The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-12-12
LABOR RECOGNIZED IN j.
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS 5!
Workers Entitled to Greater
Share Than at Present Of
=. Wealth They Produce.
PROHIBIT CHILD LABOR
DIMINISH WOMAN LABOR
Legislate for Wage Workers by
Enacting Proper Employers
Liability Laws.

President Roosevelt's recent mes
sage to congress is, so far as we can
judge. the ablest state paper he has
ever produced. It should 20 far to-
wards directing the legislative efforts
OF congress into proper and logical
channels Of progress. His recommen-
dations with regard to a great many
Of the industrial questions Of the day
are attuned to the march of organized
labor.
There can be no doubt but the Pres
1dent realizes that the workers should
own far greater share than at pres
| ent OF the wealth they produce. The
following are his specific recommended
t1OnS on
The Labor Question.
There are many matters affecting
the status of the wageworker to which
| l should like to draw your attention
but an exhaustive discussion Of the
problem in all its aspects is not now
necessary. A blind ana ignorant re-
sistance to every effort for the reform
of abuses, and for the readtustment of
society to modern industrial conditions
represents not true conservatism, but
an incitement to the widest radical
| ism; for wise radicalism and wise con-
servatism go hand in hand, one bent on
progress, the other bent on seeing that
| no change Is made unless in the right
| direction.
Rights Of the Workers.
! L believe In a steady effort or per-
haps it would be more accurate to saw
IN steady efforts in many different d.
rections, to bring about a condition of
! affairs under which the men who work
| with hand Or with brain, the laborers.
the superintendents, the men who pro-
duce for the market and the men who
| lind a market for the article produced.
| shaIl own far greater share than at
present Of the wealth they produce,
and be enabled to invest it in the tools
and instruments by which all work ia
carried on. ~,.
| s.4. Principle Of Cooperation. :; : /.
I AS far as .possii,4le 4 hope to sae::s q
frank recognition OF . the advantages
conferred by machinery, Organization,
and division of labor, accompanied bv
an effort to bring about a larger share
IN the ownership by wageworkers of
railway, mill and factory. In farming.
this simply means that we wish to see
the farmer own his own land; we do
not wish to see the farms so large that
they become the property of absentee
landlords, who farm them by tenants
nor yet so. small that the farmer be-
comes like a European peasant. Again,
the deposttors in our savings banks
now number over one-tenth of our en-
| tire population. These are all capital
| lists, who through the savings banks
loan their money to the workers-that
Is, IN many cases to themselves-to
carry on their various industries. The
! more we Increase their number, the
more we introduce the principles to
cooperation into our industry. Every
increase in the number of small stock
holders In corporations is a good thing.
Tor the same reasons; and where the
employees are the stockholders the re-
suit is particularly good. Very much
OF this movement must be outside Of
anything that can be accomplished by
legislation; but legislation can do a,
good deal.
Postal Savings Banks,
Postal savings banks will make It
easy for the poorest to keep their saw
ings in absolute safety. The regulation
! OF the national highways must be such
| that they shall serve all people with
| equal Justice. Corporate finances must
ibe supervised, so as to make it far
safer than at present for the man of
small means to invest his money in
stocks.
Child and Woman Labor.
| There must be prohibition of child
labor, diminution of woman labor.
shortening OF hours of all mechanical
labor; stock watering should be pro-
hlbited land stock gambling, so far as
Ia possible, discouraged. There should
be a progressive tax on large fortunes.
Industrial education should. be en-
couraged. AS far as possible we
should tighten the burden of taxation
on the small man. We, should put g.
premium upon thrift, hard work and
business energy; but these qualities
cease to be the main factors in accum-
ulating fortune long before that for
tune reaches a point where It would be
seriously affected by any inheritance
tax such as I propose. It is eminently
right that the nation should fix the
terms upon which the great fortunes
are inherited. They rarely do good,
and they often do harm to those who
inherit them in their entirety. -
Employers' Liability Law. .'
| "But there Is one matter with which
the congress should deal at this ses-
sion. 4 @,,. s'.,. n. I? =.
There should no longer be any pail
tering with the question Of taking care
Of the wageworkers who, under. our
present industrial system, become
killed, crippled or worn out as part OF
the regular incidents OF a. given busi-
ness. M I. z s.1. Y 81 s.@j ss5 !;
The majority OF wageworkers must
have their rights secured for them BY