East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-12-04
PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE
CONTINUED from page IL

ed, but the crime is particularly fire.
quent in respect to black men. The
| greatest existing cause of lynching is
the perpetration, especially by black
men, of the hideous crime of rape
the most abominable in all the cate
CORY of crimes, even worse than MUIR
der. Mobs frequently avenge the COM
mission of this crime by themselves
| torturing to death the man commit
ting 1t: thus avenging in bestial FASH
ion bestlal deed, and reducing them
selves to level with the criminal.
Eight. Hour Day.
l call attention to the ned of pass
ing the bill limiting the number of
hours of employment of railroad en-
ployes. The measure is very mod
crate one and can conceive of no
serious objection to it. Instead, so far
as it Is in our power, 1t should be our
aim steadily to reduce the number of
hours of labor, with as goal the gen.
eral introduction of an eight-hour
day.
There are industries in which 1t Is
not possible that the hours of labor
should he reduced: just as there are
communities not far enough advanc-
ed for such a movement to be for their
good, or, If in the tropics, so situated
that there is no analogy between
their needs and ours in this matter.
on the Isthmus of Panama, for in
stance, the conditions are in every
way so different from what they are
here that an eight-hour day would
be absurd; just as 1t is absurd, so far
as the isthmus is concerned. where
white labor can not be employed, to
bother as to whether the necessary
work is done by alien black men or
by alien yellow men.
But the Wageworkers of the Unite !
states are of so high a grade that
alike from the merely Industrial
standpoint and from the civic stand
point. it should be our object to do
what we can in the direction of Sc
curing the general observance of an
cight-hour day. Until recently the
cight-hour law in our federal statute
books has been yer yscantily observ-
cd. Now, however, largely through
the instrumentahty of the bureau of
laho", it is being rapidly enforced.
Save the Coal Lands.
1t IS not wise that the nation should
alienate its remaining coal lands. !
have temporarily withdrawn from
settlement all the lands which the
geological! survey has indicated as
containing, or in all probability con-
tanning coal.
The question, however, can be prop
erly settled only by legislation, which
In my judgment should provide for
the withdrawal of these lands from
sale or from entry, save in certain
especial circumstances. The owner
| ship would then remain in the United
States, which should not, however
attempt to work them, but permit
Thorn to be worked by private individ-
| udls under royalty system, the gov
ernment keeping such control as to
permit il to see that no excessive price
was charged consumers.
1t would, of course be as necessary
tn supervise the rates charged by
those who mine 1t; and the supervision
must extend to the conduct of the
common carriers. SO that they shalt
ia no way favor one competitor at the
expense OF another.
The withdrawal of these coal lands
would constitute a policy analogous TO
that which has been followed in with
irawug i1e forest lands from ordi-
nary settlement The coal, like the
forests, should be treated as the prop
cry of the public and its disposal
should be under conditions which
would inurc to the benefit Of the
public as whole.
Corporations.
The present congress has taken
long strides in the direction of secur-
ing proper supervision and control by
the national government over corpor-
ations engaged in interstate business
and the enormous majority of cor
porauons Of any size are engaged in
interstate business.
The passage of the railway rate bill
and only to less degree the passage
of the pure food bill and the pro-
vision for increasing and rendering
more effective national control over
the beef-packing industry, mark an