The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-06

fully admit the difficulties in the
 way. I do not for a moment admit
 that these difficulties warrant us
 In stopping in our effort tS secure ,,a 2
 have no other effect than to spur us on to the exercise of the resolution, the | sven-handed justice and the fertility of as typieally American, and which will in the end achieve good results I In this as in other fields of activity.
 the task of dealing with the whole in- |, dustrial problem. But the fact that | 1t Is a great problem does not warrant us in shrinking from the attempt to | solve 1t. At present we face such ut- ter lack of supervision, such freedom from the rstraints of law, that excel- lent men have often been literally forced into doing what they deplored because otherwise they were left at the mercy of interruptions competitors. To rail at and assail the men who | have done as they best could under
 such conditions accomplishes little. | What we need to do is to develop an i orderly system; and such system can
 ony come ssniss through the cient government control
 Safety Appliances.
 In my annual message to the Fifty eighth Congress. at it's third session, called attention to the necessity for 1 legislation requiring the use of block ! signals upon railroads engaged in in- I SG~ rious collisions upon unblocked roads that have occurred within the past year adds force to the recommenda- 5on then hy made The should sa | the introduction of block signals upon all railroads engaged in interstate com merce at the earliest practicable date. as measure of increased safety to the | travelling public.
 | Through decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States and the | lr.xxx F~ET- l.. II. 4 before them for adjudication the safe- ty-appliance law has been materially strengthened, and the government has been enabled to secure its eeffctive en- l forcement in almost all cases. with | the result that the condition of rail- | road equipment throughout the coun- try is much improved and railroad em- ployes perform their duties under safer conditions than heretofore The gov ernment's most effective aid in arriv- ing at this has been in its inspection service, and that these improved con- dtions are not more general is due to the insufficient number Of inspectors employed. The inspection service has fully demonstrated its usefulness, and in approaching for its maintenance the Congress should make provision for an increase in the number of inspectors. Hours of Labor of Railroad EmpIeyes. The excessive hours of labor to which railroad Employees In train ser- vice are in many cases subjected is also matter which may well engage tHS ScIIOuS dttSuIIOn or COnkTeSS. In0 strain, both mental and physical. upon those who are engaged in the move ment and operation of railroad trains under modern conditions Is perhaps greater than that which exists in any other industry, and if there are any reasons for limiting by law the hours Of labor in any employment. they cer- tafnly apply with peculiar force to the employment of those upon whose vigi- lance and aIertness in the perform anee of their duties the safety of all who travel by rail depends.
 Empioyers' Liability Law.
 In my annual message to the Fifty seventh Congress. at it's second session, recommended the passage of an Elm ployers' Liability Law for the District of Columbia and in our navy-yards. I renewed that recommendation in my message to the Fifty-eighth Congress, at it's second session, and further sug- gested the appointment of q commis- sion to make a comprehensive study of employers liability, with view to the enactment of a wise and constitutional law covering the subject applicable to Federal power. l hope that such law will be prepared and enacted as speed fly as possible.
 Labor.
 The National Government has as a rule but little occasion to deal with the formidable group of problems connect ed more or less directly with what is known as the labor question. for in
 
 lems must be dealt with by the State and municipal authorities and not by the National Government. The Ma tional Government has control of the District of Columbia, however, and it should see to 1t 1Aat the City of Wash ington Is made a model city in all re- spects. both as regards parks, public playgroundsS proper regulation of the system of housing so as to do away with the evils of alley tenements, a proper system of education, proper system of dealing with truancy and juvenile offenders. proper handling of the charitable work of the District. Moreover, there should be proper fac tory laws to prevent all abuses in the employment of snn women ,i,s and children ,ii, in chiefly as object lessons, but even this limited amount of usefulness would be of real national value
 There has been demand for deprfving courts of the power to issue injunctions in labor disputes. Such special limi- tation of the equity powers of our courts would be most unwise. It Is true that some judges have misued this power; but this does not justify de- nial of the power any more than an improper exercise of the power to call a strike by labor leader would Jus1ity remedy is to regulate the procedure by requiring the judge to give due notice to the adverse parties before granting the writ, the hearing to be ex parte If the adverse party does not apear at the time and place ordered. What is due notice must depend upon the facts of the case; 1t should not De used as pretext to permit violation of law, or or the jeopardizing of life or property. Of couse. this would not authorize the is- suing of a restraining order or injune- tion in any case in which it is not al- ready authorized by existing law.
 I renew the recommendation sn l made yestiEation by the Department of Commerce and Labor of general labor conditions, espe- cial attention to be paid to(the condi- tions of child labor and child-labor leg islation in the several States. Such an investigation should take into account the various problems with which the question of child labor is connected. It is true that these problems can be ac- tually met in most cases only by the States themselves, but it would be we'll for the Nation to endeavor to secure and publish comprehensive information as to the condition of the labor of chil- dren in the different States. so as to
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