River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-04-02
In Special Message He Asks
the Passage of Several
Pending Bills.
WOULD AMEND TRUST LAWS
Believes Some Features of Present
Statues Are Obsolete and
Need Revising.
Would Prevent Both Blacklist and
Boycott-Sees Need of Tariff Re-
vision Commission and I'M
mediate Waterway Leg
slation.

vision Commission and I'M
mediate Waterway Leg
isIation.
Washington, Mar. 25.-The following
is the full text Of the presidents mes
sage sent to congress Wednesday,:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives: I call your attention to
certain measures as to which I think
there should be action by the congress
before the close of the present session.
There is ample time for their consider
alton. AS regards most If not all OF
the matters, bills have been intro
duced 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
session. In my message at the open
ing Of the present session, and, in
deed, in various messages to previous
congresses, I have repeatedly sug-
gested action on most of these meas
ures.
Child labor should be prohibited
throughout the nation. At least
model child-labor bill should be passed
for the District Of Columbia. 1t is
unfortunate that in the one place sole
ly dependent upon congress for its
legislation there should be no law
whatever to protect children by for
bidding or regulating their labor.
renew my recommendation for the
80
ers' liability law, drawn to conform to
the recent decision of the supremo
court. Within the limits indicated by
the court, the law should be made
thorough and comprehensive, and the
protection it affords should embrace
every class Of employe to which the
power of the congress can extend.
In addition to a liability law pro-
tecting the employees of common car
riers, the government should show it's
good faith by enacting a further law
giving compensation to it's own en-
ployes for injury or death incurred in
it's service. It is a reproach to us as
a nation that in both federal and state
legislation we have afforded less pro-
lection to public and private employees
than any other industrial country of
the world.
Injunction Legislation.
| also urge that action be taken
along the line of the recommendations
[ have already made concerning in
functions in labor disputes. No tenn
porary restraining order should be is
sued by any court without notice; and
the petition for permanent injunc-
ton upon which such temporary re-
straining order has been issued should
be heard by the court issuing the same
within a reasonable time-say, not to
exceed week or Whereabouts from the
date when the order was issued. 1t is
worth considering whether it would
not give greater popular confidence in
the impartiality Of sentences for con-
tempt if it was required that the issue
should be decided by another judge
than the one issuing the injunction,
except where the contempt is COM
mitted in the presence Of the court, or
in other case of urgency.
Rate Law Amendments.
I again call attention to the urgent
need Of amending the interstate COM
merce law and especially the antitrust
law along the lines indicated in my
last message. The interstate COM
merce law should be amended so az
to give railroads the right to mako
traffic agreements, subject to these
agreements being approved by the in
terstate commerce 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 de-
termines to place a common carrier
Or other public utility concern urder
the control of a receivership, the at
torney general should have the right
to nominate at least one of the receiv-
ers; or else in some other way the
interests of the stockholders should be
consulted, so that the management
may not be wholly re-delivered to the
man or men the failure of whose pol
icy may have necessitated the crea-
ton of the receivership. ReceiveFships
should be used, not to operate roads,
but as speedily as possible to pay their
debts and return them to the proper
owners.
Would Amend Antitrust Law.
In addition to the reasons have al
ready urged on your attention, it has
now become important that there
should be an amendment of the anti
rAAU " DfIMc IN nAPn lITHK