THE PRESIDENCY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 253, 18 July 1908, Page 5

THE PRESIDENCY.

LABOUR VOTE. BIG UNIONS SUPPORTING BpYAN. REPUBLICANS UNEASY. (bt tblegbafh—mess association—copyright.) New York, July 16. - Following on the decision of tho American Fodoration of Labour, controlling two million votors, to support Mr.' W. J. Bryan (Donioprat candidato for tlio Presidoncy, tlio United Mine Workers also promise to support' Mr. Bryan. Republicans aro uneasy at organised Labour's attitude. WHAT ROOSEVELT ADVISED. ' CONVENTION MODIFIED. HIS PLANK. President Roosevelt for some tiino past has recognised . the - need of doing something for Labour in the Republican interest. He not only sent his usual picturesque messages, but he proposed to pass tar-reaching laws, put' a strongly-worded fighting plank intq the programme. At tho recont Republican f-'On-vention at Chicago that plank was considerably modified. ' And now these evidences of Labour's tendency to slido into the Democrat camp. ; • ' ' • ' "It becomes increasingly evident (wrote tho American correspondent of tho Sydney Daily Telegraph "■ some little time ago) that tho closing months of President Roosevelt's ,administration tiro to be .marked by. a zealous effort on'" his", part''to modify tlio legal status of labour. He is plainly dissatisfied with recent decisions of tho Courts, such as. the; ono declaring tho illegality of the boycott, another affirming the right ofrajlroads to discriminate against members, of labour , unions in tlio mat-j-tov of . employment, another denying theconstitutionality of; the employers" liability law, and overthrowing of the law reducing the hours of bakers to eight'-instead; of the 12 and 14 which constitute for many of them a days labour. He believes' that judges are too prono to maintain too rigidly the old-fashioned right of.private contract, ami foresees some sort• of social upheaval if judicial, practice is not mado to conform.with groatly altered social 1 conditions; for the' labouring. man to-day is not in a position of financial independence which enables him .to protect his interests under free contracts-much' less tho labouring woman.. m ' President Roosevelt, in . a message to , Gon;gross on April 20, urges in the strongest terms the ' passing of. legislation limiting the use or injunctions.by the .Courts in, the Cji.se of:labour .dispute?; anil also advocates legislation' increasing the power of the National Government to regulate:the inter-State business of great corporations. Tho-President protests' against the growth lof class consoiousncss, deol/inng that tho abuse of the process of injunctjonß by employers must breed, class consciousness, aiid, therefore, clas9 resentment. While . condemning the demagogue who. preaches the envy of wealth, President Roosevelt caustically remarks that his counterpart is the hard, cruo multi-millionaire, who is the least enviable and the least admirable of citizens, whose son is a fool and his daughter a; foreign Princess. Nevertheless,' when the .Roosevolt. programme went before the Republican Convention ■ last month, it'was cabled that "one plank, recommending 1 the passing of legislation to ensure labour organisations against snap,, judgments by 'the courts in', the issue of injunctions, aroused considerable opposition; v llany ot tlie supporters of J\rr. Taft objected to.it. ..Senator Burrows was cheered on pronouncing , against divesting tho courts of their , constitutional power" The Convention ultimately, adopted "a modified form of the anti-injunction plank, which upholds the' authority of the courts. How far this modification deprives Sir. Honsevolt's proposal of its original forco theicnblegram does not explain'; bnt the recent actions of bis; labour unions are sicnificnnt. Tn. April last Labour conferences in Now York, Chicago, and els"whero adopted resolutions containing voiled threats, of political..retaliation against all candidates for executive, legislative, and ludiciary offices who are indifferent or hostile to the claims of labour. : Some of these threats are now apparently to : bo put into force against Sir. Taft: ' ; • ' . _•» i "What the Labour lenders in tho United States demand (says "The Times" correspondent) is the.passing of'nn.Act which will practicallv free their organisations from tlie Sherman'law ... . The Presidents rondmess to Vive Labour- nil it asks; for-with, tho' ininortaiit exception of legalising the boycott-lifts the demands of Labour from the plane, of 'unacknowledged grievances. Tlicy aro identified with the 'Roosevelt and as such aro an .issue before tho country." <.