The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-04-05
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
CHAMPION OF LABOR
General Grosvenor'S Speech in Record Showing What
President Has Done for the Cause

legislation (Which the Legislature failed
| TO pass in regard to-
Employers liability
State control OF employment Offices
State ownership of printing plant
Devisins means whereby free mecban-
les shall not be brought into competition
with prison labor
As President of the United States az
has signed bills
Renewing the Chinese-exclasion act
and extending its provisions 10 the ISL
and territory Of the United States.
Prohibiting the employment Of Nom
golian labor on Irrigation works and pro-
viding that eight hours shall constitute
a days labor en- such prv5~cf-
Abohshing slavery and involuntary
Fervitude in the Philippine Islands.
violation Of the act being punishabls
by forfeiture OF contracts and fine OF
not less than $4,000
Protecting the lives OF employees In
coal mines in Territories by regulating
the amount of ventilation and provid-
ing bat entries. etc. shall be kept wei
dampened with water TO cause coal dust
tc settle.
ExemDting from taxation in the Dis
trict OF Columbia household belongings
to the value Of $1,000. wearing apparel,
lib aries. school books. family portraits.
and heirIoOms
Requiring proprietors Of employment
Offices in the District Of Columbia TO pay
a license tax of so per Year
Creating the Department Of Commerce
and Labor and making its head a Cabi-
net officer.
Improving the act relating TO safety
appliances on railways.
Increasing the restrictions upon the
immigration Of eheap foreign labor and
prohibiting the landing Of alien anarch-
lists.
District Tax Law.
What may strike the local reader OF
Representative Grosvenor's speech" as
interesting is the fact that ne is credit
ed lin the interests OF labor" with
having as President approved the bill
exempting from taxation in the Dis
trict Of Columbia household belongings
to the value Of $1,000 wearing apparel.
Libraries, school books, family portraits,
and heirlooms' This is a provision IN
the personal tax law of the District
and that law was originally drafted by
the District Assessor. and approved Dy
the District Commissioners. amended by
both houses Of Congress. and approved
by the President who by 50 doing I;i
Representative GrOsvenor's speech
gets credit for permitting the poor
wOrkingman 10 hold not only the CLOTH
ms upon his back but an Of his libra
RES. even to the school books Of his
little children. and all of his cid family
paintings in oils. and the treasured
heirIooms, absolutely free from taxa
ton. This is indeed a bid for the labor
vote in the District Of Columbia
For twenty-five pages Representative
Grosvenor proceeds in almost wearisome
detail to tell of all that Mr.. Roosevelt
has done in the last quarter Of a cen
fury 10 advance the calse of labor. he
even takes up such weighty subjects as
his efforts TO procure legislation amend
atorv of the factory law providing
"stairways TO be properly lighted" and
also discusses his efforts to enact "a
measure for the examination and reg
istration of horseshoers, and scores OF
other questions OF vital national i'm
portance. showing with what tireless
effort the Ohio veteran has delved into
the records of legislation in New York
to bring forth To the full light of day
all that the present Executive has done
TO uplift the ''dcwntrod'
Did President Write It.
There are subjects discussed in the
speech" which il were practically i'm
possible for anyone 10 have any knowl-
edge about except Mr. Roosevelt him
self touching upon his record as a
member OF the New York Assembly.
and consequently the question is beins
asked did the President prepare or di-
rect the preparation OF Representative
GrosvenOr's speech
Many excerpts are made from the
President speeches wherein he touched
upon the labor question, and the Miller
case at the Government Printing Office
occupies several pages of the Record.
Tie anthracite coal strike is dweIt upon
az length The President is given credit
in the interests of labor with the aboii-
ton of slavery ia the Philippines. Alto
gether the speech is calculated TO BE-
of great value in the coming campaign
as a concise statement of all that the
Republican candidate has done TO COM
mend himself 70 the favorable consider
alton of the labor element
Whenever a stump speaker Is called
upon TO tell where the President stands
on any matter affecting labor. all ne VIII
be Obliged 10 do is to pun forth Gros-
yenOr's speech. and it is properly
indeXed he can answer any question
The speech covers 1verything. and
even if the President did prepare it,
for certainly Representative Grosveuor
could not possibly have knowledge Of
all the facts which IL contains-the aU-
thorship should carry additional weight
with the voter
ILJ n