The San Francisco call., 1903-12-09
THE MESSAGE ON LABOR AND CAPITAL.

n UBLIC sentiment cognzes the issues arising in
r the excessive organization of labor and capital
L among the burning questions of the day. The
enormous foreign immigration mainly composed OF
people who do speak language, and who
schooled in our institutions and who not from
any sentimental attachment to principles OF
ment, makes annual increment population
equal the annual vacancy to be filled in industrial
life. It's presence crowds out just that number of
people who have arrived the age of elf-suppor
This process gives supply not trained in self
government and puts out of useful occupation equal
number of our people, who, in our public schools
have learned of independence which they
permitted to apply to the great issues of life. So we
get industrial disorders that have all the violent
of warfare On the other hand capital, with the
of immigration to work on, which it finds capable
of exploitation extent that would not be possible
with independent native labor meets organization with
organization and both sides at times forget their
allegiance to the country and their subsection the law
None of his just and sensible countrymen has ever
doubted the Presidents sincere devotion to the prn-
cipe of equality of right and of opportunity and equal
subsection the law. In his message he deals with this
issue with his usual fearlessness and candor and il
will be we'll for all concerned to read and remember
what he says 1t will produce the veiest satisfaction
the third party the unorganzed majority the great body
of citizens who want justice, but who because of the
lack of single medium of expression ruthlessly
plotted by both parties the organization of
labor and capital No other statesman has put more
clearly the purpose and function of the Federal Gov
ernment than the President states it in these terms:
"The consistent policy of the National Government
far has the power, is to hold in check the
scrupuous man, whether employer employees but to
refuse weaken individual initiative, hamper or
cramp the industrial development of the country We
recognize that this is of federation and
bination in which great capitastic combinations and
labor unions have become factors of tremendous
portance in all industrial Hearty recognition
given the farreaching benefcent work that has been
accomplished through both corporations and labor
unions and the line between different corporations
and different unions is drawn is between different
individually that is, it is drawn conduct, the effort
being to treat both organized capital and organized labor
alike, asking nothing except that the interest of each
shall be brought into harmony with the interest of the
general public, and that the conduct of each shall
form the fundamental rules of obedience to law, OF
individual freedom. and of justice and fair dealing all
Whenever either corporation, labor union Individual
dsregards the law, in spirit of arbitrary and
tyrannous interference with the rights of Others whether
corporations or individuals, then where the Federal
Government has jurisdiction, it will to that the
misconduct is stopped paying not the slightest heed to
the position power Of the corporation the union or
the individual but only to one vital fact-that is the
question whether or the conduct of the individual
or aggregation of individuals is in accordance with the
law of the land. Every must be guaranteed his
liberty and his right do he likes with his property
or his labor long he does not infringe the rights
of others. No man is above the law and is
below it; nor do we ask any mans permission when
REQUIRE him to obey it, Obedience to the law is de-
nnanded as right, not asked favor.
That is a refreshing and timely restatement of the
supremacy law and of its power protect ind
vdual rights the privilege OF private and the
rights and uses of property 1t should be translated
into the Babel of tongues spoken by incoming mil
lions of immigrants, and the lliterate in
majority should be read and expounded to them. Then
their habit OF dragging the American flag in the dirt
as has been recently done by the foreign miners in
Utah would be checked To American capitalists and
corporations it needs no translating expoundng 1t
is notice to them that there is line of law drawn
between gains and guilt, and that trade has its right
to freedom as well as men. and be restrained
to satisfy the spirit of avarce and greed
This part of the message properly supplemented by
the recommendations immigration separating it into
the right and the wrong kind and asking that the
exclude the latter more vigorously than The evil
of congested immigration noted and the demand is
made that more attention be given its distribution
No doubt if it were spread over the country and pre-
vented lodging in where language is not
learned spoken and essentially foreign customs are
subbornly maintained, the process of digestng and
assimating would produce less disturbance.
The Spanish Cabinet has drafted law compelling
men to yet Spain believes that she is called
1oon nrobens national life before which the