The Washington herald., 1908-04-28


munication of the same general tenor
within three months. was sent to the
Senate and the House late yesterday by
President Roosevelt.
Most Of the message is taken up in a
statement Of reasons why Congress
should enact laws restricting the power
OF injunction and amending the Sherman
antitrust law so as to permit combina-
tions under specified restrictions.
It was on January 81 that the Presi-
dent sent 10 Congress the sensational
message in which legislation was urged
in emphatic terms and wealthy male
factors" were arraigned in words that
fairly sizzled. On March Is the President
sent another special message TO Con-
gress. It was a modest little AFFAIR of
less than 5000 words, and embodied an
epitome of what had been said in the
sensational document of January 81.
minus the red-hot objections and torrid
figures Of speech.
Predicts Much Legislation.
The message sent in yesterday. in fun.
is as follows:
ITO the Senate and House of Represent
atives: In my message 70 the Congress
Of March S. 1903, / outlined certain meas
ures which I believe the majority of our
countrymen desire to have enacted into
law at this time. These measures do not
represent by any means all that I would
Ike to see done If ! thought it pos
sibie, but they do represent what be-
leve can now be done if an earnest effort
toward this end is made.
Since I wrote this message an employ
ers' liability law has been enacted which.
It is true, comes short Of what ought 10
have been done, but which does represent
a real advance. Apparently there is good
ground 10 hope that there will be further
legislation providing for recompensing all
employees who suffer injury while engaged
in the public service; that there will be a
child-labor law enacted for the District
Of Columbia; that the Waterways Com
mission viii be continued with sufficient
financial support 10 increase the effective
ness Of its preparatory work; that steps
viii be taken TO provide Tor such inves-
tigation into tariff conditions. by the ap-
propriate committee of the House Of Rep
resentatives and by government experts
in executive service as will secure the
full information necessary for immediate
action in revising the tariff at the hands
Of the Congress elected next fall; and.
finally, that financial legislation will be
enacted providing for temporary meas
ures for meeting any trouble that may
arise in the next year or two, and for a
commission OF experts who shall thor
Oughly investigate the whole matter. both
here and In the great commercial coun-
tries abroad, so as to be able TO recon-
mend legislation which will put our
financial system on an efficient and per-
manent basis,
Wants Postal Bank Law
It is much to be wished that one feature
of the financial legislation Of this session
should be the establishment Of postal
savings banks.
Ample appropriation should be made
10 enable the Interstate Commerce Com
mission TO carry out the very important
feature Of the Hepburn law which gives
TO the commission supervision and con-
troll over the accounting systems of the
railways. Failure to provide means
which VIII enable the commission 10 ex-
anime the books of the railways would
amount 10 an attack on the law at its
most vital point and would benefit as
nothing else could benefit, those railways
which are corruptly or incompetently
managed
Forest reserves should be established
throughout the Appalachian Mountain re-
gion wherever it can be shown that they
will have a direct and real connection
with the conservation and Improvement
OF naYigable rivers
Not Hopeful for These.
There seems. however. much doubt
about two Of the measures I have rec
commended: the measure TO do away with
abuse of the power OF injunction and the
measure or group of measures to
strengthen and render both more efficient
and more wise the control by the na-
tionaI government over the great cor
porations doing an interstate business.
and OF punishment for contempt In
contempt cases. save where immediate
action is imperative, the trial should be
before another judge. As regards in
functions. some such legislation as that
i have previously recommended should
be enacted. They are blind who fail to
realize the extreme bitterness caused
among large bodies Of worthy citizens by
the use that has been repeatedly made OF
the power Of injunction in labor dis
putes. Those in whose judgment we
have most right 10 trust are Of the opln-
ion that while much of the complaint
against the use of the injunction is un-
warranted, yet that it Is unquestionably
true that in a number of cases this
power has been used to the grave injury
OF the rights of laboring men. I ask that
It be limited in some such way as that
l have already pointed out in my pre-
vious messages, for the very reason that
1 do not wish to see an embittered effort
made to destroy It,
Declares Delay UnvvIse
1T is unwise stubborniy to refuse to
provide against a repetition of the abuses
which have caused the present unrest.
In a democracy Ike ours It is idle to ex-
pect permanently to thwart the deter
mination of the great body of our citi-
zens II may be and often is the highest
duty of a court, a legislature, OF an ex-
ecutive. to resist and defv gust of popu-
lar passion; and most certainly no public
servant, whatever may be the conse-
quences to himself should yield TO what
he thinks wrong. But ina question which
is emphatically one of public policy. the
policy which the public demands is sure
in the end to be adopted; and a persistent
refusal 10 grant To a large portion or cur
people what is right is only too apt in
the end TO result i'm causing such irrita-