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SPEECH OF HON. ROBERT L. OWEN OF OKLAHOMA IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 9, 1910 OPPOSING THE PROSECUTION UNDER THE ANTITRUST LAWS OF LABORING MEN WHO ORGANIZE TO BETTER THE CONDITIONS OF LABOR 9 WASHINGTON 1910 5 052 7-9 304 / SPEECH OF I IOX. E O B E E T L. O WE N . The Senate being in Committee of the Whole and haying under con sideration the bill (H. R. 25552) making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, and for other purposes— Mr. OWEN said: Mr. P r e s i d e n t : I desire to express my regret that the com mittee should have struck out the proviso of the House bill which provided that the appropriation of $2 0 0 , 0 0 0 should not be used in prosecuting labor organizations under the antitrust laws. The House proviso reads: That no part of this money shall be spent in the prosecution of any organization or individual for entering into any combination or agree ment having in view the increasing of wages, shortening of hours or bettering the condition of labor or for any act done in furtherance thereof not in itself unlawful. That does seem to me to be the description of a most inno cent form of organization, and surely such organizations or their legitimate objects could not be within the purpose of the statute of the United States to forbid the formation of great trust organizations to monopolize trade in this country. The antitrust law is intended to prevent great combinations of capital from depriving men of their just rights. It is true that the labor organizations which have been built up in this country have in some cases been improvident in some of their actions; but they have been in a large measure excited to such efforts in order to protect themselves and obtain a suffi cient amount of the proceeds of their own labor to provide the needs of their families. These are organizations of poor men, men who work by the day, who earn their daily bread with their hands. The purpose of the antitrust law was not to sup press organizations of that kind. I can not help thinking of the American Tobacco Company and the effect upon the people down in the tobacco-raising country. The tobacco trust, having by monopoly become the sole buyer of tobacco, fixes the price below the cost of produc- 2 50527— 9304 3 tion, and has driven the poor farmers who raise tobacco to desperation, and even to criminal acts, in their blind efforts to make a living. The ordinary laws which operate to suppress criminal acts are in full operation and will punish the poor oppressed farmers. If they burn a barn they are guilty of arson. If they commit a crime through their Night Eiders’ organization they violate the ordinary criminal laws, and there is abundant punishment for the criminal act. But the antitrust laws were not intended to suppress labor, but are necessary and were intended to protect the laborer and the consumer from a conspiracy to defraud them. They were intended to prevent labor and the consumers from being op pressed. This proviso passed by the House of Representatives is cer tainly a most reasonable interpretation of what the law ought to be and a direction to the Executive not to use the appro priation to prosecute labor organizations for combining to in crease wages, and so forth. If they commit any act that is unlawful, there is abundant means of punishment; but to prevent the laboring men of the country from organizing for the protection of themselves and their families in earning a reasonable livelihood, to combine to increase wages, to shorten hours of labor, to better their condition; and to break up those organizations by treating them in the same way as the law treats a great conspiracy of organized capital against which the antitrust laws were directed, I think is unfair and unjust. I do hope that the committee will not insist upon striking out these words inserted by the House. I think they ought to be allowed to remain, and I hope they will remain. The huge organizations of capital in restraint of trade, raising prices on the necessities of life and imposing on the people for the mere sake of ambition, greed, or cold and cruel avarice, needs restraint both on moral, ethical, and legal grounds. Organization of laboring men to protect women and children from starvation, from exposure, sickness, and death, are justi fied on every standpoint and should be encouraged. The antitrust laws were not intended to be used against labor so protecting itself; and if they were, you now have an opportunity the Republican party should gladly seize, to correct and amend such laws in the interest of labor if the Repub licans really and truly are the friends of labor. I fear, Mr. President, that organized capital, which con tributes money to keep the Republican party in power, will 50527— 9304 4 control the vote o f the Senate against the poor laboring ganizations. I pray you not to vote against labor. * * * * The result was announced-—yeas * * 34, nays 16 , as * follow s: Y E A S— 34. Borah Bourne Brandegee Bristow Brown Bulkeley Burnham Burrows Burton Carter Clapp Clark, Wyo. Crane Crawford Cullom Dick Dixon du Pont Bacon Burkett Chamberlain Dolliver Fletcher Frazier Gore Jones Aldrich Bailey Bankhead Beveridge Bradley Briggs, Clarke, Ark. Clay Culberson Cummins Curtis Daniel Davis Depew Dillingham Elkins Foster Guggenheim Hughes Johnston La Follette Lodge Flint Frye Gallinger Gamble Hale Heyburn Kean McEnery Nelson Oliver Perkins Smoot Stephenson Stone Warren Wetmore NAYS— 16. NOT Martin Newlands Owen Page Percy Simmons Smith, S. C. Warner VOTING— 42. Lorimer McCumber Money Nixon Overman Paynter Penrose Piles Purcell Rayner Richardson So the amendment was agreed to. D0527— 9304 O Root Scott Shively Smith, Md. Smith, Mich. Sutherland Taliaferro Taylor Tillman
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