Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-04
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
TO THE CONGRESS


Is one matter more important to re
member than aught else, and that Is
the infinite harm done by preachers OF
mere discomfort. These are the men
who seek to excite violent class ha.
tired against all men of wealth. They
seek to turn wise and proper move
ments for the better control of corpora.
tons and for doing away with the
abuses connected with wealth into a
campaign Of hysterical excitement and
falsehood in which the aim Is to In
fame to madness the brutal passions
of mankind. The sinister demagogues
and foolish Missionaries who are always
eager to undertake such a campaign
Of destruction sometimes seek to as
sociate themselves with those working
for a genuine reform in governmental
and social methods and sometimes mas
uuerade as such reformers. In reality
they are the worst enemies of tn
cause they profess to advocate, just al
the purveyors of sensational SANDER *
newspaper or magazine are the worst
enemies of all men who are engaged II
an honest effort to better what Is bad
in our social and governmental condi
tons.
Corruption is never so rife US in com
munities where the demagogue and the
agitator bear full sway, because ir
such communities all moral bands be
come loosened, and hysteria and sensa
tionalism replace the spirit of sound
Judgment and fair dealing as between
man and man. In sheer revolt against
the squalid anarchy thus produced mer
are sure In the end to turn toward any
leader who can restore order, and ther
their relief at being free from the in
tolerable burdens Of class hatred, VIC
lence and demagogy Is such that they
cannot for some time be aroused to in
dignation against misdeeds by men Of
wealth, SO that they permit a new
growth Of the very abuses which were
in part responsible for the original out
break The one hope for success fol
our people lies in a resolute and fear
less but sane and cool headed advance
along the path marked out last veal
by this very congress. There must be
a stern refusal to be misled into fol
lowing either that base creature who
appeals and panders to the lowest In
stincts and passions In order to arouse
one set of Americans against their Eel
lows or that other creature. equally
base, but no baser, who in a spirit Of
greed or to accumulate or add to ar
already huge fortune seeks to exploit
his fellow Americans with callous dis
regard to their welfare Of soul and
body. The man who debauches others
in order to obtain high Office stands
on an evil equality Of corruption with
the man who debauches others fol
financial profit, and when hatred IL
sown the crop which springs up can
only be evil.
The plain people who think-the me-
chanics, farmers, merchants, workers
with head or hand, the men to whom
American traditions are dear, who love
their country and try to act decently
by their Nneighbors-owe 1t to them.
selves to remember that the most dam
aging blow that can be given popular
government is to elect an unworthy
and sinister agitator on platform of
violence and hypocrisy.
Railroad Employer Hours.
I call your attention to the need Of
passing the bill limiting the number Of
hours Of employment Of railroad en-
ployees. The measure is very moder-
ate one, and can conceive of no seri-
Gus objection to 1t. Indeed, 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 general in
PRODUCTION of an eight hour day. There
are industries in which 1t Is not pos
sible that the hours Of labor should
be reduced, just as there are commune
ties not far enough advanced for such
q 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 instance, the condi-
tons 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 con-
cerned, where white labor cannot 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 United States are
of SO high grade that alike from the
merely Industrial standpoint and from
the civic standpoint it should be our
object to do what we can in the direc-
ton Of securing the general observance
Of an eight hour day.
Let me again urge that the congress
provide for a thorough Investigation
Of the conditions of child labor and Of
the labor Of women In the United
States. The horrors incident to the
employment of young children in fac
tories or at work anywhere are a blot
on our civilization.
In spite of all precautions, exercised
by employers there are unavoidable &C
cidents and even deaths involved In
nearly every line of business connect
ed with the mechanic arts. 1t is a
great social injustice to compel the en-
ployee, or, rather, the family Of the
killed or disabled victim, to bear the
entire burden Of such an inevitable
sacrifice. In other words, society shirks
its duty by laying the whole cost on
the victim, whereas the injury comes
from what may be called the legiti-