Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-12-09
PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE
Text of Paper Delivered to!
58th Congress.
CAUTIONS AGAINST EXTRAYAGANCE
Irrigation, Forests, Public Lands, Alaska
and Our Island Possessions Re-
ceiye Due Conside alton.
The following is the text of the mes
sage of Pres ident Ro, sevelt to the 5Sth

6dRe VI IcSlOChb 1lON cOfSAe w S1-0
congress:
To the Senate and House of Representatives;
The Nation continues to enjoy note"ortns
prosperity. Such prosperity Is, OF course. y. nf
marily due to the high Individual average "a
our citizenship, taken together with our BIZ.
natural resources but an important iacto.
governmental policies. The people nave en-
phatically expressed their approval OF tne pm
ciples underlying these policies ana lne
desire that these principles be Kept suosiaai Ia,
TALLY unchanged. although. of course, appiiso
in a progressive spirit to meet changing COLI
ditions.
The enlargement of scope of the functions
of the National Government required oy our
development as a nation involves, Oh eouo, rroe,
increase of expense; and the period OIL pros
perity through which the country Is passing
justifes expenditures for permanent imp.1re rove
ments far greater than
<.., a,.t would be wise in
SauAoa As0"ss hard times. Battle |
Extravagance. ships and FORTS public
buildings and improved
waterways investments which shoulo oe
made when we have the money; but aounuaht
revenues and a large surplus always invite
extravagance, and constant care should be
taken to guard against unnecessary increase t VI |
the ordinary expenses of government ~ ne go, COS
of doing Government business should De resu-
lated with the same rigid scrutiny as the cost
of doing private business. -.
In the and complicated mechanism OF
our modern civilized life, the dominant note
is the note of ndustrialism; and the relations
of capital and labor,
CanitaI and Labor and especially of or
ganzed capital and or
xanized labor to each other and to the public
at large come second in Importance only to
the intimate questions of family life. our
peculiar form of government. with lts ehai p
division of authority between the Nation ano
the several states, has been on the wnole
far advantageous to our deVelopfnehl
than a strongly centralized govern
ment. But it is undoubtedly responsible 5or
much of the difficulty of meeting with ade-
quate legislation the new problems presented
by the total change in industrial condltlons
on this continent during the last half CEN
tlrv n
ceedingly difficult. and In many cases I'M
possible. to get unanimity of wise ACTON
among the various states on these supJects.
From the very nature of the case this Is
especially true of the laws affecting the
employment of capital in huge masses
With regard to labor, the problem is no
less important but it is simpler. AS long
as the states retain the primary control of
the police power, the circumstances must De
altogether extreme which require interfer-
ence by the Federal authorities. whether In
the way Of safeguarding the rights of labor
or in the way of seeing that wrong is not
done by unruIy persons who shield them
selves behind the name of labor II there
Is resistance to the Federal courts. interfer-
ence with the mails interstate commerce,
or molestation of Federal property, or II
the state authorities in some crisis Wh1ch
they are unable to face call for help. then
the Federal Government may interfere; but
though such interference may be caused
by a condition of things arising out OF trou-
BILE connected with some question OF labor
the interference itself simply takes the form
of restoring order without regard to the
questions which have caused the oreacn OF
orrder-for to keep order Is a primary 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 ana IN tne
erritories, the Federal law covers the entire
field of government: but the labor question
Is only acute in populous centers of com
merce manufactures, or mining: Nevertne-
less, both in the enactment ana IN the en-
forcement of law the Federal Government
within its restricted sphere should set an
example to the state governments, especially
in a matter vital as this affecting LABOR
believe that under modern industrlal CON
ditfons it Is often necessary, and even where
not necessary 1t is yet often wise, that there
should he organization of labor In oroer
better to secure the rights of the indiVidual
wage-worker. All encouragement should oe
given to any such organization, so long as
1t Is conducted with due and decent regard
for the rights of others. There are IN tnis
81 country some labor unions which have habit
ually and other labor unions which nave
often. been among the most efectiye e agemes mt,
lifting the condition of those whose welfare
should be closest 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 especially all hon
orable public servants, must oppose the
wrongdong resolutely as they would op-
pose the wrongdoing of any great corpora
tion. A..
Government forming belonging to unions
hut the Government neither discrlm-
mate for nor discriminate against nonunior
men VINO are III llS eihpioS
seek to be employed under it. Moreover, II
Is very grave impropriety for Government
employees to band themselves tosether 1o'
the purpose of eXtorting Improperly hlgh sal
aries from the Government. Especially Il
this true of those within the classihed serV
ice The letter-carriers. both municlpai am
rural are as a whole an excellent body o
public servants. They should be amply paid
But their payment must be obtained by ar
guing their claim
r,, fairly and honorabl!
before the Congress
Employees. together for the de
eressmen who refuse to give promises whic
they cannot in conscience give. The ADMIN
&stratton has already taken steps to preren
and punish abuses of this nature; but 1t WI
be wise for the Congress to supplement thi
action by legislation.
When we come to deal with great corpo
rations, the need for the Government to &C
directly is far greater than in the case
labor. because great corporations can oecom
such only by engaging in interstate com
merce, and interstat
Corporations. commerce is peculiar
" the field of TIL
ceneral Government 1t is an absurdity t
expect to eliminate the abuses In great col
porations by state action 1t Is difficult
he pa,ient with an argument that such mat
ters should be left to the states. becaus
more than one state pursues the policy
crsatiny ON easy terms corporations whic
ar. never operated within that state at al
but in other states whose laws they ignor
The National Government alone can deal ae
eQuately with THESE great corpordtiohs-
try to deal with them in intemperat
destructive. demagogic spirit would, in a
probability. mean that nothing whateNs
would be accomplished. and, with absolu'
certainty. that II anything were accompishe
1T would be of harmful nature. The Ame
lean people need to continue to show II
very qualities that they have shown-ths
is moderation, good sense. the earnest d'
sire TO avoid doing any damage, and yet II
quiet determination to proceed step by ste
without halt and without hurry. in elimfna
ing at least in minimizing whatever
mischief OF evil there is to interstate con
merce in the conduct of great corporation
They are acting in spirit OF hostility
wealth. either individual or corporate. The
are not against the rich man any more this
against the poor man. On the contrar
they are friendly alike toward rich man az
toward poor man. provided only that eaS
acts in a spirit of justice and decency towal
his fellows. Great corporations are nece
sary and only men of great and singul
mental power can manage such corporation
successfully and such men must have gre
rewards But these corporations should
managed with due regard TO the interest