Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1906-12-08
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

President Roosevelt message TO con-
gress Few, if any, have commended
themselves to us so strongly as those
of G.. M. Jackson, editor of the State
Journal. According to our ideas he
hits the nail squarely on the head.
For these reasons we adopt his COM
ments as our own and reproduce them
herewith:
"The custom for many years has been
for the papers adhering to the party
in power to allude to the message of
the president as mastery and states
manlike,' while those of the opposi-
ton have devoted their attention to-
ward picking flaws in the document
and discussing as impractical and
inane suggestions offered to congress.
"The Journal has endeavored to di-
vest itself of party feeling in its dis
cussion of the message this year, and
review it with the dispassionate feel
the action of an ordinary man.
Barring the absurd spelling which
the executive INDUCES in following
out his pet ideas on improving the
language, we sincerely believe this
message is the strongest document Mr..
Roosevelt has written, and we think
that for directness of statement, clear
ness of enunciation, disclosure of ideas
and excellence of suggestion it is en-
titled to rank with the messages of
the greatest men who have sat in the
executive chair.
1--WE commend the message in all its
parts and urge every citizen of the
state to read it carefully over. Es-
pecially do we suggest to the men,
berselect of the legislature that they
peruse 1t, for embodied in the docu-
ment will be found some ideas that
apply to state as well as to national
governments. The president does not
indulge in much bouquetthrowing IN
his Introduction. A few lines of open
ing and he plunges into business by
suggesting that corporation campaign
contributions be prohibited. A volume
of concentrations might be written on
that topic alone, but we are forced to
pass it by with only brief allusion.
THE right of the government to APP
peal in criminal cases in matters OF
law is the next suggestion, and 1t is
a good one. Why the United States
has permitted this fatal defect in
legal practice to go uncorrected for
one hundred and thirty years is some
thing of a matter of wonder. AS the
executive suggests, it will be almost
impossible to secure convictions or
great corporations charged with crime
unless this provision is made. The
president discusses this matter very
learnedly and succinctly and, as it is
not couched in the lore of lawyers,
can be readily understood.
His remarks on the subject OF
lynching contain much food for
thought. The people of the south will
DO well to read and reflect, for the adj
vice rendered is sage and sound.
| 'Lawlessness grows upon what 1t
feeds upon The president handles
the topic without gloves and goes to
The very bottom of the question from
the start.
I'VE like his remarks upon the sub
iect of capital and labor, and think he
treats the matter fairly, according to
both sides, the rights to which they
are entitled. We think the legislative
measures suggested by him will do
much toward bringing about better
understanding between the opposing
elements. Especially do we commend
his attitude on the labor of women
and children, and direct the attention
of the legislature to the suggestions
therein contained, and urge our own
executive to adopt them in his mes