The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-28
President Roosevelt SeesTrOuble
Ahead for Somebody
Unless the Power of Injunction
Shall Be Curtailed.
IN A SPECIAL MESSAGE
The Folly of Attempting to
Thwart the Peoples Will.
Glass Grievance" Begets Glass
Consciousness" He Says.

Washington, April 2S.-Conditions in
both the senate and the house were
such that the special message Of the
president further outlining his views as
to action. which was sent to congress
yesterday received but scant attention
The message arrived late in the day
and the house was so tied up under its
new rules that 1t could not officially re-
ceive the message while the senate was
In the midst of consideration of the
naval appropriation bill under the ten
minutes rule when the document
the senate permitted the formal presen-
tation of the message, but it could not
at that time be laid before the senate
and by the time the naval bill had
been disposed of the hour was so late
and the attendance so small that no
attempt was made to read the docu-
ment. The first few lines only mad
been pronounced by the clerk when IT
was suggested that the further read
ing should be postponed until today.
This suggestion was adopted and the
senate adjourned:
The message follows:
To the Senate and House Of Represen-
tatives:
In my message to the congress of
March %, 1908, l outlined certain meas
our cOuntrymen desire to have enact
ed into law at this time. These meas
ures do not represent by any means all
that 1 would like to see done If l
thought it possible. but they do repre-
sent what 1 believe can now be done II
an earnest effort toward this end is
made.
Since I wrote this message an en-
ployers' liability law has been enacted
which, 1t is true, comes short OF what
ought to have been done, but which
does represent a real advance. APP
parently there is good ground to hope
that there will be further legislation
providing for recompensing all en-
ployes who suffer injury while engag-
ed in the public service; that there
will be a child-labor law enacted for
the District of Columbia; that the
waterways commission will be contin-
ued with sufficient financial support to
increase the effectiveness of it's pre-
paratory work; that steps will be ia
ken to provide for such investigation
into tariff conditions, by the appro-
pirate committee of the house OF rep
resentatives and by government ex-
perts in the executive service, as will
secure the full information necessary
for immediate action in revising the
tariff at the hands of the congress
elected next fall; and finally, that nm
ancial legislation Will be enacted pro-
viding for temporary measures for
meeting any trouble that may arise in
the next year or two and for a COM
mission of experts who shall thor
oughly investigate the whole matter,
both here and in the great commercial
countries abroad, so as to be able to
recommend legislation which will put
our financial system on an efficient and
permanent basis. 1t is much to be
wished that one feature of the financial
legislation of this session should be the
establishment of postal savings banks.
Ample appropriation should be made to
enable the interstate commerce COM
mission to carry out the very import
ant feature of the Hepburn law which
gives to the commission supervision
and control over the accounting sys-
TENS of the railways. Failure to pro-
vide means which will enable the COM
mission to examine the books Of the
railways would amount to an attack
on the law at it's most vital point, and
would benefit, as nothing else could
benefit, those railways which are cor
ruptly or incompetently managed. For
est reserves should be established
throughout the Appalachian mountain
region wherever it can be shown that
they will have a direct and real con-
nection with the conservation and i'm
provement of ravigable rivers.
There seems, however, much doubt
about two of the measures I have rec
commended: the measure to do away
with abuse of the power of injunction
and the measure or group of measures
to strengthen and render both more
efficient and more wise the control by
the national government over the great
corporations doing an interstate busi-
ness.
Power of Injunction.
First, as to the power of injunction
and of punishment for contempt In
contempt cases, save where immediate
action is imperative, the trial should
be before another judge. AS regards
intunctions. some such legislation as
that 1 have previously recommended
should be enacted. They are blind
who fail to realize the extreme bitter
ness caused among large bodies of
worthy citizens by the use that has
been repeatedly made of the power of
injunction in labor disputes. Those in
VIII ose 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. vet
that it is unquestionably true that in a
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 that have
already pointed out in my previous
messages, for the very reason that 7