The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-12-05

or an effective system of factory laws
to prevent the abuse of women and
children. All such legislation frees
the corporation that wishes to do
well from being driven into doing i'll
in order to compete with it which pre-
fers to do Ill. We desire to set up a
moral standard. There can be no delu
sion more fatal to the Nation than the
-delusion that the standard of profits,
of business prosperity is sufficient in
judging any business or political ques
tion-from rate legislation to municipal
government. Business success. wheth
er for the individual or for the Nation
is a good thing only so far as it is
accompanied by and develops a high
standard of conduct-honor, integri-
ty, civic courage. The kind of bust
ness prosperity that blunts the stand
ard Of honor, that puts an inordinate
value or mere wealth, that makes a
man ruthless and constituencies in
trade and weak and cowardly in citi-
zenShip, is not a good thing at all,
but a very bad thing for the Nation.
This Government stands for man.
hood first and for business only as an
adjunct of manhood.
THE question of transportation lies
at the o o of all industrial success,
and the revolution in transportation
which has taken place during the last
half century has been the most impor
tant factor in the growth of the new
industrial conditions. Most emphat-
ically we do not wish to see the man
of great talents refused the reward
for his talents. Still less do we wish
to see him penalized; but we do de-
sire to see the system of railroad
transportation so handled that the
strong man shall be given no advan-
tage over the weak man. We wish to
insure as fair treatment for the
small town as for the big cities; for
the small shipper as for the big ship
per. In the old days the highway Of
commerce, whether by water or by a
road on land, was open to all; it be-
!onqed to the public and the traffic
along it was free. AT present the rail
way is this highway, n we must do
our best to see that it is kept open TO
all on equal terms. Unlike the old
highway it is a e difficult n com
olex thing to manage, and it is far
better that it should be managed by
private individuals thar by the Gov
eminent. But it can only be so man
aged on condition that Justice is don
the public. 1t is because, in my judg-
ment. public ownership of railroads
IS highly undesirable and would prob
ably in this country entail far reach
ing disaster, that I wish to see such
supervision and regulation of them
in the interest of the public as will
make it evident that there is no need
for public ownership.
Safety Appliances.
In my annual message to the Eff
ty-eighth Congress, at it's third SEES
sion, 1 called attention to the neces-
sity for legislation requiring the S
IF block SIGNALS 1nnn railroads en-
gagged in interstate commerce. The
number of serious collisions upon I'm
blocked roads that have occurred
within the past year adds force to the
recommendation then made. The
Congress should provide, by appro-
pirate legislation, for the introduce
ton Of block signals Upon all rail-
roads engaged in interstate com
merce at the earliest practicable date
as a measure of Increased safety to
the travelling public.
Hours Of Labor of Railroad
Employees.
The excessive hours of labor to
which railroad employees III train ser
vice are in many cases subjected is
also a matter which may well engage
the serious attention of the Congress.
The strain, both mental and physical
upon those who are engaged in the
movement and operation of railroad
trains under modern conditions is per
-haps 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 certainly apply with peculiar
force to the employment of those up
on whose vigilance n alertness in
the performance Of their duties the
safety of all who travel by rail de-
ponds.
Labor.
"The National Government has as
a rule but little occasion to deal with
the formidable group of problems
connected more or less directly with
what is known as the labor question,
for in the great majority of cases
these problems must be dealt with by
the State and municipal authorities
and not by the National Government.
The National Government has con-
troll of the District of Columbia, now
md it should e to it tina the
City of Washington is made
city in all respects, both as re
CARDS parks, public Fairgrounds, pro-
per regulation of the system of hous-
ing so as to do away with h evils
alley tenements, a proper system or
education, a proper system OF dealIns
with truancy and juvenile offenders,
a proper handling of the charitable
of the District. Moreover, there
should be proper factory laws to pre-
vent all abuses in the employment Of
women and children in the District.
will be useful chiefly as object
Iessons, but even this limited amount
Of usefulness would be Of real nation
al value.
'There has been demand for de
oriviDp courts of the mower to issue
in labor disputes. Such
special limitation of the equity pow
ars of the courts would be most I'M
1t is true hat some Judges