Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-12-14

tave an entire right to organize and
Dy all peaceful and honorable means
TO endeavor to persuade their fellows
to join with them in organizations
They nave legal right, which. ac-
cording to circumstances, may or may
not be moral right. to refuse TO work
in company with men who decline TO
join their organizations. They have
under no circumstances the right 10
commit violence upon those, whether
capitalists or wage-workers, who re.
fuse to support their organizations. or
who side with those with whom they
are at odds; for mob rule is intoier.
able in any form.
Unions of Government Employees.
There Is no objection to employees
cf the government fol inning or belong
ing to unions; but the government
can neither discriminate against non
union men who are in Its employ
ment or who seek TO be employed
under 1t. Moreover, 1t is very grave
Improperly for government employees
TO band themselves together for the
purpose of extorting improperly high
salaries from the government. Espec-
tally Is this true of those within the
classified service.
Bureau of Labor.
Much can be done by the govern.
ment in labor matters merely by Civ.
ing publicity to certain conditions.
The bureau of labor has done excel
lent work Of this kind in many differ
ent directions. ! shall shortly lay be.
fore YOU in a special message the full
report of the investigation of the bu-
Ieau of labor into the Colorado min
ing strike. as this is a strike i'm which
certain very evil forces, which are
more or less at work everywhere un-
Ger the conditions of modern indus.
trialism, became startlingly promi-
nent. Ii is greatly to be wished that
the department Of commerce and la.
Dor, through the labor bureau, should
compile and arrange for the congress
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 aud mining regions
throughout the country. both as u
wages. as TO hours of labor, as 10
the labor of women and children. and
as to The effect in the various laDoI
centers of immigration from abroad.
In this investigation especial atten-
tion should be paid TO the conditions
Of child labor and child labor lesis.
ldtion in the several states. Suoh an
aa.i iffr.t ,.tl l+f,
into account many of the problems,
with which this question of child Ia.
hpr is connected. These problems can
he actually met. in mest cases, only
by the states themselves; but the lack
of proper legislation in one stale ir
such a matter as child labor often
renders II excessively difficult TO es
tablish protective restriction upon the
work in another state having the same
industries. so that the worst tends &c
drag down the better.
Corporations.
When we come TO deal with great
corporations the need for the govern
llent 10 act directly is far srCateI
than in the case OF labor, because
great corporations can become such
only by engaging in interstate com
merce, and interstate commerce is pc
culiariy the field of the general gov
eInment. 1t is an absurdity to ex
pect TO eliminate the abuses in great
corporations by state action. 1t Is
difficult to be patient with an argu
ment that such matters should be left
to the states. because more than one
state pursues the policy of creating Oh
easy terms corporations which art
never operated within that state al
all, but in other states whose laws
they ignore. The national govern
nlent alone can deal adequately with
these great corporations. To try tC
zeal with them in an intemperate
destructive, or demagogic spirit would
In all probability, mean that nothins
whatever would be accomplished, and
with absolute certainty, that If any
thing were accomplished it would bt
of harmful nature. The American
people need to continue to show thC
very qualities that they have shown
that is. moderation, good sense. the
earnest desire TO avoid doing any dam
age, and yet the quiet determination
to proceed, step by step. without hal
and without hurry. in eliminating ol
at least in minimizing whether of mis-
chief or of evil there is to the inter
state commerce in the conduct o
great corporations. They are acting In
no spirit of hostility TO wealth, eth
er individual or corporate. They ar
not against the rich man any more
than against the poor man. On tho
contrary, they are friendly alike 10
ward rich man and toward poor man
provided only that each acts in a spli
IL OF justice and decency toward hi
fellows. Great corporations are nee
essary and only men OF great an,
singular mental power can manage
such corporations successfully, ant
such men must have great rewards
But these corporations should be man
aged with due regard 10 the iLteres
OF The public as a whole. Where ihl
can be done under the present law
IL must be done. Where these law
come short others should be enacte,
10 supplement them.
Bureau Of Corporations.
The bureau Of corporations ha
made careful preliminary investiga
tion of many important corporations
II viii make a special report on tn
reef industry.
The policy Of the bureau is TO ac
oompl.sh the purposes Of its oieatioi
ty cooperation, not antagonism. b.
making constructive legislation, no
| 5astrIctiya nrosapufion mo immadiat 4
object OF its inquiries; by Conser,a
tive investigation of law and fact. an
by refusal to issue incomplete an
hence necessarily inaccurate reportc
Its policy thus being one Of open In