The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-02-04
PRESIDENT ON
LABOR QUESTION

LABOR QUESTION
President Roosevelt, In bis special
message TO Congress. among other
things. says;
Ii Il especially necessary TO secure
20 the representatives OF the national
government full power to deal with the
great corporations engaged i'm inter
state commerce aud. above all. with
the great Interstate common carriers
Our people should clearly recognize
that. while there are difficulties I'm any
course OF conduct TO be followed in
dealing with these great corporations.
these difficulties must De faced aud
one Of three courses followed.
The first course is to abandon all ef-
fort 90 oversee and control their ac-
tons In the interest OF the general
public and 20 permit a return 10 the
utter lack 81 control which would OBJ
tain II they were left to the common
law. I do not FOR one moment believe
that our people would tolerate this 20.
sition. The extraordinary growth OF
modern industrialism has rendered the
common law. which grew up under
and was adapted 10 deal with totally
different conditions. In many respects
Inadequate 10 deal with the new con
ditions. These new conditions make
II necessary TO shackle cunning rs i'm
the past we have shackled force The
vast individual and corporate fortunes.
the vast combinations Of capital which
have marked the development Of our
Industrial system. create new condi-
tons and nccessitate change from
the old attitude OF the state ana the
nation toward the rules regulating the
acquisition and untrammeled business
use OF property In onier both that
property may he adequately protected
and that at the same time those who
hold it may be prevented from wrong
doing
State or Federal Regulation7
The second and third courses are 20
have the regulat ton undertaken either
by the nation or by the states or
course in any event both the national
government and the several state gov
ernments must do each it's part. ana
each can do certain amount that the
other cannot do. while the only really
satisfactory results must De obtained
by the representatives Of the national
and state governments working hearti-
ly together within their respective
spheres. But in my Judgment thor
oughgoing aud satisfactory control can
In the end only be ohtailed by the nc.
ton Of the national government. for
almost all the corporations OF enor-
nous wealth-that is. the corporations
which IL is especially desirable 10 con
trol-are engaged ia interstate com
merce and derive their power and
their Importance not from that portion
OF their business which is intrastate.
but from the Interstate business. II Is
not easy always 20 decide iust whore
the line OF demarcation between tn.
two kinds Of business falls. This line
must ultimately he drawn by the fed
erai courts. Much OF the effort 70 So
cure adequate control Of the great cor
porations by state action has been
wise and effective. hut much OF II has
been neither. for when the effort Is
made TO accomplish by the action OF
the state what can only he accom-
plished by the action OF the nation the
result can only he disappointment. and
In the end the law will probably no
declared unconstitutional. SO. likewise
In the national arena. we who believe
In the measures herein advocated are
hampered and not aided by the ex
tremists who advocate action SO vio-
lent that II would either be useless or
else would cause more mischief than n
would remedy.
In recent letter from learned
Judge Of the supreme court OF one OF
the gulf states the writer speaks as
follows:
IN all matters pertaining TO inter
state commerce the authority OF The
national government already exists and
does not have TO be acquired. and the
exercise OF this existing authority can
be in no sense = usurpation OF or in
tringement upon the rights OF the
states. On the contrary. had the fed
eral government given this question
more attention In the past and applied
vigorous check to corporate abuses
conditions would now be better be-
cause the states would have had fewer
real or imaginary grievances ana have.
had less cause not only TO attempt the
exercise OF the authority reserved 10
the national government. but 10 act
without proper moderation in matters
peculiarly within their own provinces
The national government has been re-
miss In the past. but even at this late
day II can solve this problem. and thu.
sooner the national authority Is exer-
eised the less apt are the states To take
action which VIII represent cncroach-
ment upon the national domain. There
Is a field OF operations for both pow
ers and plenty alike for national aud
state governments TO do in order 10
protect both the people and the public
utilities The line of deinarcation be.
tween federal and state authority can
and should be speedily settled by the
federal courts. The fact that the ma
tional government has omitted TO exer-
else the authority conferred upon II
by the interstate commerce clause Of
the constitution has made the states
FESTIVE under what they deem corpO.
rate abuses and In some cases has
probably stimulated them TO 20 too far
In the attempt TO correct these abuses.