The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-12-08
To the Senate and House of Representa-

tlveS:
The nation continues to enjoy note
worthy prosperity. Such prosperity Is
of course primarily due to the high in
diyidual average of our citizenship. taken
together with our great natural re-
sources; but an important factor therein
is the working of our long-contlnued
governmental policies. The enlargement
of scope of the functions of the national
government required by our development
as a nation involves. of course, increase
OF expenses; and the period OF prosperity
through which the country is passing JUS
titles expenditures for permanent I'M
proyements far greater than would be
wise in hard times. Battleshlps ana
forts. public buildings and improved wat
erways are investments which should
be made when we have the money; but
abundant revenues and large surplus
always invite extravaganza. and constant
care should be taken to guard agalnst
unnecessary increase of the ordinary ex-
penses of government.
Capital and Labor.
In the vast and complicated mechan-
ism of our modern civilized life the doml-
nant note is the note OF industriallsm'
and the relations of capital and labor:
and especially of organized capital and
organized labor to each other and to the
public at large come second In lmpor-
lance only to the intimate questions OF
family life. Our peculiar form of gov
eminent. with its sharp division of au-
thority between the nation and the sew
eral States, has been on the whole Iar
more advantageous to our development
than a more strongly centralized govern
ment. But il is undoubtedly responsible
for much of the difficulty of meeting with
adequate legislation the new problems
presented by the total change in indus
trial conditions on this continent during
the last half-century. In actual practice
II has proved exceedingly difficult. and
in many cases impossible, TO get unanlm-
ity of wise action among the various
States on these subjects. From the very
nature of the case this Is especlaIiy true le
of the laws affecting the employment Oh
canital in huge masses. As long as the
States retain the primary control OF the
nolice mower the circumstances must be
altocether extreme which require inter-
ference nv the federal authorities. wheth-
or in the way of safeguarding the rights
of labor or in the way or seeing that
wrong is not done by unruly persons VINO
shield themselves behind the name or Ia
Dor. If there is resistance TO the Iederal
courts. interference with the mails. or
Interstate commerce. or molestation of
federal property, or if the State author
;t;as in some crisis which they are un-
able to face call for help then the fed
oral government may interfere but the
interference itself simply takes the form
of restoring order without regard 10 the
questions which have caused the breach
IF order. I believe that under modern
Industrial conditions it is often neces-
sary. and even where not necessary 1t is
vet often wise, that there should be or
ga nization of labor in order better to
secure the rights of the individual wage
worker. All encouragement should be
given to any such organization, so long
as it is conducted with due and decent
regard for the rights OF others. But
when any labor union seeks improper
ends. or seeks to achieve proper ends by
;nnroner means. all good citizens and
more especially all honorable public SER
wants must oppose the wrongdoing as
resolutely as they would oppose the
wrongdoing of any great corporation. VI
course any violence, brutality or cOrrup-
ton should not for one moment be toll
Grated.
Wage-workers have an entire right to
organize and by all peaceful and honora-
BILE means to endeavOr to persuade their
fellows to join with them in orga niza-
lions. They have a legal right, which,
according to circumstances, may or may
not be a moral right, to refuse to work
in company with men who decline to join
their organizations. They have under
no circumstances the right to commit VIC
lence upon those. whether capitalists or
wage-workers, who refuse to support
their organizations, or who side with
those with whom they are at odds; for
mob rule is intolerable in any form.
Prevention of Railroad Accidents.
The ever-increasing casualty list upon
our railroads is a matter of grave public
nd action
the Congress. Many of our leading roads
have been foremost in the adoption of
the most approved safeguards for the
protection of travellers and employees, yet
the list of clearly avoidable accidents
continues unduly large. l would point
out to the Congress the urgent need of
legislation in the interest of the public
safety limiting the hours of labor for
railroad employees in train service upon
railroads engaged in interstate commerce,
and providing that only trained and ex-
perienced persons be employed in posi-
tons of responsibility connected with
the operation of trains. OF course moth
ing can ever prevent accidents caused by
human weakness or misconduct; and
there should be drastic punishment for
any railroad emplOye, whether officer or
man, who by issuance of wrong orders
or by disobedience of orders causes dis
aster.
The Bureau of Labor.
Much can be done 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.
shall shortly lay before you in special
message the full report of the investi-
CATION of the Bureau o. Labor into the
Colorado mining strike, as this is a strike
in, NH foi NH icb
are more or less at work everywhere un-
der the conditions of modern Industrial
ism, became startlingly prominent.
Dealing with 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 in
terstate commerce, and interstate com
merce is peculiarly the field of the gen
eral government. 1t is an absurdity tc
expect to eliminate the abuses in great
corporations by State action. The ma
quately with these great corporations
The American people need to continue
to 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 hal
and without hurry, in eliminating or a
least in minimizing whatever of mischie
or of evil there is to interstate commerce
| In the conduct of great corporations
They are acting in no spirit of hostilit,
to wealth, either individual or corporate
They are not against the rich man an.
more than against the poor man. On tn,
contrary, they are friendly alike towart
rich man and toward poor man, provide,
| only that each acts in a spirit of justice
and decency toward his fellows.