Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-12-08

lent work of this kind in many drec
| tions. l shall shortly lay before you
in a special message the full report
| of the investigation OF the bureau OF
labor into the Colorado mining strike
as this is strike in which certain
very evil forces, which are more or
less at work everywhere under the
conditions of modern industrialism
became startlingly prominent 1t is
greatly to be wished that the depart
ment OF commerce and labor, through
the labor bureau, should compile and
arrange for the ongress list of the
labor laws cf the various states. and
should be given ne means to investl.
gate and report to the congress upon
the labor conditions in the manufac-
turing and mining region throughout
the county. both as to wages. as to
hours of labor as tc the labor OF
wonen arl ohildren, and as to the
effect "A the various labor oentors OF
immigratiol from abroad. In this
investigation special attention should
he paid to the conditions OF child la
Dor and child legislation in the sever
al states Such an Investigation must
necessarily take into account many
of the problems with which this aues-
ton of child labor is connected
These problems can be actually met,
in most cases. only by the states
themselves: but the laak of proper
legislation in one state in such a
matter as child labor often renders
1t excessively difficult to establish
protective restriction " ork in another
state having the same industries. so
that the worst tends to drag down the
better. Fer this reason, IL would be
well for the nation at least to en-
deavor to secule comprehensive in
formation as to the conditions of la
bor of children in different states.
Such investigation and publication by
me national government would tend
toward the securing of approximately
uniform legislation OF the proper
character among the several states.
Corporations.
When we come to deal with great
corporations the need for the govern
ment to act directly is far greater
than in the case Of labor, because
great corporations can become such
only by engaging in interstate COM
merce, and interstate commerce is pe.
culiarly the field of the general gov.
eminent, 1t is an absurdity to ex.
pect to eliminate the abuses in great
corporations by state action 1t is
difficult to be patient with an argu-
ment that such matters should be
left to the states because more than
one state pursues the policy of ere
ating on easy terms corporations
which are never operated within that
state at all, but in other states whose
laws they ignore. The national gov
ernment alone can deal adequately
with these great corporations. To
try to deal with them in an intemper-
ate destructive or demagogic spirit
would, in all probability, mean that
nothing whatever would be accom-
and. with absolute certainty,
that II anything were accomplished
/; would be of a harmful nature. The
American people need to continue to
show the very qualities that they
have sfHown-that is. moderation,
good sense, the earnest desire to
aviod doing damage, and yet the quiet
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
acting in no spirit of hostility TO
wealth either individual or corpo-
rate. 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
justice toward his fellows. Great cor.
porations are necessary, and only men
of great and singular mental power
can manage such corporations sue
cessfully, and such men must have
great rewards. But these corpora
lions should be managed with due
regard to the interest of the public
as whole. Where this can be done
under the present laws it must oe
done. Where these laws come short
others should be enacted TO supple.
ment them.
Yet we must never forget the deter.
mining factor in every kind of WORK,
or head or hand, must be the mans
own good sense. courage and kindli-
ness. More important than any leg
islation is the gradual growth of n
feeling of responsibility and forbeav
ance among capitalists and wage
workers alike; a feeling Of respect
on the part of each man for the rights
OF others; feeling OF broad commun-
ity OF interest, not merely OF capital
lists among themselves, but of capi-
talists and wage-workers in their re.
lations to each other. and of both in
their relations to their fellows who
with them make up the body polite.
There are many captains OF industry.
many labor leaders. who realize this.
recent speech by the president of
one OF our great railroad systems to
the employees of that system contains
sound common sense. II runs in part
az follows: