for the pro
tection of impersonal rights.
Labor injunctions guess a violation of the criminal
code will be committed.
Labor injunctions are strike-time "laws."
Labor injunctions are not entitled to the respect of a
liberty-loving people.
Labor injunctions are judge-made laws, thanks to Wil
liam Howard Taft. Toledo Union Leader.
What Samuel Gompers Says:
"I am very well satisfied with the democratic platform as promul
gated at the Denver convention, and I will do everything to support
these declarations, and of course that means we will work for the elec
tion of the men who stand for our principles.
"I have never expected defeat in any undertaking, never hoped for
defeat, and never have given up fighting for an idea or principle that I
firmly believed to be right and just. I will always be .found fighting
for what I believe is right, no matter what the temporary results may
be. I believe that in this fight we now have on hand, that we will win;
and 1 shall work for Mr. Bryan's election and for the ratification of the
principles that we have advocated as officers and as an organization."
; Statement by Samuel Gompers, President American Federation of
Labor, and now charged with contempt of court at the instigation of
J. W. Van Cleave.
body remedial legislation needed by
elements of our population, and the
unanimity with which you gentlemen
speak for those who are known as
wage workers, those who belong to
the labor organizations, this unanimity
among you ought to be Imitated by
those who toil in other departments
of industry, for that platform Is just
as true to those who toil upon the
farm as to those who toil in the fac
tory; it is as true to those who toil
in the exchange of products as to those
, (Continued on page six.)
Labor Leaders Cited
For Contempt of Court
Washington, July 20. In the Buck
S ove and Range case, Justice San
derson of the district supreme court,
tcday summoned Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation
of Labor; Secretary Frank Morrison
of that organization, and John Mitch
ell of" the executive council, former
president of the United Mine Work
ers of America, to appear In court
on September 8 next, to show causb
why they should not be punished for
contempt of the court's injunctive
order.
The citation is based on a petition
of the Buck Stove and Range com-I-any
of St. Louis, which alleges that
an order issued by Justice Gould for
bidding a national boycott by the
American Federation of Labor, has
been violated by the public utterances
and addresses of the three labor
leaders named. It also is stated that
Gompers caused to' be published in
the Federationist, the official organ
of the federation, a certain article re
flecting on the court's decision and in
alleged open defiance, printing the
r.ame of the Buck Stove and Range
company in the "We don't patronize"
list. - Gompers is quoted as saying to
several newspaper men:
"So far as I am concerned, I wish
to state this: When it comes to a
choice as to surrendering my rights
as a free American citizen or of vio
lating the injunction, I do not hesi
tate to say that I shall exercise my
rights as between the two."
Other utterances are quoted in
vhich it is alleged Gompers and Mor
rison, in furtherance of an alleged
plan to nullify the court's order, have
published, editorially, and otherwise,
offensive to the court's decision, In
cluding the name of the Buck Stove
and Range company. References, it
is claimed, were made for the pur
pose of keeping alive the boycott as
it existed before the order of the
court and were so framed as to affect
'he. sale of the company's products.
John Mitchell, at a meeting of the
United Mine Workers, last January,
put to a vote a resolution to assess
a fine of $5 on any member of that
organization who purchased a store
or range of that company's make.
The resolution also provided for the
expulsion of a member in default of
payment of the fine.
TO CONFER ON NINE-HOUR LAW.
Officials and Operators Will Meet
July 29.
Washington, July 20. Chairman
Knapp of the interstate commerce
commission and Commissioner of action against the Strathcona Coal
Labor Neill, constituting the media-'company of British Columbia for $20,
tion board under the Erdman actwill 000 damages for alleged breach of con
hold a conference with officials of a tract In cutting the wage scale from
number of western railroads and the C3 cents to 28 cents a ton.
Order of Railway Telegraphers at
Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, with a
view to effecting an adjustment of the
controversy growing out of the inter
pretation of the nine-hour law. This
act provides that telegraph operators
shall not be required to work more
than nine consecufrve"nojirs "out of
twenty-four, except under stress of
business conditions. Commissioner
Neill does, not think the differences of
fer any serious obstacles to a satis
factory settlement.
FOR LABOR DAY.
First Committee Meeting Called For
Next Tuesday Evehing.
It is to be hoped that the Initial
meeting of the committee that is be-'
ing selected, to arrange for the Labor
Day celebration ' will be well attended.
The meeting will be held at Bruse's
hsll next Tuesday evening. t The
Central Labor Union initiated the
movement, but will, of course, turn
cer the entire matter to the com
mittee. Each union has. been asked
by the secretary of the central body
to send one member to the meeting.
Several unions will not meet before
the first meeting of the committee,
tut the presidents of such bodies
have been requested to appoint com.
mitteemen ad interim. (
The Wageworker gathers from all
sides 'that the union men of this
community are desirous of making the
L&bor Day celebration this year some
thing out of the ordinary. If this' is
dene the committee will have to get
busy right away, for the time is
already growing short, and every
union should take an active interest
in the matter.
It is not the intention to perman
ently organize the committee riext
Tuesday evening, but merely to get
a line on what the general sentiment
is and prepare to act accordingly.
It would ' have been a big card if
Mr. Bryan could have .been secured
to deliver the Labor Day address, but
more than a year ago Mr. Bryan
promised the unionists of Chicago
that he would spend Labor Day of
1908 with them, and they are pre
paring to have a celebration that will
live in labor history. The Centra!
Labor Union will also meet at Bruse's
hall Tuesday evening, but its meet
ing will be made brief in order , to
a How the Labor Day committee to
pet busy. '
The United Mine Workers of Amer
ica, District 18, Canada, are entering