The Bourbon news., 1904-12-09

to organize and By al peaceful and horor-
able means to endeayor to persuade their
fellows to join with them in organiza-
lions. They have legal right, which.
accoroing 10 circumstances. may or may
not be a moral right to refuse to work
In company with men who decline to join
their organizations. They ha We under no
circumstances the right to commit vio-
ience upon those. whether capitalists or
wage-workers, who refuse to support
tnelr organizations. or who side with
tnose with whom they are at odds; for
mob rule is intolerable in any form
Employers Liability Law.
The wage-workers are peculiarly en-
Tilted to the protection and the encour-
agement of the law From the very ma
ture or their occupation railroad men for
instance, are liable to be manned in do
ing the legitimate work of their profess
sion. unless the railroad companies are
required by law to make ample provision
ior their safety. The administration has
Deen jealous in enforcing the existing law
for this purpose. That law should be
amended and strengthened. Wherever
the national government has power there
snould be stringent employers liability
law which should apply to the govern
ment itself where the government is an
employer of labor.
In my message to the Fifty-severth
congress, at its second session, / urged
the passage of an employers liability law
for the District of Columbia 1 now re-
new that recommendation, and further
recommend that the congress appoint a
commission to make a comprehensive
study of employers liability with the
view of extending the provisions of a
great and constitutional law to all en-
ployments within the scope of federal
power.
Medals of Honor.
The government has recognized heroism
upon the water, and bestows medals of
honor upon those persons who by ex-
treme and heroic daring have endangered
their lives in saving, or endeavoring to
save, lives from the perils of the sea in
the waters over which the United States
has jurisdiction, or upon an American
vessel. This recognition should be ex-
tended to cover cases of conspicuous
bravery and self-sacrifice in the saving
of life in private employments under the
jurisdiction of the United States. and
particularly in the land commerce of the
nation.
Prevention Of Railroad accidents.
The eyer-increasing casualty list upon
our railroads is a matter OF grave public
concern. and urgently calls for action by
the congress. In the matter Of speed and
comfort of railway travel our railroads
give at least as good service as those Of
any other nation and there is no reason
why this service should not also be as safe
as human ingenuity can make it. Many Of
our leading roads have been foremost in
the adoption of the most approved safe
guards for the protection of travellers and
employees, yet the list of clearly avoidable
accidents continues unduly large. The
passage of a law requiring the adoption of
block signal system has been proposed
to the congress. I earnestly concur in
a DAT an W0 oil Oinf
out to the congress the urgent need of
legislation in the interest of the public
safety limiting the hours of labor for rail-
road employees in train service upon rail-
roads engaged in interstate commerce and
providing that only trained and experienced
persons be employed in positions of re-
Sponsibility connected with the operation
of trains. OF course, nothing can ever
prevent accidents caused by human weak
ness or misconduct; and there should be
drastic punishment for any railroad en-
ploye, whether officer or man, who by issu-
ance of wrong orders or by disobedience
of orders causes disaster. The law of 1901,
requiring interstate railroads to make
monthly reports of all accidents to passen-
gers and employees on duty should also be
amended so as to empower the government
to make a personal investigation, through
proper officers, of all accidents involving
loss of life which seem to require investiga-
tion with a requirement that the results
OF such investigation be made public
The safety appliance law as amended by
the act of March 2, 1908, has proved bene-
fetal to railway employees and in order
that it's provisions may be properly carried
out, the force of inspectors provided for by
appropriation should be largely increased.
This service is analogous to the steamboat
inspection service, and deals with even
more important interests. 1t has passed
the experimental stage and demonstrated
its utility and should receive generous
recognition by the congress-
Unions of Government Employees.
There is no objection to employees of the
government forming or belonging to
unions; but the government can neither
discriminate for nor discriminate against
nonunion men who are in its employment
or who seek to be employed under it,
Moreover, it is very grave improperly
for government employees to band them
selves together for the purpose of extorting
improperly high salaries from the govern
ment. Especially is this true of those with
in the classified service. The letter car
riers, both municipal and rural, are as
whole an excellent body of public servants.
They should be amply paid But their pay
ment must be obtained by arguing their
claims fairly and honorably before the
congress, and not by banding together for
the defeat of those congressman who re-
fuse to give promises which they cannot
in conscience give. The administration has
already taken steps to prevent and punish
abuses of this nature; but it will be wise
for the congress to supplement this action
by legislation.
Corporations.
When we come to deal with great cor
porations the need for the government to
act directly is far greater than in the case
of labor, because great corporations can
become such only by engaging in interstate
commerce. and interstate commerce is pc
culiarly the field of the general govern
ment. 1t is an absurdity to expect to elm
mate 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 creating 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 ade-
Quately with these great corporations. To
try to deal with them in an Incorporate,
destructive or demagogic spirit would, in
all probability, mean that nothing what
ever would be accomplished, and with abb
solute certainty that if anything were ac-
complished it would be of harmful ma
ture. The American people need to con-