Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-06

President Roosevelt today sent the follow
ing message to Congress:
To the Senate and House Of Representa-
tives:
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 I'M
portant factor therein is the working OF our
long continued governmental policies. The
people have emphatically expressed their
approval of the principles underlying these
policies, and their desire that these prin-
ciples be kept substantially unchanged, al
though of course applied in progressive
spirit to meet changing conditions.
The enlargement of scope OF the functions
Of the National Government required by our
development as a nation involves. OF course.
increase Of expense; and the period OF pros
perity through which the country is passing
justifies expenditures for permanent Inn
provements far greater than would be wise
in hard times. Battle ships and forts, pub
lie 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
to guard against unnecessary increase OF
the ordinary expenses of government. The
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 industrialism; and the
lot>a Nd
cially Of organized capital and organized
labor, to each other and to the public at
large come second in Importance only to the
intimate questions of family life. Our Pc
culiar 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 devel-
opment than more strongly centralized
government. But It Is undoubtedly respon-
sible 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 exceedingly 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 it is simpler. AS long
as the states retain the primary control Of
the police power the circumstances must
be altogether extreme which require inter-
ference by the federal 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. If
there Is resistance to the federal courts,
interference with the mails, or interstate
commerce, or molestation 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 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-for to keep order is
primary duty and in time of disorder and
violence all other questions sink into abey-
ance until order has been restored. In
the District of Columbia and in the terri
tories the federal law covers the entire field
Of government; but the labor question is
only acute in populous centers Of COM
merce, manufactures, or mining. Never
theless. both in the enactment and In the
enforcement of law the federal govern
ment within its restricted sphere should
set an example to the state governments,
especially in a matter so vital as this
afYecting labor. / believe that under mod
ern industrial conditions it is often neces-
sary. and even where not necessary 1t is
vet often wise. that there should be organ
ization of labor in order better to secure
tha rights of the individual wage-worlxer.
All encouragement should be given to any
snch organization. so long as it is conducted
with a due and decent regard 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