The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-12-09
RAILROADS, NOT
TARIFF, THE ISSUE
President Does Not Ailude to
the Tariff in Message to
Congress.
SAYS REBATES MUST STOP
Considers This the Most Important
Question Before the Legislators
Demands law to Help
Commission.
SAYS REBATES MUST STOP

Washington. Dec. 1.-THE presidents
mess.lre follows:
To tiic Senate and House of Represent
tallNes; inc nation continues to en-
JOY noteworthy prosperity, but album
dant reVenues and a large surplus al
ways HtV1te extravaganza. and constant
care Should be taken to guard against
unnecessary increase of expenses OF
government. The cost of doing govern
ment business should be regulated with
the s',ute scrutiny as a private bust
Hess.
In The 'mechanism of our modern
civilized life the dominant note is i'm
dustrialiS,n: and the relations of or
gained capital and labor come second
In Importance only to family life. our
peculiaf form of government. With its
ShaiIp Givision of authority between ma
tioil and states. has been more advan-
taseous 10 our development than a
more strongly centralized government.
l;u, ii is undoubtedly responsible for
inu"h diiiiculty of meeting with legis-
iation problems presented by the
char2c in Industrial conditions the las;
half century. IT has proved difficult
To get unanimity among the states. es-
pectalIy in laws affecting capital in
tlugC masses.
The Labor Problem.
Wita regard to labor the problem is
simpler. AS long as the states retain
the PRIMARY control of the police pow
er the circumstances must be altogether
eNtreine which require interference by
the federal authorities. whether in the
way OF safeguarding the lights of la
bor or m the way of seeing that wrong
Is not done by unruly persons who
shield themselves behind the name OF
labor. But though such Interference
may be caused by a condition connected
With some question of labor. The inter-
ferelic" simply takes the form of re-
storing order. In the District of Co
luinhli and in the territories the federal
laws covers the entire field of govern
1neilt. n Federal government should
set an example for the states in II mat
ter SO vital as this. ! believe it is
ofleu necessary and wise that there
be organization of labor. All en-
couragement should be given to such
Organization, so long as conducted with
regard for rights of others. There are
unions which have h~abitually.
ana other labor union which have of
ten. been among the most effective
agents working for good citizenship.
Sut When any b union seeks i'm
prorer ends, or seeks to achieve proper
ends ny improper means, all good citi-
Hehs ard honorable public servants
must oppose the w%rongdoing. Violence,
DrutIIity or corruption should not be
tolerated. Wage workers have an en-
tire right to organize. and to refuse
to Work with men who decline to join
their organizations. They have no right
to commit violence upon those who re-
fuse 10 support their organizations.
Employers Liability Law.
The wage workers are peculiarly en-
tilted to protection of the law. Rail
road men, for instance, the liable to
be manned unless the companies are re-
quired to make provision for their safe
". h existing law should be amend
ed and strengthened. There should be
a st.insent employers liability law,
which should apply to the government
itself us it is an employer of labor.
In my message to the f~ifty-seventh
congress urged an employers liability
law for the District of Columbia. ] now
renew that, M further recommend
a commission to make comprehensive
study of employers liability With the
view OF extending the provisions.
The government bestows medals of
honor upon persons who endanger their
lives in SAYING lives from the perils of
the sea. This recognition shoul be ex-
tended 10 cases of self-sacriice in saw
ing life in private employments, and
particularly in the land of
the nation.
Railroad Casualties.
-'LF 'h','' sts'A - llNl dIoll iII-
roads calls for action. In the matter
OF speed and comfort our railroads give
as good service as others, but service
should also be as safe as human in
SenuitE can make it. The list of un-
Noidahle accidents is unduly large. A
law requiring a block signal system
mas been proposed II l concur in that
recommendation. and would point out
the need Of limiting the hours of labor
for railroad employees and providing
thai only traine persons be employed.
There should be drastic punishment for
any who by issuance of wrong or
ders, of by disobedience, causes dis
astel. The law Of 1901, requiring rail-
roads to report accidents. should also
empower the government to make in
v~estisation of accidents.
The Government and Unions.
There is no objection to employees of
the government belonging to unions,
but The government can neither dis
criminate for nor against %non-union
men. Moreover, 1t Is a very grave i'm
propriety for government employees to
band together for extorting Improperly
high salaries. The letter carriers are
excellent public servants. They should
be amply paid. but their payment must
be obtained honorably before congress-,
not by banding together to defeat on
SressmeD who refuse to give promises.
-hhSii Npii DS ollC III cDo l - l
by publicity. l shall shortly lay before
you the report of the Investigation of
the bureau of labor into the Colorado
mining strike, in which certain evil
forces. which are at work everywhere
under modern industrialism. became
startlingly prominent. 1t is greatly TO
be wished that the department of COM
mcrce and labor should compile a list
of labor laws of the states, and be Civ
en- the means to investigate labor condi-
tons. as to wages, hours of labor. ia
Dor of women and children. and immi-
grafton. Especial attention should be
paid 10 child abor.
Corporation Regulation.
When we come to corporations, the
need for the government to act direct
~ is far greater thar in the case OF
LABOR, because great corporations en-
gage in interstate peculiar
ly the field of the general government.
1t is absurd to expect to eliminate
these abuses by state action. 1t is diff
ficuit to be patient with AN argument
that such matters should be left to the
states, because more than one state
creates corporations which never op-
crate WITHIN that state. The national
government alone can deal with these, |