The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-05
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
TO CONGRESS


A bill has already been introduced to
this end.
Records show that during the TWEEN
ty years from January /, 1881, to De
cember 81, 1900, there were strikes af-
fecting 1850 establishments, and g.
105, 694 employees were thrown out OF
employment. During the same period
there We're ZOOS lockouts, involving
nearly 10000 establishments, throwing
over one million people out of en-
pIoyment. These strikes and lockouts
involved an estimated loss to employees
of 1907 100000 and to employers OF
$143 100000 total of $45O,OOO,OOO. Inc
public suffered directly and indirectly
probably as great additional loss
But the money loss, great as 1t was
did not measure the anguish and SUI
fering endured by the wives and chill
dren of employees whose pay stopt
when their work stopt, or the disas-
trous effect of the strike or lockout
upon the business of employers, or the
increase in the cost of products and
the inconvenience and loss to the pub
lie.
Many of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the par
ties to the dispute been required to ap-
pear before an unprecedented body rep
resenting the nation and, face to face,
state the reasons for their contention.
In most instances the dispute would
doubtless be found to be due to a mis-
understanding by each of the others
rights, aggravated by an unwilling
ness of either party to accept as true
the statements of the other as to the
Justice or injustice of the matters lin
dispute The exercise Of judicial
spirit by disinterested body repre-
senting the Federal government, such
as would be provided by commission
on cancellation and arbitration would
tend to create an atmosphere of
friendliness and Cancellation between
contending PARTIES and the giving
each side an equal opportunity to pre-
sent fully its case In the presence Of
the other would prevent many dis
prtes from developing into serious
strikes or lockouts, and, in other
cases, would enable the commission to
persuade the opposing parties to come
to terms.
In this age of great corporate and
labor combinations, neither employers
nor employees should be left completely
at the mercy of the stronger party to
a dispute, regardless of the righteous
ness of their resp ectiveclaims The
proposed measure would be in the line
of securing recognition of the fact
that in many strikes the public has it
self an interest which can not wisely
be disregarded; an interest not merely
of general convenience, for the ques-
tion of a just and proper public policy
must also be considered In all legis-
lstion of this kind it is we'll to adj
vance cautiously testing each step by
the actual results; the step proposed
can surely be safely taken, for the de-
cislons of the commission would not
hind the parties in legal fashion, and
vet would give a chance for public
opinion to crystalize and thus to exert
its full force for the right
withdrawal of Coal Lands.
1t is not wise that the Nation should
ALLEVIATE it's remaining coal lands. I
have temporarily withdrawn from set
Element all the lands which the Geo
logical Survey has indicated as con-
tanning, or in all probability contain
ing, coal. The question, however, can
he properly settled only by legislation.
which in my judgment should provide
for the withdrawal of these land,
from sale or from entry, save in GER
tain especial circumstances. The own
ership would then remain in the Uni
ted States, which should not, howev-
err attempt to work them, but permit
them to be worked by private indi-
viduals under q royalty system, the
government keeping such control as
to permit 1t to see that MO excessive
price was charged consumers. 1t
would, of course, be as necessary to
supervise the rates charged by the
common carriers to transport the pro-
duct as the rates charged by those
who mine it; and the supervision must
extend TO the conduct of the common
carriers, so that they shall in no way
another. The withdrawal of these coal
lands would constitute a policy anala-
gous to that which has been followed in
withdrawing the forest lands from or
binary settlement. The coal, like the
forests, should be under conditions
which would inure to the benefit of the
public as whole.
Corporations.
The present congress has taken long
strides in the direction of securing pro-
fevor one competitor at the expense of
per supervision and control by the ma
tional government over corporations
engaged in interstate business-and the
enormous majority of corporations of
any size are engaged in interstate bus
mess. The passage Of the railway rate
bill, and only to a less degree the pas
sage of the pure food bill, and the pro-
vision for increasing and rendering
more effective national control over the
beef-packing industry mark an impor-
tant advance in the proper direction.
In the short session it will perhaps be
difficult to do much further along this
line; and 1t may be best to wait until
the laws have been in operation for a
number of months before endeavOring
to increase their scope, because only
operation will show with exactness
their merits and their shortcomings
and thus give opportunity to define
what further remedial legislation is
needed, Yet in my judgment it will in
the end be advisable in connection with