Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1904-12-10


In positions Of responsibility connected
with the operation OF trains.
The safety appliance law, Is amend
ed by the act of March 2. 1908. has
proved beneficial to railway employees,
and In order that It's provisions may be
properly carried out the force OF In
spectors provided for by appropriation
should be largely increased. This sery-
ice has passed the experimental stage
and should receive generous recogni-
ton by the congress.
UNIONISM IN GOVERNMENT OF-
FICES.
There is no objection to employees Of
the government forming or belonging
to unions, but the government can nei-
Their discriminate for nor discriminate
against nonunion men who are In its
employment or who seek to be m
ployed under It. Moreover, II Is q very
grave improperly for government en-
ployees to band themselves together
for the purpose Of extort1ng improperly
high salaries from the government
Especially Is this true Of those within
the classified service. The letter car
riers, both municipal and rural. are as
a whole an excellent body Of. public
servants. They should be amply paid.
But their payment must be obtained
by arguing their claims fairly and HON
orably before the congress and not by
banding together for the defeat of
those congressman who refuse to give
promises which they cannot In con-
science give. The administration has
taken steps to prevent and punish
abuses of this nature, but it win be
wise for the congress to supplement
this action by legislation
BUREAU OF LABOR
Much can be lone by the government
In labor matters merely by giving pub
licity to certain conditions. The bureau
Of labor has done excellent work of
this kind In many different directions.
I shall shortly lay before you In a spe-
efal message the full report OF the In
vestigatfon Of the bureau OF labor into
the Colorado mining strike, as this u a
strike IN which certain very evN forces,
which are more or less at work every
where under the conditions Of modern
industrialism, became startlingly prom
inent- It Is greatly to be wished that
the department of commerce and Ia
Dor, through the labor bureau, should
compile and arrange for the congress
a list OF the labor laws of the various
states and should be given the means
to investigate and report TO the con-
gress upon the labor conditions In the
manufacturing and mining regions
throughout the country, both as TO
wages, as to hours of labor, az to
the labor Of women and children and
al to the effect In the various labor
centers Of immigration from abroad.
In this investigation especial attention
should be paid to the conditions OF
child labor and child labor legislation
in the several states
CORPORATIONS
When we come to deal with great
| corporations the need for the govern
ment to act directly Is far greater than
In the Ease of labor, because great o r
porations can become such only by en-
gaging In interstate commerce, and In
terstate N is peculiarly the
field Of the general government. 1t is
an absurdity TO expect to eliminate the
abuses In great corporations by state
action. 1t Is difficult to be patient with
an argument that such matters should
be left TO the states, because more than
one state pursues the policy Of Great
ing on easy terms corporations which
are never operated within that state
at ALL but in other states whose laws
they ignore The national government
alone can deal adequately with these
great corporations. To try to deal
with them In an incorporate, destruc-
tive or demagogia spirit would In all
probability mean that nothing what
ever would be accomplished, and with
absolute certainty that II anything
were accomplished 1t would be of a
harmful nature. The American peo-
pie need to continue 10 show the very
qualities that they have shown-that Is,
moderation, good sense, the earnest
desire to avoid doing any damage and
yet the quiet determination to proceed,
step by step, without halt and without
hurry, In eliminating or at least In
minimizing whatever OF mischief or of
evil there is to interstate commerce
In the conduct Of great corporations.
They are acting in no spirit of hostility
to wealth, either individual or cor
porate. They are not against the rich
man any more than against the poor
man. On the contrary, they are friend
" alike toward rich man and toward
poor man, provided only that each acts
in a spirit Of justice and decency to-
ward his fellows. Great corporations
are necessary, and only men of great
end singular mental power can a
age such corporations successfully,
and such men must have great re-
wards. But these corporations should
be managed with due regard to the
interest Of the public as a whole.
Where this can be done under the pres
emit laws IT must be done. Where
there laws come short others should
be enacted to supplement- them.