Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-04-06
THE PRESIDENT
ROSE EARLY
Took Drive Through the Streets of Sioux Falls
Enthusiastically Greeted BY Large Crowds
ADDRESS DELIVERED
In A SNOW STORM

power il for certain objects he unites
with his fellows. Much can be done by
4 organization, combination, union
among the wage workers; finally some
thing can be done by the direct action
of the state. 1t is not possible empiri-
caly to declare when the interference
of The state should be deemed legiti-
ms te and when illegitimate.
The line of demarcation between un-
healthy overinterference and unhealthy
lack of regulation is not always we'll
defined, and shifts with the change In
our industrial needs. Most certainly we
should never invoke the interference of
the state or nation unless it is abso-
lutely necessary; but it is equally true
that when confident of it's necessity we
should not on academic grounds refuse
it. Wise factory laws, laws to forbid
the employment of child labor and to
Safeguard the employees against the
effects of culpable negligence by the
employer, are necessary, not merely in
the interest of the wage-worker, but In
the interest of the honest and humane
employer, who should not be penalized
for his honesty and humanity by being
exposed to unchecked competition with
an unscrupulous rival. 1t is far more
difficult to deal with the greed that
works through cunning than with the
greed that works through violence. But
the effort to deal with it must be stead
lily made.
eff possible the effort at conciliation
or mediation or arbitration should be
made in the earlier stages, and should
be marked by the wish on the part of
both sides to try to come to a common
agreement which each shall think in
the interests of the other as we'll as OF
itself. When we deal with such sub
ject we are fortunate in having before
us an admirable object lesson in the
work that has just been closed by the
Anthracite Coal Strike Commission.
"Of course the national government
has but a small field in which it can
work in labor matters. Something 1t
can do, however, and that something
ought to be done. Among other things
I should like to see the District of Col
umbia, which is completely under the
control of the national government, re-
ceiye a set of model labor laws. WASH
ington is not city of very large in
dustries. but still it has some. Wise
labor legislation for the City Of Wash
ington would be good thing in itself,
and it would be far better thing, be-
cause a standard would thereby be set
for the country as whole.
1.-THE Secretary of the Navy has rec
with my cordial and hearty
approval, the enactment of strong
liability law in the navy
yards of the nation. 1t should be ex-
tended to similar branches of the gov
ernment work. Again, sometimes such
laws can be enacted as an incident to
the nations control over interstate
commerce. In my last annual message
to congress. advocated the passage OF
a law in reference to car couplings-to
the features of the one al
ready on the statute books, so as to
minimize the exposure to death and
manning of railway employees. Mucn
opposition had to be overcome. In the
end an admirable law was passed to
promote the safety of employees and
travellers upon railroads by compelling
common carriers engaged in interstate
commerce to equip their cars with au-
tomato couplers and continuous brakes
and their locomotives with driving
wheel brakes This law received my
signature couple Of days before con-
gress adjourned. 1t represents a real
and substantial advance in an admira-
BILE kind of legislation