Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1904-12-09
To the Senate and House of Representa-

tives:
The nation continues to enjoy note
worthy prosperity Such prosperity -
Of course primarily due to the high In
diyidual average of our citizenship, taken
together with our great natural re-
Sources: but an important factor therein
Ia the working of our long-contmued
governmental policies. The enlargement
of scope of the functions OF the ilallohai
government required by our development
as a nation involves, of course, increase
of expenses: and the period of prosperity
through which the country IS passing JUS
titles expenditures for permanent I'M
Droyements far greater than would be
wise in hard times. Battleshlps ana
forts, public buildings and improved wat,
erWays are investments which Shouid
ma made when we have the money; but
abundant revenues and 4 large surplus
always invite extravaganza, and constant
care should be taken to guard against
unnecessary increase of the ordinary eX-
Denses of government.
CAPITAL and Labor.
In the vast and complicated mechan-
Ism of our modern civilized ilfe the uonl-
nant note is the note of induStrlallsm
and the relations of capital and labor;
and especially Of organized capital ana
organized labor, to each other and to the
public at large come second III lmpof-
lance only to the intimate questions Oh
family life Our peculiar form OF gov
eminent, with its sharp division OF au-
thOrity between the nation and the sew
eral States, has been on the whole Tar
more advanta @eouS to our development
than q more strongly centralized govern
ment, But it is undoubtedly responsible
for much of the difficulty of meeting with
adequate legislation the new problems
presented 10y the total change III indus
trial conditions on this continent during
Abe last half-century. In actual practlce
If has proved exceedingly difficult, ana
in many cases impossible, to get uhanlu
ity of wise action among the various
States on these subjects. From the very
nature of the case this is especially true
of the laws affecting the employment OF
raDital in huge masses. AS long as the
States retain the primary control OF the
police power the circumstances must De
altogether extreme which require inter
ference by the federal authorities, Wheth-
or in the way of safeguarding the rights
of labor or in the way OF seeing that
wrong is not done by unruly persons VINO
shield themselves behind the name OF Ia
hor If there is resistance to the tedeFal
courts, interference with the mails, OF
interstate commerce. or mOlestatlon OF
federal property. or ii the State authof-
tiles in some crisis which they are un-
able to face call for help then the fed
interference itself simply takes the form
of restoring order without regard to the
questions which have caused the breach
Of order. | believe that under modern
industrial conditions it IS often neces-
gary, and even where not necessary IL is
yet often wise. that there should be or
ganization 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
AS it is conducted with due and decent
regard for the rights of others. But
when any labor union seeks improper
ends. or seeks to achieve proper ends by
Improper means, all good citizens and
more especially all honorable public ser
wants must oppose the Wrongdoing as
resolutely as they would oppose the
wrongdoing of any great corporation. Or
course any violence. brutality or corrup-
lion should not for one moment be toll
Grated.
Wage-workers have an entire right to
organize and by all peaceful and honOra-
BILE means to endeavor to persuade their
fellows to join with them in organiza
tions. They have Il legal right, which,
according to circumstances, may or may
not be Il 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-
fence upon those. whether capitalists OF
Wage-workerS. who refuse to support
their organiza tons, or who side with
those with whom they are at odds; for
mob rule is intolcrable in any form.
Prevention of Railroad Accidents.
The ever-increasing casualty list upon
our railroads is Il matter of grave public
concern, and urgently calls for action by
the Congress. Many of our leading roads
have been foremost i'll the adoption of
the most approved safeguards for the
protection of travellers and employees, yet
the list of clearly avoidabe accidents
continues unduly large. | would point
out to the Congress the urgent need of
legislation i'll the interest Of the public
safety limiting the hours of labor for
railroad employees in train service upon
railroads engaged i'll Interstate commerce,
and providing that only trained anu eX-
perienced persons be employed in posi-
tiOnS of responsibility connected with
she operation of trains. OF course moth
ing can ever prevent accidents caused by
human weakness or misconduct; and
there should be drastic punishment for
any railroad employee, whether officer or
man, who by issuance of wrong orders
or by disobedience of orders causes dis
aSter.
The Bureau of Labor.
Much can be done by the government
an labor matters merely by giving pub
hclty to certain conditions. The Bureau
OF Labor has done excellent work of this
kind in many different directions. |
shall shortly lay before YOU in n special
message the full report of the investi-
cation of the Bureau o. Labor into the
Colorado mining strike. as this is a strike
IN which certain very evil forces. which
are more or less at work everywhere I'M
aer the conditions of modern Industrial
Sm, became startingly prominent
Dealing with Corporations,
When we come to deal with great cor
Rorations the need for the government
10 act directly is far greater than in tbe
ease of labor because great corporations
San become such only by engaging in in
aeTstate commerce. and interstate COM
merce Is peculiarly the field of the gen
fral government. 1t is an absurditv to
expect to eliminate the abuses in CROFT
corporations by State action. The ma
slonal government alone can deal ade-
nnatpiy With thASn