Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-26
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

washington Marcn ga SpeclG
| message from the President was rea
in both Houses of Congress soon afte
converting today and in both it wa
closely followed.
In the House the declaration that tn
| time had come for q revision of tn
tariff elected hand clapping on tn
| part of Democratic members. Demo
cratic approval was also given by wa
| OF pounding desks to the suggestion
that Congress could with advantag
forthwith remove the tariff On WOO,
pulp. with corresponding reduction
on paper made from wood pulp TIL
| Republicans waited and confined thei
applause to the message as a whole
In the Senate the message was re
ceived without comment of any kind
The message follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
l call your attention to certain meas
ures as to which I thin, Their,
should be action by the Con
Sress before the close of the pres.
ent session. There is ample tim,
for their consideration. AS regard.
most il not all of the matters, bill,
have been introduced into one or tho
too much to hope that action will be
taken one way IT the other on these
bills at the present session. In my
message at the opening Of the presen,
session, and indeed, in various mes
sages TO previous Congresses, l have
repeatedly suggested action on most
of these measures.
Chile labor should be prohibited
throughout the Nation At least a
model child-labor bill should be passed
for the District of Columbia. It is I'M
fortunate that III the one place solely
dependent upon Congress for its legis-
lation there should be no law whatever
to protect children by forbidding or
regulating their labor.
l renew my recommendation for the
immediate reenactment of an employ
ers' liability law. drawn to conform 10
the recent decision of the Supreme
Court. Within the limits indicated by
thorough and comprehensive, and the
protection it affords should embrace
every class of employee to which the
pove of the Congress can extend.
In addition to a liability law protect
ing the employees of common carriers,
the Government should show It's good
faith by enacting a further law giving
compensation to its own employees for
injury or death incurred in its service.
1t is reproach to us as a Nation that
in both Federal and State legislation
we have afforded less protection to
public and private employees than any
other industrial country of the world.
1 also urge that action he taken along
the line of the recommendation l have
already made concerning injunctions in
labor disputes. No temporary restrain
ing order should be issued by any court
without notice and the petition for a
permanent injunction upon which such
temporary restraining order has been
issued should be heard by the court
issuing the same within a reasonable
timc-say not to exceed week or there
ahouts from the date when the order
was issued. 1t is worth considering
whether it would not give greater pop
ular confidence in the impartiality Of
sentences for contempt if it was re-
quired that the issue should he decid-
ed 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.
l again call attention to the urgent
need Of amending the intersta ,c-com-
merce law and especially the antitrust
law along the lines indicated in my last
The interstate-commer law
should be amended 50 as to give rail-
roads the right to make traffic agree.
ments, subject to these agreements be-
ing approved by the Interstate Com
merce Commission and published in all
Of their details. The Commission
should also be given the power to make
public and to pass upon the issuance
of all securities hereafter issued by
railroads doing an interstate-commerce
business
A law should be passed providing in
effect that when a Federal court deter
hines to place common carrier or
other public utility concern under the
control Of receivership, the Attorney
General should have the right to nomi-
nate at least one of the receivers or
else in some other way the interests
Of the stockholders should be consulted,
SO that the management may not be
wholly redelivered to the man or men
the failure of whose policy may have
necessitated the creation of the receiv-
ership Receiverships should be used,
not to operate roads, but as speedily
as possible to pay their debts and re-
turn them to the proper owners
In addition to the reasons I have al
ready urged on your attention, it has
now become important that there
should be an amendment of the anti
trust law, because Of the uncertainty
as to how this law affects combinations
among labor rnen and farmers, if the
combination has any tendency to re-
strict interstate commerce. All Of these
if and while existing for
Continued on Page Twelve)