Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-01-31
BETTER RELATIONS FOR
CAPITAL AND LABOR
Corporations and Public Must Also
Be in sympathy Continue
Efforts to Secure National
HOneSty--UphOldS
His Work.

Washington, d. c, Jan. al
President Roosevelt today TRANSMIT
ted a special message to congress
asking for the enactment OF leglsId-
zion which will pave the way for
better relations between capital ana
labor and between corporations and
the public He upholdS the aufhlhiS
tratlon's work in the prosecution Oh
corporations and denies this caused
the recent financial panic
When the message reached the
senate there were but few members
present The message was at once
read ana copies were distributed
Most of the senate present, after a
glance at the document, went on
With other business. When striking
paragraphs were read they looked
around and exchanged slhlles' IN
man seemed pleased with the docu-
y,ent and Lafollete paid careful at
tention to 1t.
Tbe message was listened to with
intense interest in the house and at
its conclusion Senator Davis moved
that 10. 900 copies be printed. II Is
tbe hest democratic document l have
heard emanating from republican
ried.
Az the reading progressed audible
comments such as Most unusual.
..Red hot" were heard and at tne
conclusion the members, without re-
gard to party applauded Loudly
tbumned their desks and gave other
evidences of approval.
The message Is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
THE recent decision Of the su-
nreme court in regard to the employ
ers' liability act, the experience ol
,oa interstate commerce commission
and the department or Justice in en-
forcing the interstate commerce ano
ANTITRUST laws, and the gravely sig
nificant attitude toward the law ano
its administration recently adopted
NV certain heads of great corpora
tions render 1t desirable that there
should ne additional legislation a.
regards certain OF the relations be-
tween labor and capital, ana De
tween the great corporations and th'
public. .,5oi
The supreme court has declue'
+oe employers' liability law to be uh
constitutional because its terms t'
emnlovees engaged wholly in lntra
state commerce as well as TO EN-
ployees engaged in interstate com
merce. BY substantial ha1orlt'
the court holds that the congress
has power to deal with the quest'oI
,n so far as interstate commerce.
concerned.
Reenact the Law.
As regards the employers liablht!
law. advocate its immediate reeh
actment. limiting its scope so that
shall apply only to the class
cases as to which the court says
can constitutionally apply pu
strengthening its provisions wlthn
this scope Interstate employment
being thus covered by an adequat
natfonal law, the field Of interstat
amployment will be left to the ac
+ion of the several states. With TN
clear definition OF responsibility IN
states will undoubtedly give to IN
performance of tnelr duty wlthl
,batr field the consideration the I'm
nortance Of the subject demands.
also very urgently advise that
commemorative act De passed PROVO
ing for compensation py the govern
,nent to all employees injured in IN
government service. Under the pres
ent law an injured workman in IN
employment of the government ma
no remedy, and the entire bnrue
of the accident falls on the helples
man. his wife, and his young en-
dren This is an outrage. II IS ma
ter Of humiliation to the nation tina
there should not be on our statul
hooks provision to meet and parua
Nv TO atone for cruel mistortun
when il comes upon a man throug
no fault of his own while falthfuli
serving the public. In no otht
nrorninent industrial country in n
world could such gross Injustice o'
cur. for almost all civilized nauoT
have enacted legislation embodyln
the complete recognition OF the prli
ciple which places the entire trad
risk for industrial accidents (exclul
ing. Of course, accidents due TO VII
ful misconduct by the employer O
zhe industry as represented by u
employer. which in this case Is u
government. In all these counrh
the principle applies to the govern
ment Just as much as TO the prlNa
employer. Under no circumstanc
should the injured employee or h