Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-12-03
THE PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE

1 it's Improvement wherever possible
| Not only must our labor be protected
by the tariff but it should also be pro-
tected so far as it is possible from the
presence in this country or any labor
ers brought over by contract, or OF
those who, coming freely, yet represent
a standard of living so depressed that
they can undersell our men in the Ia
Dor market and drag them to a lower
level.
| CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT.
| l regard is as necessary, with this
end in view, to re-enact i'ror'o lately
! the law excluding Chinefs lahnrers and
| to strengthen it wherever necessary in
| order to make it's enforcement entirely
effective.
CONVICT LABOR.
| The national government should de-
mand the highest quality OF service
| from it's employees; and in return 1T
| should be good employer. If possible
legislation should be passed, In connec-
ton with the Interstate Commerce
Law, which will render effective the ef-
| forts of different states to do away with
the competition of convict contract la
Dor in the open market.
THE EIGHT HOUR LAW.
So far as practicable under the con-
| ditions of government work, provision
should be made to render the enforce
| ment of the eight-hour law easy and
certain. In all Industries carried on
directly or indirectly for the United
States government women and chill
dren should be protected from work
under unsanitary conditions. The
government should provide in it's con-
tracts that all work should be done
under flair" conditions, and in addi-
ton to setting high standard should
uphold it by proper inspection, extend
ing if necessary to the subcOntractOrs.
The government should forbid all
night work for women and children, as
we'll as excessive overtime. For the
District of Columbia a good factory
law should be passed; and, as a power
full indirect aid to such laws, provision
should be made to turn the inhabited
alleys, the existence of which is re-
proach to our capital city, into minor
streets, where the inhabitants can live
under conditions more favorable to
health and morals.
American wage-workers work with
their heads as we'll as their hands.
Moreover, they take a keen pride In
what they are doing; so that, inde-
pendent of their reward, they wish to
turn out perfect job. This is the
tition with the labor of foreign coun-
tries.
LABOR UNIONS.
The most vital problem with which
whole civilized world, has to deal, is
the problem which has for one side the
betterment Of social conditions, moral
and physical, in large cities, and for
another side the effort to deal with that
tangle of far-reaching questions which
we group together when we speak of
"labor.'' The chief factor in the sue
cess of each man-wage- worker, farm
er, and capitalist alike-must ever be
the sum total of his own individual
qualities and abilities. Second only to
this comes the power of acting in COM
bination or association with others.
Very great good has been and will be
accomplished by associations or unions
of wage-workers, when managed with
forethought, and when they combine
law-abiding respect for the rights of
others. The display of these qualities
in such bodies is duty to the NATION
no less than to the associations them
selves. Finally, there must also IN
many cases be action by the govern
ment in order to safeguard the rights
and interests of all. Under our consti-
tuition there Is much more scope for
such action by the state and the mu-
nicipality than by the nation. But on
points such as those touched on above
the national government can act.
THE IMMIGRATION LAWS.
Our present immigration laws are
unsatisfactory. We need every honest
and efficient immigrant fitted to be-
come an American citizen, every immi-
grant who comes here to stay, who
brings here a strong body, a stout
heart, good head, and a resolute pur-
pose to do his duty we'll in every way
and to bring up his children as law
abiding and God-fearing members of
the community. But there should be
comprehensive law enacted with the
object of working a threefold improve
ment over our present system. First,
we should aim to exclude absolutely
not only all persons who are known to
be believers in anarchistic principles or
members of anarchistic societies, but
also all persons who are OF a low NOR
al tendency or Of unsavory reputation.
The second object of a proper immi-
grafton law ought to be to secure by a
careful and not merely educational test
some intelligent capacity to appreciate
American institutions and act sanely
as American citizens. This would not
keep out all anarchists, for many of
them belong to the intelligent criminal
class. But it would do what is also in
point, that is, tend to decrease the
sum of ignorance, SO potent in produce
Ing the envy, suspicion, malignant
passion, and hatred of order, out Of
which anarchistic sentiment inevitably
springs. Finally, all persons should be
excluded who are below a certain
standard Of economic fitness to enter
our Industrial field as competitors
with American labor. There should