New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-04-28
TIE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

President Roosevelt has not given up the ldea
Of squirting the two houses of Congress 10
eleventh hour activity. The policy OF the lesis
Iative department thus far has been 10 e1hlDlt
a mastery inactivity and TO leave TO the ooh-
press TO be chosen next fall all announcement
legislative problems. Members of the lower
house are loath TO undertake new and impor-
tant legislation on the eve of nauonal cam
paien. having no absolute assurance as to the
effect of such legislation on their constituencies.
They are in ultra-conservadve temper ana
eager for an adjournment and while IN TINS
ten1per are not very amenable TO considerations
such as the President advances in support OF
his programme of definite and varied actlon-
We do not suppose that the President really
expects Congress to pass all or most OF uhe
measures which he enumerates ana DISCUSSES
He is only doing his duty, as he did in the case
of the four battleshps recommendation IN max
ing the strongest appeal he can make lot leels
lation and In placing responsibility for inaction
on the shoulders of the leaders In Congress lie
says that there is still some hope Of legislation
at this session providing for the compensation OF
federal employees suffering injury in the pubhc
service for the enforcement Of restrictions Oh
child labor in the District Of Columbia Tor the
continuation of the work of the Inland water
WAYS Commission. for an Investigation OF the
operation of the Din2lpy tariff law with view
10 amending the present schedules, ana for
similar investigation of our currency system
with a view TO simplifying and undermining IL
If all these measures can be passed, the record
of the present session will not be III danger OF
being condemned as skimped and barren Con
cress will at least have done a fair share OF
the work expected of it-as large share as
with its dispersed responsibility and It's many
conflicting wills to be harmonlZed, IL can per
hans. be logically expected 10 do in fulnimeht
Of the programmes held up 10 il as ideal 10y
party leaders or by party opinion
In what the President says about antl-nJuHc-
ton legislation and legislation modlfElhS ihe
Sherman antitrust law be is laying OASIS
for action AT the next session or in the next
Congress. rather than insisting on duty OF the
moment II is evident that these measures VIII
have 10 be thoroughly considered and that Con
Cress is not now in the proper mood 10 cohsider
Them 1t is generally recognized that the use
of the Injunction should be better guarded anu
the Senate recently passed by UNANIMOUS
vote 4 bill regulating more strictly the issue OF
iniunctions suspendng state laws. The power
Of Injunction should not be brought into con
tempt or disfavor by arbitrary or e3travagahI
use and the President is right In urging Con
cress TO throw safeguards around this judicial
1,rocess He is also right in desiring 10 make
the sherman antitrust law more of a help ana
less of a hindrance in the regulation OF compe-
tition among the instrumentalities Of interstate
commerce. The sherman law was drawn AT
time when the subject matter with when II
dealt had not been thoroughly explored and was
not well understood and it has hindered as well
as promoted the true aims of regulation. 1t
should he. and no doubt will he. modernlzed
the Presidents wise proYiso that we should
sanction neither a boycott nor a blacklist
(which would be illegal at common law being
always kept in mind. But that task is one
which this Congress is not inclined 10 undertake
and which il perhaps leave with advantage
10 a more confident and competent successor.