Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-12-10
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they are here that the introduction Of N
eight-hour day on the canal would Pc
surd as ii -, so far as the isthmus b
concerned, where white labor cannet b
employed, to bother az to whether the
work Is done by alien black men or allen
yellow men,"
Investigation Of Disputes.
He urges the enactment OF q drastic
child labor law for the District Of Co:
lumbia and the territories, and federal
investigation Of the subject OF child ana
he reviews the work Of the comnissien
appointed to investigate labor conditions
In the coal fields of Pennsylvania In 1909,
shat the state and federal governments
should provide the machinery for what
may be called the compulsory investiga-
and employees when they arise" After
referring to the fact that bill has al
ready been introduced to this end ne
MANY of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the pardee
% the dispute been required to appear
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 MISUNDERSTANDING
by each of the others rights, aggravated
by an unwillingnsss OF either party to sc-
cspt as true the statements of the other
a. to the justice or injustice of the mat
tars in dispute. The exercise of q 5u-
dicial spirit by q disinterested body
representing the federal government,
sen on conciliaton and arhstratie9
would tend to create an atmosphere @
frisndliness and consultation between eca-
tending parties: and the giving each ssSs
an equal opportunity TO present fully u
case in the presence Of the otPer wouse
prevent many disputes from developing
other cases, would enable the cornnaas-
sion to persuade the opposing parties -
I'm this age Of Kreat>corporate ana b.
employees should be left completely ct
the mercy of the stronger party to a dis
pute, regardless of the Righteousness ok
their respective claims. The proposed
measure would be in the line OF securing
recognition Of the fact that in many
which cannot wisely be disregardsd; an
interest not merely of general eonven-
isnco for A the question 1,s Of just c sme
aidered. In all legislation of this kind
1t lie well to advance cautiously, testing
each step by the actual results She step
proposed can surely be safely taken, Tor
the decisions of the commission would
not bind the parties in legal fashion, ana
yet would give q chance 1 f99 p tha oRin"
Control of Corporations.
A considerable portion of the message
10 devoted to the subject OF federal cor
rate, meat Inspection and food laws, aaA
says that all Of these have already rsco 5s5S
the amendment Of the meat inspsSuo1e
law so as to put dates on the labels se
no sft sH On the packers rather
this subject Of the control OF corporations
''It cannot too often be repeated that sx.
psriencs has conclusively shown the ina.
possibility Of securing 6y n: sSt0n stses
ohao. IN tn. A Way q dealing With tie
great corporations which do not operate
state In some method, whether ey .
we must exercise. and that at an early
at at'e present @ over e these great corpora-
tions-a control that will among othsr
things prevent the evils OF excessive
the disclosures 81 each big eorporatiea
of its stockholders and Of Its propereeS
and business, whether owned directly 90
This Will tend to put a stop to the secur:
individuals at the expense whether Of
the wageworkers. Our effort should be
not so much to prevent consolidation e
such, but so to supervise and control II
as to see that 1t results In no harm 70
the people. The reactionary or ultracon-
serva tive apoIogists for the misuse OF
wealth a.ssail the effort to secure sucn
control as a step toward socialism AS
matter of fact it is these reactionaries
and ultraconservatives who are them
selves most potent in increasing soelans.
tic feeling One of the most emcient
methods of averting the consequences OF
a dangerous agitation, which is 80 per
cent wrong, is to remedy the 70 per cent
of evil as to which the agitation is well
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
ownership of railways Is to secure 1y
the government on behalf of the people
as a whole such adequate control ana
regulation of the great interstate com
mon carriers as will DO away WIN + tne
against them. So the proper antidote
to the dangerous and wicked agltatlon
against the men of wealth as such is TO
secure by proper legislation and execu-
tive action the abolition OF the grave
abuses which actually do obtain in con
nection with the business use OF Wealth
under our present system-or rather no
system-of failure to exercise any ace
quate control at all. Some persons speak
control would do away with the freedom
of individual initiative and dwarf lndl-
viduaI effort. This is not fact II
would be a veritable calamity to tall 10
put a premium upon individual initiative.
individual capacity and effort; upon the
energy, character and foresight when
it is so important to encourage In the
individual. But as matter OF fact the
deadening and degrading effect of pure
socialism, and especially OF It's extreme
form communism, and the destruction OF
Individual character which they woula
bring about, are in part achieved by tbs
wholly unregulated competition which
results in q single individual or eorpor-
alton rising at the expense of all others
until his or its rise effectually checks all
competition and reduces former compso-
tors to a position of utter inferiority and
subordination.
I'm enacting and enforcing such legis-
lation as this congress already has to its
credit, we are working on coherent
plan. with the steady endeavor to secure
the needed reform by the joint aofion OF
the moderate men, the plain men WAC
do not wish anything hysterical or
dangerous. but who do intend to deal
in resolute commonssnse fashion with
the real and great evils of the present
system The reactionaries and the Vio-
lent extremists show symptoms Of join
ing hands against US. Both assert, Ter
instance, that IL logical: we should
and the like; the reactionaries because
would stand with them, while the az
tremsts care rather to preach discomfort
and agitation than to achieve solid re-
suits AS a matter of fact, our position