The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-12-09
PRESIDENT MESSACE'


President Roosevelt's message has
been delivered to congress. Its main
features are as follows:
The enlargement of scope Of the
functions of the national government
required by our development rs n 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, but abundant
revenues and large surplus always
invite extravaganza, and constant care
should be taken to guard against I'M
necessary Increase Of the ordinary ex
penses Of government.
Capital and Labor.
The relations Of capital and labor.
and especially Of organized capital and
organized labor, to each other and to
the public ut large come second in i'm
portance only to the intimate questions
Of family life. Our peculiar form of
government, with its sharp division of
authority between the nation and the
several states, has been on the whole
far more advantageous to our develop
ment than more strongly centralized
government. But 1t is undoubtedly re-
sponsible for much of the difficulty Of
meeting with adequate legislation the
new problems presented by the total
change In industrial conditions on this
continent during the last half century.
In actual practice 1t has proved ex-
ceedingiy difficult, 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 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 circum-
stances must be altogether extreme
which require interference by the fed
eral authorities, whether in the way of
safeguarding the rights Of labor or in
the way of seeing that wrong is not
done by unruly persons who shield
themselves behind the name Of labor.
II there is resistance to the federal
courts, interference with the mails or
interstate commerce or molestation Of
federal property, or II the state authori-
ties in some crisis which they are .un-
able to face call for help, then the fed
eraI government; may interfere; but.
though such interference may be~caus-
ed by a condition of things arising out
OF trouble connected with some Ques
ton of labor, the interference itself
simply takes the form Of restoring or
der without regard to the questions
which have caused the breach of or
der. In the District Of Columbia and
In the territories the federal law COW
ers the entire field of government. But
the labor question is only acute In
populous centers of commerce. manu-
features or mining. Nevertheless both
in the enactment and, In the enforce
rnent OF law the federal government
within Its restricted sphere should set
az, exampfe to the state governments,
especially In a, matter 80 vital as this
Affecting labor.
~ ,-sa Labor Unions.
II believe that under modern indus
trial conditions 1t Is often necessary and
even where not necessary it is yet Of
ten wise that there should be organiza-
tfon of labor in order better to secure
the rights Of the individual wagework-
er. All encouragement should be given
to any such organization SO long as 1t
ID. conducted with due and decent re-
gard for the rights of others. There
are in this. country some labor unions
which have habitually 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 seeks improper
ends or seeks to achieve proper ends
by improper means all good citizens.
and more especially all honorable pub
lie servants, must oppose the wrongdo-
ing az resolutely as they would oppose
the wrongdoing Of any great corpora
ton. Violence, brutality or corruption
should not for one moment be tolerat-
cd.
Entire Right to Organize.
Wageworkers have an entire right
to organize and by all peaceful AID
honorable means to endeavor to per-
suade their fellows to join with them
In organizations. They have legal
right, which. according to circum-
stances, may or may not be moral
right, to refuse to work in company
with men who decline to join their or
ganizations, They have under no cir
eumstances the right. to commit VIC
lence upon those, whether capitalists
or wageworkers, who refuse to support
their organizations or who side with
those with whom they are at odds, for
mob rule is intolerable In any FORM
The wageworkers are peculiarly emit
tied to the protection and the encour-
agement Of the law. Wherever the ma
tionai government has power there
should be stringent employers liabil-
ity law, which should apply to the gov
eminent itself where the government
is an employer Of labor.