The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1904-12-09

President Roosevelts message to
Congress, read at the opening of the
short session of that body. deals vol.
uminously with questions of state.
The subject of tariff revision is left
for a further communication. Sub
stantially the message is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives:
The nation continues to enjoy note
worthy prosperity. Such prosperity Is Of
course primarily due to the high individ-
ual average of our citizenship, taken to-
Gether with our great natural resources;
but an important factor therein is the
working of our long continued govern
mental policies. The people have en-
phatically expressed their approval Of the
principles underlying these policies. and
their desire that these principles be kept
substantially unchanged. although of
course applied in a progressive spirit 10
meet changing conditions.
cautoa Against Extravagance.
The enlargement of scope of the func-
tions of the national government re-
quired by our development nation
involves. of course. increase of expense:
and the period of prosperity through
which the country is passing justifies
penditures fo- permanent improvements
far greater than would be wise in hard
times. Battle ships and forts. public
buildings. and improved waterways are
Investments which should be made when
we have the money: but abundant rev
enues and a large surplus always invite
extravaganza, and constant care should
be taken to guard against unnecessary
increase of the ordinary expenses of gov
trnment.
Capital and Labor.
In the vast and complicated mechanism
of our modern civilized life the dominant
note is the note of industrialism; and the
relations of capital and labor. and espe-
clally of organized capital and organized
labor. to each other and to the public Mt
large come second in Importance only to
the intimate questions of family life.
AS long as the states retain the prim
AIRY control of the police power the cir
cuntstances must be altogether extreme
which require interference by the federal
authorities. whether in the way of safe
guarding the rights of labor or in the
way OF seeing that wrong is not done by
unruly persons who shield themselves be-
hind the name of labor. II there is re-
sistance to the federal courts. interfer-
ence with the mails, or interstate com
merce. or molestation of federal property.
or IL the state authorities in some crisis
which they are unable to face call for
help. then the federal government may
interfere; but though such Interference
may be caused by condition of things
arising out of trouble 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 breach of order
for to keep order is primary duty and
in time of disorder and violence all 9TH
er questions sink into abeyance until
der has been restored. In the District
of Columbia and in the territories the
federal law covers the entire field of gov
ernment; but the labor question is only
acute in populous centers of commerce.
ms NJ mining halp
both in the enactment and in the en-
forcement of law the federal government
within its restricted sphere should set an
example to the state governments, espe
cially in matter vital this affect
ing labor. l believe that under modern
industrial conditions 1t Is often necessary.
and even where not necessary. 1t is yet
often wise. that there should be organ
ization 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 it is
Quoted with n due and decent regard for
the rights OF Others There in this
country some labor unions which have
habitually, and other labor unions which
have often. been among the most effec-
tive agents in working for good citizen
ship and for uplifting the condition of
those whose welfare should be closest to
our hearts But when any labor union
seeks improper ends. seeks to achieve
proper tfluS Dy Improper IltHnS' an pupu
citizens and more especially all honorable
public servants must oppose the wrong
doing resoutely as they would oppose
the wrongdoing of any great corporation.
OF course ar" violence. brutality, or cor
Iuption. should not for moment be
tolerated. wage-workers have an entire
right to organize and by all peaceful and
honorable means to endeavor to persuade
their fellows to join with them in organ
iZations They have legal right, which,
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 to commit vio-
lence upon those, whether capitalists or
wage-workers, who refuse to support
their organizations, who side with
those with whom they are at odds; for
mob rule is intolerable in any form.
The amendment and Strengthening
of the employers liability law is rec
commended. and the passage of law
requiring the adoption of a block sig.
nal system, to prevent railroad acci'
dents urged.
Unions of Government Employees.
The message continues:
There is no objection to employees of
the government forming belonging TO
unions: but the government can neither
discriminate for nor discriminate against
non union men VINO are III ltS employ
ment. or who seek to be employed under
1t. Moreover. 1t is n very grave impro-
priety for government employees to band
themselves together for the purpose of
.extorting improperly high salaries from
the government. Especially is this true
of those within the classified service. The
letter carriers. both municipal and rural
are as n whole an excellent body of pub
lie servants. They should be amply paid
But their payment must be obtained by
arguing their claims fairly and honorably
before the Congress. and not by banding
together for the defeat of those congress-
men who refuse to give promises which
they can not in conscience give. The
Administration has already taken steps
to prevent and punish abuses Of this ma
ture; but it vii! be wise for the Congress
to supplement this action by legislation.
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 differer; directions. l shall