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Labor Organizations and Farmers' Unions Should Be Exempt Under Antitrust Laws.

SPEECH

OF

HON. CLEMENT BRUMBAUGH,

OF OHIO,

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Monday, June 1, 1914.

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union had under consideration the bill (H. R. 15657) to supplement existing laws against unlawful restraints and monopolies, and for other purposes.

Mr. BRUMBAUGH. Mr. Chairman, I desire to state that personally I favor the plainest and most explicit declaration possible in behalf of the rights of labor. I think this is best for both sides concerned and interested in this matter. I shall vote for this amendment, because I understand it meets with the approval of labor organizations that have carefully examined it, and at the same time it is considered fair by those who employ labor. In fact, I am informed that the amendment is the result of mutual understanding between both labor leaders and employers of labor, and I have been advised and assured personally by labor leaders in whom I place every confidence that the amendment is satisfactory to labor organizations and friends of labor everywhere.

Mr. Chairman, it is gratifying, indeed, to those of us who have been the friends and champions of labor and labor laws for years, both here and elsewhere, and who at the same time have wanted this great advance made in justice not only to labor but to honest employers of labor as well, to see this great question settled in this sensible, reasonable, amicable manner, in this spirit of fairness to all concerned, and thus see this tardy justice done to the great cause of labor, upon which the prosperity and happiness of the people as a whole and the growth and grandeur of our great Nation must ever rest. No pation can be or ought to be strong and great and secure that does not respect and honor its laboring men and women. The most honorable and dignified thing in all this world for any man or woman is honest labor, whether of hand or heart or brain; for did not the Nazarene Carpenter, the Christ Himself, give to honest labor a halo of honor and dignity that no rank of birth or wealth can equal or enjoy?

Extremely gratifying to me, indeed, is it to see this great Democratic Congress keep and redeem our promises made to labor and labor organizations; to see this Democratic Congress place the man above the dollar and to be able to hear the heartbeats of humanity above the clinking of the coin of commercialized wealth. [Applause.]

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No other Congress in 50 years has done so much by law to assist and relieve labor. By our tariff law we take the hand of trust monopoly on the high prices of the necessaries of life out of the pockets of the laboring man. By our currency bill we protect his little saving in the banks from the panicky gambling heretofore pastime operations of the money power. By this amendment we take the hand of those who would oppress and tyranize off of the throat of labor and let it breathe free.

Mr. Chairman, personally I want to say that I am proud to have come from the ranks of laboring people myself. I know by years of personal experience their life of toil, and I can sympathize with their struggles and needs. Laboring men seldom ask for aught but their just deserts, and the Good Book says that the laborer is worthy of his hire and condemns those who would oppress the laborer in his way.

I propose now, as I always have in the past, to stand for all just demands in labor's interests.

I congratulate my friends and fellows, the laborers, on this advance, which is the promise, I trust, of the dawning of a better day wherein labor shall receive its just recompense of reward, wherein life shall be sweeter, labor lighter, and the world for all a better place to live upon. [Applause.] The CHAIRMAN. 49590-13584

The time of the gentleman has expired.

ANTITRUST LEGISLATION

"Let the special privileges which are opposing these bills reflect that at this time they are choosing between the beneficial purposes of this proposed legislation on the one hand, and socialism on the other. Natural competition will be restored and will prevail in all the Nation. Business freedom will be reestablished and new opportunities open to industrious, active, thrifty, and ambitious workers and business men. Prosperity will reign and the threatening clouds of socialism and the Industrial World Workers shall disappear from our national horizon."

SPEECH

OF

HON. M. E. BURKE

OF WISCONSIN

IN THE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 5, 1914

WASHINGTON
1914

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SPEECH

OF

HON. M. E. BURKE,

OF WISCONSIN.

On the bill (H. R. 16586), a bill to amend section 20 of an act to regulate commerce and to prevent overissues of securities by carriers. Mr. BURKE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, to me it is a great pleasure to support the pending bill, commonly known as a bill to regulate by the Interstate Commerce Commission the issuing of stocks and bonds by railways or common carriers. This pleasure is increased by reason of the opportunity of also supporting, at this time, its sister bills (H. R. 15657), otherwise known as the Clayton antitrust bill, and bill (H. R. 15613) creating an interstate trade commission. In common with the great majority of the American people, I have been looking forward to this occasion with earnest hope and sincere pleasure for many years past. During those many years I have watched with anxiety the ever-increasing growth of combinations, trusts, and monopolies. In common with others I have observed the wide spreading evil practices of these business organizations extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Gulf to the Great Lakes. During all of these years the iron hands of monopolies and trusts have been weighing down and crushing the opportunities of the average business man, and at the same time I have listened to remonstrances throughout the length and breadth of the land against the crying evils of unbridled, crooked big business.

This and its sister bills are very comprehensive and farreaching. An experienced and well-informed Representative has declared upon the floor of this House during this debate that this and its accompanying kindred bills will regulate the management of carriers and directorates of over 300,000 corporations, including banks. It was shown before the Judiciary Committee at its hearings two years ago that the business of this country which would be affected by the proposed legislation amounts to the vast annual sum of $25,000,000,000. It can thus be seen at a glance that the importance and seriousness of this legislation can scarcely be overrated. Notwithstanding the comprehensiveness and difficulties of the problem confronting us, I have faith in the three measures proposed for the relief of the people, and believe that when they are enacted into law that moderate business will have more opportunity than it has had at any time in this country since the Civil War. This legislation has been demanded by the people, regardless of party, and the Democratic Party has promised in its national platforms to enact it.

NECESSITY FOR ANTITRUST LEGISLATION.

Since the approval of the Sherman antitrust law on the 2d day of July, 1890, some 24 years ago, trusts, combinations, and

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