Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-08

Washington, D. c., Dec. 6.-The
message of President Roosevelt to the
short session of the Fifty-eighth con-
gross was read before the two houses
Of that body today soon otter the SEES
sion began. Nearly every member
was in his seat and much interest was
taken in the lengthy document 1t is
a comprehensive statement of facts
and conditions as they exist and ad-
vice which has for its object the con-
tinuation OF the prosperous conditions
which began with the Inauguration of
Mckinley and have continued under
republican administration to the pres
Aent time.
The Presidents Message. Il
President Roosevelt's message in
full is as follows:
10 the Senate and House Of Repre-.
~ sentatiyes:
The nation continues to enjoy note
4 worthy prosperity. Such prosperity is
of course primarily due to the high in
dividual average Of our citizenship,
taken together with our great natural
Resources, but an important factor
therein is the working of our long con-.
tnued governmental policies. The peo-
pie have emphatically expressed their
approval Of, the principles underlying
these policies and their desire that
these. principles be. kept substantially
unchanged, although, of course applied
III a progressive spirit to meet chang
j Ing conditions.
Caution Against Extravaganza.
The enlargement of scope of the
functions Of the national government
required by our development as ma
ton involves, of course, increase of ex-
pense, and the period Of prosperity
through which the country is passing
: justifies expenditures for, permanent
improvements far. greater than would
be wise in hard times. Battleships and
forts, public buildings and improved
waterways are Investments which
should be made when we have the
money, but abundant revenues and a
large surplus always invite extrava-
gance, and constant care should be
taken to guard against unnecessary in
!, crease of the ordinary expenses of gov
y eminent The cost of doing govern
ment business should be regulated
with the same rigid scrutiny as the
cost Of doing private business.
Capital and Labor.
In the vast and complicated mechan-
Ism of our modern civilized life the
dominant note is the note of Industrial
ISM and the relations of capital and
y Labor and especially of organized capt.
tai and organized 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 it's sharp iii
I vision of authority between the nation
and the several states, has been on the
whole far more advantageous to our
development than more strongly cen
tralized government. But it is I'M
doubtedly responsible for much of the
difficulty of meeting with adequate
legislation the new problems presented
by the total change in industrial con-
litions on this continent during the
las half century. In actual practice it
i, rs proved exceedingly difficult, and.in
many cases impossible, to get unanim-
ity of wise action among the various
states ON these subjects. From the
very nature of the case this is especial
~ true of the laws affecting the en-
ployment 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 pri-
mary control of the police power the
circumstances must be altogether ex.
treme which require interference by
the federal authorities, whether in the
way of safeguarding the rights of la
'spor or in the way of seeing that wrong
IS not done by unruly persons who
shield themselves behind the name Of
labor. If there is resistance to the fed
eral courts, interference with the
mails or interstate commerce or mo-
lestatlon 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 in
terfere; but, though such interference
may be caused by a condition of
things arising. out of trouble connect
4 ed with some question Of labor. tie