The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1908-04-02
RECOMMENDS NEW LAWS
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT IN BRIEF
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS URGES
NEEDED LEGISLATION.
FAVORs REVISION OF TARIFF
Passage of Hepburn Bill, Amending
Sherman Antitrust Law, ProVid-
ing for Registry of Trust Agree
ments Urged at This Session.

sage announced several days ago,
calling attention to legislation which
he deems it important should be pass
ed at this session.
A special plea IS made for the enact
ment of a child labor law for the DIS
trict of Columbia; the immediate re
enactment Of the employers LIABILITY
law: a law providing for the payment
of compensation for injury or death
received by employees of the Govern
ment: amendment of the law govern
ing the issue of injunctions In TABOR
DISPUTES; amendment of the interstate
commerce and antitrust laws so as TO
permit the formation of combinations
not in conflict with public policy;
early financial legislation along the
line proposed by the measure now be
fore Congress, and the establishment
of postal banks.
Text of Presidents Message.
NJ no Senate and House OF Representa-
cali your attention to certain meas ne Is
ures ms to which ] think there silouG ~
action by the Congress before tht Nlo,'
f ~ present session There is ample
time for their consideration. As IesaIus
most if not all of the matters bins haF%
been introduced into one OF tnt o ,io5 - "a
the two Houses. and ii is not too much TO
hone that action will be taken one way or
the other on these bilis az tnt pt gSS, ~
session. In my message at tlt oletti''b VI
The present session. and, indeed, IN Va
rious messages to previous congresses
have repeatedly suggested actloh on htost
of these measures
Child labor should he pfohloited
ion, A
child-labor bill should be passed Ter me
District of Columbia. 1t IS unfortunate
that in the one place solely depenutht
upon Congress for its legislation tnefe
should be no law whatever TO protect
children by forbidding or regulating their
labor.
renew nv recommendation for the i'm
mediate re-enactment OF an EMPLOYERS
liability law. drawn to conform TO the re-
cent decision of the Supreme Court.
Within the limits indicated by the court,
the law should be made thorough ana
commemorative. and the protection IT az
fords should embrace every class of en-
ploye to which the power OF the Congress
can extend.
In addition to n liability law protect
ing the employees OF common carriers. the
Government should show its good faith 10y
enacting further law giving compenSa-
ton to its own employees for INJURY or
death incurred in its service. II Is re-
proach to us as nation that in both Fed
eral and State legislation We nave AFFORD
ed less protection to public and private
employees than any other Industrial couh-
try of the world
Curb on lnjunctions.
| also urge that action be taken along
the line of the recommendations have
already made concerning inJunctlons in
labor disputes. No temporary restrain
ing order should be issued 10y any court
without notice; and the petition for a
permanent injunction upon which such
Temporary restraining order has been is
.bn b. hoard nv the Court iSSn-
ing the same within a reasonable time
say not to exceed a week or Whereabouts
from the date when the order was issued
1t is worth considering whether II would
not give greater popular confidence in the
importantly of sentences for contempt II
II was required that the issue should be
decided by another judge than the one
issuing the injunction, except where the
contempt Is committed in the presence of
the Court. or in another case Of urgency.
/ again call attention to the urgent
need OF amending the interstate com
merce law and especially the antitrust
law along the lines indicated in my last
message The interstate commerce law
should be amended so as to give railroads
the right to make traffic agreements. sub
ject TO these agreements being approved
by the Interstate Commerce Commission
and published in all of their details. The
Commission should also be given the pow
er to make public and to pass upon the
issuance of all securities hereafter issued
by railroads doing an interstate com
merCe business.
A law should be passed providing in
effect that when a Federal court deter
mines TO place a common carrier or other
public utility concern under the control
of reCciVership, the Attorney General
should have the right To nominate al least
one of the receivers; or else in some 9TH
er way the interests of the Stockholders
should be consulted. SO that the manage
ment nay not be wholly redelVercd To- the
man or men the failure of whose policy
may have neeessitated She creation of the
receivership ReceivefNhips should be
used, not TO operate roads, but as speed
lily as possible TO pay their debts and re-
turn them to the proper owners.
Some Lawful Combines.
In addition to the reasons l have al
ready urged on your attention II has now
become important that there should be
an amendment Of the antitrust law. be
cause of the uncertainty as to how this
law affects combinations among labor
men and farmers. II the combination has
any tendency to restrict Interstate com
merce. All of these combinations. If and
while existing FOR and engaged in the
promotion Of innocent and proper pur-
poses. should be recognized as legal AS
l have repeatedly pointed out this anti
trust law was a most unwistly drawn
statute. 1t was perhaps inevitable that
in feeling after the right remedy the FIRST
attempts L. proNiUg Sugh should be crude,
and IL was ahsolHt. is imperative that
some legislation should be passed to con-
troll, in the interest e. tae publjc. tho bus
corporate wealth THAT ar" So marked "A
feature OF the modern Industrial world.
But the present antitrust law, In lis COM
struotion and working. has eNemphhed
only too well the kind of legislation which
under the guise of being thorough going.
is drawn up In such sweeping form as 10
become either ineffective or else mis-
chievous.
In the modern industrial world comhi-
nations are absolutely necessary: they are
necessary among business men. they are
necessary among laboring men, they are
becoming more and more necessary
among farmers, Some of these eumbina .
lions are among the most powerful of all
instruments for wrungdoing. Others Offer
the only effective way OF meeting actual
business needs II is mischieyous and un-
wholesome TO keep upon the statute books
unmodihed a Law, like the antitrust law.
which. while In practice only partially
effective against vicious combinations.
has nevertheless in theory been construed
so sweeplngly to prohibit every COM
bination for the transaction OF modern
business Some real good has resulted
Ia ft,,o