Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1906 — THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO LABOR [ARTICLE]

THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO LABOR

Blunt'Language to Gompers and Other Leaders Who Called at the White House. Washington, March 22.—Some plain talk to labor questions was indulged in by President Roosevelt in addressing President Gompers of the American Federation of Labor and the executive council of that laxly, when the delegation called at the White House and presented the appeal previously given to congress. Those parts of the document referring to legislation by congress the president did not touch upon. He said with vigor that the laboring men could easily kill the pending bill limiting writ of injunction. He favored it, but congress, he ’declared, was in no mooii to pass it. He said that dur iug his administration he had never sought an injunction against a labor organization, but that he had applied for more than twenty injunctions against capital. He denied that the Chinese exclusion law was violated, and said that there were fewer Chinese in the United States than ten or even twenty or thirty years ago. He spoke, plainly on the eight-hour law. He favors its application in the United States, but declared it would be an absurdity on the Panama canal, where only West Indian negro labor was employed, and where the men work not more than half the week. On immigration, the president said no undesirable immigrants should be ad mitted and the country could not have too many good immigrants.