The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-07

8d1iA4ilStoht 0cCSAlboI Vi lAI dillId
 message of President Roosevelt wa
 transmitted to congress today and thu
 document is as follows:
 To the Senate and House of Representa-
 lives:
 The nation continues to enjoy note
 worthy prosperity. Such prosperity is o
 course primarily due to the high individ
 ual average of our citizenship. taken to- gether with our great natural resources
 but an important factor therein is the working of our long-continued govern mental policies. The people have em- phatically expressed their approval of the principles underlying these policies, and their desire that these principles be kept substantially unchanged, although of course applied in a progressive spirit to meet changing conditions.
 CAUTION AGAINST
 ExTRAVAGANCE
 The enlargement of seopo of tho func- tions of the national government requir- ed by our development as a nation in- wolves, of course, increase of expense and the period of prosperity through which the country Is passing justifies ex. penditures for permanent improvements far greater than would be wise in hard times. Battle ships and forts, public
 
 Investments which should be made when we have the money; but abund- ant revenues and a large surplus always invite eXtravagance, and constant care should be taken to guard against un- necessary increase of the ordinary ex- penses of government. The cost of doing government business should be with the same rigid scrutiny is the cost of doing a private business.
  CAPITAL AND LABOR.
 In the vast and complicated mechanism of our modern civilized life the domi- nant note is the note of industrialism; and the relations of capital and labor, md especially of organized capital and organized labor to each other and to the public at large come second in impor- tance only to the intimate questions of family life Our peculiar form Of gov ernment with it's sharp division of au- thority between the nation and the sev- eral states has been on the whole far more advantageous to our development than a more strongly centralized govern ment. But it is undoubtedly responsible for much of the difficulty of meeting with adequate Legislation the new prob sems presented by the total change in Industrial conditions on this continent during the last half century. In actual practice it has proved exceedingly diff cult, and in many cases impossible to get unanimity of wise action among the various states on these subjects. From the very nature of the case this Is espe- cially true of the laws affecting the em- ployment of capital in huge masses.
 With regard to labor the problem is no less important. but 1t Is simpler. As long BIS the states retain the primary control of the police power the circumstances must be altogether extreme which re- nuire interference by the federal author bties. whether in the way of safeguard fng the rights of labor or in the way of seeing that wrong Is not done by un- Fuly persons who shield themselves be- hind the name of labor. If there is re- eistance to the federal courts, interfer- ence with the mails, or interstate com merce, or molestation of federal property, or 1T 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 condition of things arising out of trouble connected with some question of labor, the interference itself simply takes the form of restoring order without regard to the questions which have caused the breach of order Tor 10 Keep order is primary duty and fin time of disorder and violence all CNAtNA 1HNStiVIo Siiih lllO dDeNance nnt1l order has been restored. In the District of Columbia and in the territories the Federal law covers the entire field of gov ernment; bst 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 nsnpCial11 n affecting labor believe that under modern industrial conditions it is often 1 necessary and even where not necessary i nt IS yet often wise, that there should be i organization of labor in order to better | secure the rights of the individual wage | worker. All encouragement should he | given to any such organization, so long | HIS IL IS conducted with due and decent i regard for the rights of others There | are in this country some labor unions | which have habitually, and other lahor | unions which have often been amonp tha | most effective agents in working for good | citizenship and for uplifting the condi- | lion of those whose welfare shou1d ba | closest to our hearts. But when any h. Dor union seeks improper ends or see,,a 10 acnieVe proper ends by improper means, all good citizens and more esne. cially all honorable public servants rnust oppose the wrongdoing as resolutelv as | they would oppose the wrongdolng of any great corporation. Of course any vio- fence, brutality, or corruption, should ! not for one moment be tolerated. Wnqc workers have an entire right to organlze | and by all peaceful and honorable means 10 endeavor to persuade their fellows to join with them in organizations. They have a legal right, which. according to circumstances, may or may not be a moral right tO refuse fo work iy, oor, pany With men who decline to join their organizations. They have under no cir cumstances the right to commit violence upon those, whotlcr capitalists or wage workers. who refuse to support their organizations, or who side with those with whom they are at odds; for mob rule is intoerable in any form
 EMPLOYERS LIABILITY LAW.
 The wage workers are peculiarly enti- tied to the protection and the encourage ment of the law. From the very nature of their occupation railroad men. for in- stance, are liable to be maimed in doing | the legitimate work of their profession. | unless the railroad companies are re- | quired by law to make ample provision | Tor their safety. The administration has 1 been zealous in enforcing the existing | law for this purpose That law should | be amended and strengthened Wherever | the national government has power there | should be stringent employers liability law which should apply to the govern |