River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-12-08

| for their safety. The administration has
I 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 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 It's second session, 1 urged
the passage Of an employers liability law
for the District of Columbia | 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-
Payments 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-
treme and heroic daring have endangered
their lives in saving, or endeaVoring to
save lives from the perils of the sea in
| the waters over which the United States
has Jurisdiction, or 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-tncreasing casualty list upon
our railroads is a 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
as human ingenuity can make it. Many Of
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
a block signal system has been proposed
to the congress. I 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-
sponsibility 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 disobed1ence
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
the act Of Marrn 2, 1903, has proved bene-
fetal to railway employees, and in order
that its provisions may be properly carried
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
it's 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 extorting
improperly high salaries from the govern
in the classified service. The letter car
riers both municipal and rural, are as
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
abuses of this nature; but 1t will be wise
for the congress to supplement this action
| by legislation.
Corporations.
When we come to deal with great cor
| porations the need for the government to
act directly is far greater than in the case
| of labor, because great corporations can
become such only by engaging in interstate
| commerce, and interstate commerce is Pc
culiarly the field Of the general govern
ment. 1t is an absurdity to expect to elm
| mate the abuses in great corporations by
state action. 1t is difficult to be patient
with an argument that such matters should
| be left to the states, because more 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 ade-
! Quately with these great corporations. To
| try to deal with them in an Incorporate,
| destructive or demagogic spirit would, in
| all probability, mean that nothing what
| ever would be accomplished, and with alb
solute certainty that If anything were &C
| complished it would be of a harmful ma
| ture. The American people need to con-
| tfnue to show the very qualities that they
| 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 and
without hurry, in eliminating or at least in
minimizing whatever of mischief or of evil
! there is to Interstate commerce in the con-
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 a spirit of justice and decency toward
his fellows. Great corporations are neces-
| Sary, and only men of great and singular
mental power can manage such corpora
| tons successfully. and such men must have
great rewards. But these corporations
| should be managed with due regard to the
! interest of the public as a whole Where
| this can be done under the present laws it
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 or
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; a feel
ing of broad community OF interest, not
merely of capitalists among themselves,
! and of wage workers among themselves