The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-12-08
his SUGGESTIONS ON LEGISLATION
she President Makes Strong Recon-.
mendations Concerning Capital and
Labor, Foreign Affairs, Army and
Navy, Commerce and Other Subjects
That Will Come Before Congress.

That VIII Come Before Congress.
FOLLOWING is the substance of the an.
nual message Of President Roosevelt
read in both Houses of Congress:
no the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives:
Ihe Nation continues to enjoy note
worthy prosperity. Such prosperity is
OF course primarily due to the high in
divldual average of our citizenship.
taken together with our great natural
resources; but an important factor
therein is the working of our long
continued governmental policies. The
people have emphatically expressed
their approval Of the principles under
lying these policies, and their desire
taat these principles be kept substan-
TALLY unchanged, although of course
applied In progressive spirit to meet
changing conditions
CAUTION AGAINST ExTRAvA-
CANOE.
The enlargement of scope of the
functions Of the National Government
required by our development as a ma
uon involves, of course, increase Of
expense; and the period of prosperity
anrough which the country is passing
JuStlnes expenditures for permanent
anproVementments far greater than
would be wise in hard times. Battle
SnlpS and forts, public buildings, and
improved waterways are investments
which should be made when we have
Inc money; but abundant revenues and
a large surplus always invite extrava-
gance, and constant care should be
taken to guard against unnecessary in
crease OF the ordinary expenses of gov
eminent. The cost of doing Government
business should be regulated with the
same rigid scrutiny as the cost Of
doing private business.
CAPITAL AND LABOR.
IN the vast and complicated mechan-
Ism OF our modern civilized life the
dominant note is the note of Industrial
ISM; and the relations of capital and
labor, and especially of organized CAPT.
TAI and organized labor, to each other
and to the public at large come second
III Importance only to the intimate
questions of family life. Our peculiar
form OF government, with it's sharp
division of authority between the Ma
ZION and the several States, has been
cil the whole far more advantageous to
our development than more strongly
centralized government But it is I'M
Coubtedly responsible for much of the
difficulty of meeting with adequate
legislation the new problems presented
by the total change in industrial condi-
tons on this continent during the last
half century. In actuai practice it has
proved exceedingly difficult, and in
many cases impossible, to get unanimity
OF wise action among the various States
cn these subjects. From the very nature
OF the case this is especially true of the
laws affecting the employment Of CAPT.
tai in huge masses.
With regard to labor the problem is
no less important, but it is simpler.
As long as the States retain the pri-
mary control Of the police power the
circumstances must be altogether ex-
treme which require interference by
the Federal authorities, whether in the
Eay of safeguarding the rights of
labor or in the way of seeing that
wrong is not done by unruly persons
who shield themselves behind the name
OF labor If there is resistance to the
Federal courts, interference with the
station of Federal property, or if the
Slate authorities in some crisis which
they are unable to face call for help,
then the Federal Government may in
ferfere; but though such interference
may be caused by a condition of things
arising out of trouble connected with
Scme question of labor, the interior
ence itself simply takes the form of
net OWN o~1n rryith vi - kh1
questions which have caused the breach
OF order-for to keep order is pri-
mary duty and in a time of disorder
and violence all other questions sink
into allegiance until order has been
restored. In the District of Columbia
and in the Territories the Federal law
covers the entire field of government;
out the labor question is only acute in
popular centers Of commerce, manufac-
lures, or mining. Nevertheless, both in
the enactment and in the enforcement
OF law the Federal Government within
its restricted sphere should set an ex-
ample to the STATE governments, es-
pecially in a matter so vital as this
affecting labor l believe that under
modern Industrial conditions it is often
necessary, and even where not neces-
2iiFy 1t Is yet OlCeu wise, LnaC Lnefo
should be organization of labor in
order better to secure the rights of the
individual wage-worker. All encourage
rnent should be given to any such Or
ganiZation, SO long as it is conducted
with due and decent regard for the
rights of others. There are in this cOun-
ary some labor unions which have ha-
bitually, and other labor unions which
have often, been among the most effec-
tive agents in working for good citi-
zenship and for uplifting the condition
of those whose welfare should be clos
est to our hearts. But when any labor
union seeks improper ends, or seeks to
achieve proper ends by improper
means, all good citizens and more esq
pecially all honorable public servants
1aEst oppose the wrondoing as resolute-
iy as they would oppose the wrong
doing Of any great corporation. OF
course any violence, brutality, or cor
rIption, should not for one moment be
tolerated. Wage-workers have an en-
tire right to organize and by all peace
full and honorable means to endeavor