Iowa state bystander., 1908-05-01
He I RODS CONGRESS
MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE,
SAls s EXECUTIVES MESSAGE.
AGAINST lNJUNCTIoN's ABUSE
E.rengthen Anti-Trts, Law, Urges
Executive, and Avoid flutocratic
and Socia istic Pitfa Is.

Executive, and Avoid Flutocratic
and Socia istic Pitfa Is.
Washington, D. c.. April 2S.-Con.
dit.ons in both the senate and the
house we're such that the special mes
sage Of the president, further out.
lining his views as to legislation,
which was sent to congress yester.
day. received but scant attention.
The message arrived late in the day
and the house was so tied UP under
its new rules that it could not oific.
tally receive the message while the
senate was in the midst OF the con-
sideraticn of the naval appropriation
bill under the ten minute rule when
the document reached that body.
The president says the employers
liability law, recently passed repre-
sents real advance, but comes short
Of what ought to be done. He then
calls attention to the necessity for
child labor law, a law recompensing
all employees who suffer injury while
engaged in public service, and othe
legislation which he urged upon con.
gress in his message Of March rs,
and he says there seem to be grounds
for belief that the legislation will
pass.
"There seems, however" says the
president, much doubt about two OF
themeasures / have recommended;
the measure to do away with abuse
If the power of injunction and the
measure or group OF measures To
So 'engtben and render both more ef-
fcient and more wise the co1trol by
the national government over the
great corporations doing an interstate
business"
Concerning the Injunction. he says:
''Those in whose judgment we have
most right to trust are of the opinion
that while much of the complaint
against the use of the injunction is
unwarranted, yet that 1t is unques.
tionably true that in number OF
cases this power has been used to
the grave injury of the rights OF
laboring men. l ask that 1t be limited
In some such way as have already
pointed out in my previous messages,
for the very reason that do not
wish to see an embittered effort made
20 destroy it. 1t is unwise stubborn
ly to refuse to provide against
repetition of the abuses which have
caused the present unrec.. In a
democracy like ours it is idle to ex.
pect permanently to thwart the deter.
mination of the great body of our
citizens.
Referring to the antitrust law, the
president says:
"The Strengthening of the anti.
trust law is demanded upon both
moral and economic grounds. Our
purpose in strengthening it is to Sc
cure more effective control by the
national government over the bust
ness use of the vast masses of indi.
vidual, and especially of corporate,
wealth, which at the present time
4nonopolize most of the inters tate
business Of the country; and we be.
lieve the control can best be exer.
cised by preventing the growth OF
abuses, rather than merely by trying
to destroy them when they have al.
ready grown.
Power should unquestionably be
lodged somewhere in the executive
branch of the government to permit
combinations which will further the
public interest; but 1t must always be
remembered that, as regards the
great and wealthy combinations
through which most Of the interstate
business OF today Is done, the burden
of proof should be on them, to SHOW
that they have right to exist. No
judicial tribunal has the knowledge
or the experience to determine in the
first place whether given combina-
tion is advisable or necessary in tie
interest of the public. Somebody,
whether q commission. or a bureau
under the department of commerce
and labor, should he given this power.
My personal belief is that ultimately
we shall have to adopt national in
corporation law, though am well
aware that this may be impossible at
present.
"A strong effort has been made to
have labor organizations completely
exempted from any of the operations
of this law, whether or not their acts
are in restraint of trade. Such ex.
ception would in all probability make
the bill unconstitutional and the legis-
lature has no more right to pass a
bill without regard to whether it is
constitutional than the courts have
lightly to declare unconstitutional
law which the leg stature has solemn
ly enacted. The responsibility is as
great on the one side as on the other
and an abuse of power by the legis
lature in one direction is equally to
be condemned with an abuse OF rover
by the courts in the other direction.
It Is not possible wholly to excert
labor organizations from the work.
ings of this law, and they who insist
hpcn totally excepting them are
merely providing that their status
rhall be kent wholly unchanged, and
that they shall contin"e to be ex.
rosed to the action which they now
dread.
RaIsuii Killed In Ambuscade.
Tangisr, Morocco, April 2S-Re.
ports are in circulation here tina
Raisuli, the bandit, has been assassi
mated. His death was accomplished
by a band of Leymes, who ambushed
L T. 4.