The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-04-02
ROOSEVELT AGAIN
PETITIONS CONGRESS
President Sends Special Mes
sage to Congress-, Urging
Legislation.
POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS
On This and Other Important Matters,
Executive Renews His Recommen-
dations--For Permanent
Waterways Commission.

Washington, March 95.-Emphatically
1 urging action on the important legisla-
tive matters before 1t, including tariff
revision, the Sherman antitrust law.
the currency measures and the labor
problems. President Roosevelt today
sent to congress another special mes
sage.
| The president devotes most Of his at
| tentior to the proposed amendment of
| the Sherman antitrust law making
some important suggestions as TO it's
| revision.
Message in Full.
The message In full follows:
| To the Senate and House Of Representa-
| tives:
call your attention to certain measures
as to which think there should be action
! by the congress before the close of the
| present session. There Is ample time for
Tnsr E oS tbe AS rreSardhs oet If
| introduced into one or the other of the
| two houses, and IT Is not too much to
, hope that action will be taken one way or
| the other on these bills at the present ees-
| sion. In my message at the opening OF the
present session, and, indeed, in various
messages to previous congresses, ! have
4
| these measures.
Child labor should be prohibited through
1 out the nation. At least n model child
! labor bill should be passed for the District
[ Of Columbia. 1t is unfortunate that In the
I one place solely dependent upon congress
for ITS legislation there should be no law
whatever to protect children by forbid
| ding or regulating their labor.
renew my recommendation for the i'm
| mediate re-enactment OF employers
liability law, drawn to conform to the re-
cent n hn
| In the limits indicated by the court the
| law should be made thorough and COM
| prehensive, and the protection 1t affords
| should embrace every class Of employe TO
tend
In addition to a liability law protecting
ernment should show its good faith by en-
acting further law giving compensation
to its own employees for injury or death
es nation ths bots ses
| state legislation we have afforded less pro-
| lection to public and private employees
than any other Industrial country of the
As to Iniunctions.
also urge that acton be taken along
the hne OF the recommendations have al
Dor disputes. No temporary restraining
order should be issued by any court with.
Out notice; and the petition for q perma-
nent Injunction upon which such ternpor-
ary restraining order has been issued
should be heard by the court issuing the
same within a reasonable time-say, not
70 exceed week or thereabouts from the
GATE when the order was issued 1t Is
worth considering whether II would not
give greater popular confidence in the i'm
partiality OF sentences for contempt II It
was required that the issue should be de-
clded by another judge than the one is-
suing the injunction, except where the
contempt Is committed in the presence OF
the court or In other case Of urgency
I L again call attention to the urgent need
OF amending the interstate commerce law
and especially the antitrust law along
the lines indicated In my last message
The interstate commerce law should he
amended 80 as to give railroads the right
70 make traffic agreements, subject TO
{nese agreements being approved by the
interstate Commerce commission and pub-
hshed In all Of their details. The com
mission should also be given the power to
make public and to pass upon the issu-
business.
4 A law should be passed providing IN ef-
rect that when a federal court determines
to place common carrier or other public
utility concern under the control of a re-
Icefvership, the attorney general should
have the right to nominate at least one
OF the receivers: or else In some other
way the interests Of the stockholder.
should be consulted, so that the manage
ment may not be wholly redelivered to
the man or men the failure Of whose policy
may nave necessitated the creation OF the
receiverships. Receivcrships should be
USED. not to operate roads, but as speedily
as possible to pay their debts and re turn
them to the proper owners
Amend Anti Trust Law.
In addition to the reasons have already
urged on your attention, II has now be-
come important that there should be an
amendment Of the antitrust law becs ,Jse
of the uncertainty as to how this law AT
fects combinations among labor men and
farmers IL the combination has any tend
ency to restrict interstate commerce. All
OF these combinations, II and while exist
ing for and engaged in the promotion OF
innocent and proper purposes, should be
recognized as legal. As have repea tedly
pointed out, this antitrust law was a
| most unwisely drawn statute. 1t was per
haps inevitable that IN feeling after the
right remedy the first attempts to provide
| such should be crude and II was absolute
ly imperative that some legislation should
be passed TO control, in the interest of the
public, the business use of the enormous
aggregatlons of corporate wealth that are
so marked feature Of the modern indus
trial world. But the present antitrust
law, In its construction and work ng has
exemplified only too well the kind of iegis-
lation which, under the guise of being
thoroughly going, Is drawn up In such
sweeping form as to become either inef-
fective or else mtschieyous.
In the modern industrial world combin
ations are absolutely necessary; they are
necessary among business men, they are
| necessary among labor!ng men, they are
| eecofnlnB more ana more necessary among
| farmers. Some of these combinations a re
among the most powerful of all instru-
ments for wrongdoing. Others offer the
only effective way of meeting actual bust
ness needs. II is mischievous and un-
wholesome to keep upon the statute books
unmodined law. Ike the antitrust law
| which, while in practice only partially ef,
fect!ve against vicious combinations, has
nevertheless In theory been construed 40
| as sweepfngly to prohibit every combina
| ton for the transaction OF modern buai-
ness. Some real good has resulted from,
| tins law But the time has come when N