Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-12-14
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

Washington, d. c., Dec 6.-President
Roosevelt delivered his annual message
to both houses of Congress today. He
said in part:
To the Senate and House OF Representa-
lives:
The nation continues to enjoy noteworthy
prosperity. Such prosperity is OF course
primarily due to the high individual aver
age OF our citizenship, taken together with
our great natural resources; but an 1mpor'
tant factor therein is the working OF our
long-continued governmental policies. Tne
people have emphatically expressed their
approval of the principles underlying these
policies, and their desire that these prin
clpleS be kept substantially unchanged, al
though of course applied in a progressive
spirit to meet changing conditions
CAUTION AGAINST EXTRAVAGANZA.
The enlargement of scope OF the functions
Oh the national government required by our
development as nation involves, of course,
increase Of expense; and the period of pros
perlty through which the country is passing
Justlfies expenditures for permanent Inn
provements 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 revenues
and large surplus always invite extrava-
gance, and constant care should be taken
10 guard against unnecessary increase OF
cost Of doing government business should
be regulated with the same rigid scrutiny
as the cost of doing private business.
CAPITAL AND LABOR.
In the vast and complicated mechanism of
our modern civilized life the dominant note
is the note OF industrlalism; and the relations
of capital and labor, and especially of or
ganized capital and organized labor to each
other and to the public at large come sec
ond In Importance only to the intimate
questions of family life. Our peculiar form
of government, with its sharp division of
authority between the nation and the sew
hQ hnar tho 1l01n fov. oNro
advantageous to our development than
more strongly centralized government. But
It is ,9 undoubtedly responsible for much Of
the difficulty Of meeting with adequate
legislation the new problems presented by
the total change In industrial conditions on
TINS seta curing the last half century
difficult, and in many cases impossible, to
get unanimity of wise action among the
very nature of the case this is especially
true Of the laws affecting the employment
of capital in huge masses.
With regard to labor the problem Is no
less important, but 1t Is simpler. AS long
as the states retain the primary control Of
the police. power the circumstances must
ference by the. federal authorities, whether
In the way Of safeguarding the rights of
4abor or IN the way of seeing that wrong IS
themselves behind the name of labor. If
there is resistance to the federal courts, In
reference with the mails, or interstate
OF mOleSCaClOn OF FEDERAL prop
erty, or If 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 a condition OF things arising
out of trouble connected with some question
OF labor, the interference itself simply takes
to the questions which have caused the
breach of order-for to keep order Is pri-
mary duty and in a time of disorder and
violence all other questions sink into abey-
order ST Tn r no
District of Columbia and in the territories
the federal law covers the entire field of
government; but. the labor question is only
acute IN populous centers of commerce,
manufactures, or mining. Nevertheless
both in the enactment and in the enforce
ment of law the federal government within
Its restricted sphere should set an example
to the state governments, especially in a
matter so vital as this affecting labor.
believe that under modern Industrial condi-
tions it is often necessary. and even where
not necessary 1t Is yet often wise, that
there should be organization Of labor In or
Ger better to secure the rights of the In
dlyldual wage-worker. All encouragement
should be given to any such organization,
So long as it is conducted with a due and
There are in this country some labor unions
which have habitualy, and other labor
unions which have often. been among the
most effective agents in working for good
citizenship and for uplifting the condition
of those whose welfare should be closest
TO our hearts. But when any labor union
proper ends by improper means, all good
cltlzens and more especially all honorable
public servants must oppose the wrong
doing as resolutely as they would oppose
the Wrongdoing Of anv great corporation
or course any violence, brutality, or cor
ruption, should not for one 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 organiza-
tions. They have a legal right, which, ac-
cordlng to circumstances, may or may not
be moral right, to refuse to work In com
pany with men who decline to join their
organizations. They have under cir
cumstances the right to commit violence
upon those, whether capitalists or wage
workers tf who refuse n to support their or
whom they are at odds; for mob rule is in
tolerable in any form.
BUREAU OF LABOR.
Much can be done by the government in
labor matters merely by giving publicity
has done excellent work of this kind in
many different directions. 1 shall shortly
lay before you in special message the full
report Of the investigation 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
everywhere under the conditions of modern
dndustrialism, became startlingly prominent
1t is greatly to be wished that the depart
labor bureau, should compile and arrange
for the Congress list of the labor laws of
the various states, and ShOIld be given
the means to investigate and report to the
Congress upon the labor conditions in the
manufacturing and mining regions through
out the country both as to wages, as to
hours of labor, as to the labor of women
and children, and as to the effect in the
yaious labor centers of immigration from
abroad. In this investigation especial at
tentlon should be paid to the conditions of
child labor and child labor legislation in
the several states. Such an Investigation
must necessarily take into account many
of the problems with which this question Of
child labor is connected. These problems
can be actually met, in most cases, only by
the states themselves; but the lack of
proper legislation in state in such q
matter as child labor often renders 1t ex-
cessively difficult to establish protective re-
Strictions upon the work in another state
having the same industries so that the
worst tends to drag down the better. For
this reason, 1t would be well for the nation
at least to endeavor to secure comprehen-
sive information as to the conditions of
labor of children In the different states
Such investigation and publication by the
national government would tend toward the