Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1902-12-03

! piOyer or employee, without weakening
individual initiative, without hampering
and cramping the industrial development
OF the country, is problem fraught with
great difficulties and one which 1t Is Of
| the highest importance to solve on lines
| OF sanity and farsghted. common sense as
well as of devotion to the right. This Is
an era Of federation and combination
Exactly as business men find they mus,
often work through corporations, and as
It is constant tendency of these corpora
( tons to grow larger. so 1t is often neces-
| saFy for laboring men to work in fedora
tons, and these have become important
factors of modern industrial life. Both
corO!lary they can both do evil. Opposi-
/ ton to each kind of organization should
| take the form of opposition to whatever Ia
| tton or union. not of attacks upon cor
porations as such nor upon unions as
beneficent work for our people has been
| accomplished through both corporations
and unions Each must refrain from ar
| the rights Of others Organized capital
| and organized labor alike should remem-
| Der that in the long run the interest of
the interest of the general public. and the
conduct OF each must conform to the
! fundamental rules of obedience to the
law, of individual freedom and Of justice
| and fair dealing toward all. Each should
remember that in addition to power 1t
must strive after the realization of
'
| employer, every wageworker, must be
guaranteed his liberty and his right to do
as he likes with his property or hts labor
| so long as he does not infringe upon the
| rights of others. 1t is of the highest i'm
] portance that employer and employee
alike should endeavor TO appreciate each
| the viewpoint of the other and the sure
| disaster that will come upon both in the
| long run IL either grows to take as habit
ual an attitude of sour hostility and dis
| trust toward the other. Few people de-
| serve better of the country than those rep
! resentativeS both of capital and labor
and there are many such-who work con-
| tinually to bring about a good understand
| ing of this kind, based upon wisdom and
| upon broad and kindly sympathy between
employers and employed. Above all, we
| need to remember that any kind of class
luminosity In the political world is II pos
sible, even more wicked, even more de-
structive to national welfare, than sec
| tional, race OF religious animosity. We
can get good government only upon condi-
| ton that we keep true to the principles
upon WHICH this nation was founded and
judge each man not as a part OF class,
| but upon his individual merits. All that
we have right to ask of any man, rich
or poor, whatever his creed, his occupa-
| ton, his birthplace or his residence, Is
| that he shall act well and honorably by
| his neighbor and by his country. We are
neither for the rich man as such nor for
the poor man as such; we are for the up
| right man. rich or poor. So far as the
constitutional powers OF the national gov
eminent touch these matters Of general
| should be exercised in conformity with
the principles above set forth.
1t is earnestly hoped that secretary Of
| commerce may be created, with a seat in
| the cabinet. The rapid multiplication of
questions affecting LABOR and capital, the
growth and completely of the organiza-
| tions through which both labor and capt.
| tai now find expression, the steady tend
ency toward the employment OF capital in
huge corporations and the wonderful
| strides of this country toward leadership
in the international business world justify
an urgent demand for the creation of
such position Substantially all the
have united in requesting it's creation. 1t
| Is desirable that some such measure as
that which has already passed the senate
be enacted into law. The creation Of such
| a department would in itself be an ad-
| vance toward dealing with and exercising
supervision over the whole subject of the
business, and with this end in view the
| congress should endow the department
| with large powers, which could be in
| creased as experience might show the
| need.
1 hope soon to submit to the senate a
reciprocity treaty with Cuba. On May 20
last the United States kept its promise to
the island by formally vacating Cuban soil
and turning Cuba over to those whom her
own people had chosen as the first officials
1 Cuba lies at our doors, and whatever af-
! fects her for good or for Ill affects us also.
| So much have our people felt this that in
the Platt amendment we definitely took
| the ground that Cuba must hereafter have
| closer political relations with us than with
| any other power. Thus in a sense Cuba
has become a part OF our international
\ that in return she should be given some OF
| the benefits of becoming part of our eco
nomic system II is, from our own stand
| point, a shortsighted and mischieYouS pol
| Icy to fail to recognize this need. More
| over. II is unworthy of mighty and gen.
erous nation. itself the greatest and most
1 oItnn self nj in IN Faf IN
| stretch out a helping hand to young and
weak sister republic just entering upon
| its career Of Independence. We should al
| ways fearlessly insist upon our rights In
| the face of the strong. and We should with
| ungrudging hand do our generous duty
by the weak. ! urge the adoption of reei-
procity with Cuba not only because II Is
eminently for our own interests to control
the Cuban market and by every means to
foster our supremacy in the tropical lands
and waters south of u.s. but also because
we of the giant republic of the north
should make all our sister nations of the
American continent feel that Whenever
they will permit 1t we desire to show our
selves disinterestedly and effectively their
friend.
A convention with Great Britain has
before the senate for ratification. provd-
tween the United States and Newfound-
vention formerly negotiated by the secre-
tary Of state Mr. Blaine. / believe recip-
rocal trade relations Will be greatly TO the
advantage of both countries.
AS civilization grows warfare becomes
less and lass the normal condition OF for.
eign relations. The last century has
seen marked diminutton Of wars be-
tween civilized powers. Wars with .un.
civilined powers are largely mere matters
Of international police duty, essential fol
the welfare Of the world. Wherever pos
sible arbitration or some similar method
should be employed in lieu of war to settl<
difficulties between civilized nattona. al
though as yet the world has not pro
crossed sufficiently to render II possible
or necessarily desirable to invoke arbitra
ton In every case. The formation Of thu
international tribunal which sits at IN,
Hague n an event OF good omen from
| which great consequences for the welfar'
Of all mankind may fiow 1t Is far better
where possible to invoke such perma
nent tribunal than to create special arbi
traitors for q given purpose.
1t Is a matter Of sincere congratulatioI
Mexico should have been the first to us
the good Offices of The Hague court Thi
was dane last summer with most salts
factory Ieselts in the case of claim a
issue between us and our sister republic
II Is earnestly to be hoped that this frs
case will serve as precedent for others
in which not only the United States bu
foreign nations may take advantage o
the machinery already in existence a
The Hague.
/ commend to the favorable considera
ton OF the congress the Hawaiian fir
claims. which were the subject Of careful
investigation during the last session.
The congress has wisely provided tina