Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-12-06

There is no objection to employees OF
the government forming or belonging
to unions. but the government can mel
Their discriminate for nor discriminate
against nonuniOn men who are III us
employment or who seek to be emf
Moved under It. Moreover, it Is a very
grave improperly for government en-
nloyecs 10 band themselves together
for the purpose Of extOrting Improperly
high salaries from the government.
Especially is this true Of those within
tine classified service. The letter car
riers. both municipal and rural, are as
whole an excellent body OF pubic
servants. They should be amply paid.
But their payment must be obtained
by arguing their claims fairly and hon.
orably before the congress and not by
banding together for the defeat oil
those congressman who refuse TO give
promises which they cannot In con
science give. The administration mas
taken steps to prevent and punish
abuses of this nature, but 1t VIII pe
wise for the congress to supplement-
this action by legislation.
bureau of Labor.
Much can he done by the government
in labor matters merely by giving pub
Icity TO certain conditions. The bureHn
! NJ labor has done excellent work OF
this kind in many different directions.
I shall shortly lay before you IN spe-
clal message the full report of the in
vestigation of the bureau of labor into
the Colorado mining strike. as this Is
strike In which certain very evil forces
which are more or less at work every
where under the conditions of modern
iudustrialism. became startlingly prom
inent. 1t is greatly TO he wished that
the department Of commerce ana Ia
Dor. through The labor bureau. should
compile and arrange for the congress
a list OF the labor laws of the various
states and should he given the means
TO investigate and report to the con-
gress upon the labor conditions In the
manufacturing and mining regions
throughout The country both as to
wages rs to hours 81 labor, as TO
the labor of women and children and
as to the effect in the various labor
centers of immigration from abroad.
I'm this Investigation especial attention
should he paid TO the conditions OF
child labor and child labor legislation
In the several states.
Corporations.
When re come to deal with great
corporations the need for the govern
ment 10 act directly is far greater than
in the case of labor. because great cor
porations can become such only by en-
escipg in Interstate commerce. and III
terstate commerce is peculiarly the
field of the general government. lt is
an absurdity to expect t. eliminate TIE
obuses I'm great CORPORATIONS by stato
action. II is difficult 10 he patient VIII
an argument ii.ut such matters snould
be left TO Tie states. because more than
one state pursues the policy Of Great
ing on easy terms corporations winch
are never operated within that stai'
at all. but in other states whose laws
they ignore. The national government
alone can deal adequately with these
great corporations. To fry TO deal
with them in an incorporate, destfuc-
tive or delnagogic spirit would IN ali
probability mean that nothing what
ever would be accomplished, end with
absolute certainty that If anything
were accomplished it would be of
harmful nature. The American peo-
pie need to continue to show the very
qualities that they have shown-that is'
moderation, god sense, tho earnest
desire to avoid doing any damage ana
yet the quiet determination to proceed
step by step. without halt and without
hurry. In eliminating or at least In
minimizing whatever OF mischief or or
evil there is TO interstate commerce
in the conduct of great corporations.
They are acting in no spirit of hostility
TO wealth, either individual or cor
porate. They are not against the rich
man any more than against the poor
man. on the contrary, they are friend
ly alike toward rich man and toward
poor man, provided only that each acts
in a spirit of justice and decency to-
ward his fellows. Great corporations
are necessary, and only men of great
and singular mental power can man
age such corporations successfully.
and such men must have great re-
wards. But these corporations should
be managed with due regard to TIE
interest of the public as a whole.
Where this can be done under the pres
ent laws it must be done. Whc~c
these laws come short others should |
be enacted to supplement them.
Bureau of Corporations.
The bureau of corporations has mac
careful preliminary investigation
many important corporations 1t wi
make special report on the beef in
dustry.
The policy Of the bureau Is to nc
complish the purposes Of its creatio
by cooperation. not antagonism; b
making constructive legislation. no
destructive prosecution. the immediate
object OF its inquiries; by conservative
investigation of law and fact and by
refusal to issue incomplete and hence
necessarily inaccurate reports. Its pol
icy being thus one of open inquiry into
and not attack upon business. the bu-
reau has been able to gain not only the
confidence. but. better still. the COOP
Grafton. of men engaged in legitimate
business.