Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-12-20

LOT their Satety. Inc administration mas
been jealous in enforcing the existing law
for this purpose. That law should be
amended and strengthened. Wherever
the national government has power there |
should be a stringent employers liability |
law. which should apply to the govern
ment itself where the government is an |
employer of labor.
In my message to the Fifty-seventh |
congress, at its second session, l urged |
the passage of an employers liability law |
for the District of Columbia. l now re- |
new that recommendation, and further
recommend that the congress appoint a
commission to make a comprehensive
study of employers liability with the
view of extending the provisions of a
great and constitutional law to all en-
pigments within the scope of federal
power.
Medals Of Honor.
The government has recognized heroism
upon the water, and bestows medals of
honor upon those persons who by ex-
IRENE and heroic daring have endangered
their lives in saving, or endeavoring to
save, lives from the perlls of the sea in
the waters over which the United States
has jurisdiction, OF upon an American
vessel. This recognition should be ex-
tended to cover cases Of conspicuous
bravery and self-sacrifice in the saving
of life in private employments under the
Jurisdiction of the United States, and
particularly In the land commerce of the
nation.
Prevention Of Railroad Accidents.
The ever-increasing casualty list upon
our railroads is matter of grave public
concern, and urgently calls for action by
the congress. In the matter of speed and
comfort OF railway travel our railroads
give at least as good service as those Of
any other nation. and there is no reason
why this service should not also be as safe
-, S,arra
our leading roads have been foremost in
the adoption Of the most approved safe
guards for the protection Of travellers and
employees, yet the list Of clearly avoidable
| accidents continues unduly large. The
passage of law requiring the adoption of
q block signal system has been proposed
to the congress. earnestly concur in
that Recommendation, and would also point
| out to the congress the urgent need Of
legislation IN the interest Of the public
safety limiting the hours Of labor for rail-
| road employees in train service upon rail-
| roads engaged in interstate commerce and
providing that only trained and experienced
| persons be employed in positions OF re-
| spons!biltty connected with the operation
| OF trains. OF course, nothing can ever
| prevent accidents caused by human weak
ness or misconduct; and there should be
drastic punishment for any railroad EN-.
| ploye, whether officer or man, who by issu-
ance OF wrong orders or by disobedience
/ Of orders causes disaster The law Of 1901,
| requiring interstate railroads to make
| monthly reports Of all accidents to passen-
| gers and employees on duty, should also be
amended so as to empower the government
| to make personal investigation, through
proper officers, Of all accidents involving
| loss Of life which seem to require investiga-
ton, with a requirement that the results
Of such investigation be made public.
The safety appliance law as amended by
L Aha NJ nf March 1Q0S haa nr0yeA hAne.
fetal to railway employees. and in order
that its provisions may be properly carried
l out, the force OF inspectors provided for by
| appropriation should be largely increased
This service is analogous to the steamboat
inspection service, and deals with even
more important interests It has passed
| the experimental stage and demonstrated
its utility, and should receive generous
recognition by the congress.
Unions Of Government Employees.
There is no objection to employees Of the
| government forming or belonging to
unions; but the government can neither
discriminate for nor discriminate against
nonunion men who are in its employment
or who seek to be employed under it.
Moreover, 1t Is a very grave improperly
| for government employees to band them
selves together for the purpose Of extortins
| Improperly high salaries from the govern
ment. Especially is this true of those with
\ in the classified service. The letter car
riers, both municipal and rural are az
whole an excellent body of public servants.
They should be amply paid. But their pay
| ment must be obtained by arguing their
claims fairly and honorably before the
congress, and not by banding together for
the defeat Of those congressman who re-
| fuse to give promises which they cannot
| In conscience give. The administration has
| already taken steps to prevent and punish
Lbuses of this nature; but 1t will be wise
/ fopt hA To, r,1a nn$ III
| by legislation.
Corporations.
When we come to deal with great cor
| porations the need for the government to
act directly IL far greater than in the case
/ OF labor, because great corporations can
become such only by engaging in interstate
commerce, and interstate commerce 10 Pc
| culiarly the field OF the general govern.
| ment. It is an absurdity to expect to elm
mate the abuses in great corporations by
| state action. It is difficult to be patient
| with an argument that such matters should
be left to the states, because moro than
| one state pursues the policy Of creating on
easy terms corporations which are never
operated within that state at all, but in
| other states whose laws they ignore, The
| national government alone can deal AIDE.
| Quately with these great corporations To
try to deal with them in an intemperate.
destructive or demagogic spirit would, In
all probability, mean that nothing what
| ever would be accomplished, and with alb
solute certainty that II anything were ac-
complished 1t would be of harmful ma
ture. The American people need to con-
have shown-that is. moderation, good
sense, the earnest desire to avoid doing any
| damage and yet the quiet determination to
proceed, step by step. without halt ana
| without hurry, in eliminating or at least in
| minimizing whatever OF mischief or OF evil
L a c0S orra IN thAo
| duct of great corporations. They are act
ing in no spirit Of hostility to wealth, either
individual or corporate They are not
| against the rich man any more than against
the poor man. On the contrary. they are
| friendly alike toward rich man and toward
poor man. provided only that each acts
In spirit of Justice and decency toward
! his fellows. Great corporations are nscss.
sary, and only men Of great and singular
mental power can manage such corpora
lions successfully. and such men must have
great rewards. But these corporations
should be managed with due regard to the
interest Of the public as whole Where
/ this can be done under the present laws 1,
must be done. Where these laws come
short others should be enacted to supple
ment them.
Yet we must never forget the determining
factor In every kind Of work, Of head OF
hand, must be the mans own good sense
courage and kindness. More important
than any legislation is the gradual growth
Of feeling Of responsibility and forbear-
ance among capitalists and wage workers
alike; feeling OF respect on the part Of
each man for the rights Of others; feel
ing Of broad community Of interest, not
merely Of capitalists among themselves,
ana OF wage workers among themselves.
but OF capitalists and wage workers In their
relations to each other. and Of both in their
relations to their fellows who with them
make up the body polite. There are many
A1nA1ns ~ aAdYstsy, many lsban lssdsfA
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