Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-03-26
PRESIDENT s
SPECIAL MESSAGE
Its Reading Yesterday Morning
Followed with Close Attention
in Both Houses.
TIME TO REVISE TARIFF
Advocates Appointment Of n Committee
to Conduct IN lnvcStiration-Cnl,s
for Employers Liability 40.
md Modification o. Shcr.
man Antitrust I.uv.

Washington. AIarch a special mos
sage from thc President was read in both
Houses of Congress- soon after couvoninato-
day and WAS closely followed In the House
/ the declaration that the time had come
| for revision Of the tariff elected hand
/ clappine on tho part of the democratic
members. Democratic approval also given
by way Of pounding desks to the sug-
seston that Congress could with ad-
ventagc forthwith remove the tariff or
wood pulp. with corresponding rcouc-
ton upon paper made from wood pulp
The republicans waited and confined their
applause to tho message as a whole.
: In the Senatr The message was received
without comment of any kind
IT, tn" Senate and House of Representa-
tivcs:
/ I call your attention to certain meas
ures as to which | think there should
h" action by The Congress before the
/ close Of the present session. There is
ample time for their considerations As
I regards most If not all of thc matters
bills have been 'ntroduced into one or
/ thc other OF tho Two houses, and It is not
too muCn to hope that action will be
taken one way or the other on these
bills at the present session In my mes
sage at the opening # the present scs-
/ sion, and, indeed in various messages to
previous congresses have repeatedly
i suggested 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. It is unfortunate
that in the one place solely dependc
upon Congress for its legislation there
should be no law whatever to protect
children by for id9ing e.. regulating their
, labor.
! | renew my Recommendation for the
immediate re-enactment of an employ
! ers' liability law. drawn to conform to
| the recent decision of the supreme court.
Within the limits Indicated by the court,
the law should be made thorough ana
! comprehensive. and the protection it af-
fords should embrace every class of en-
/ ploye to which the power Of tine Con
greSs can extend.
| In addition to liability law protecting
the employees Of common carriers. the
government should show it's good faith
hl enacting further law giving COM
pensation to its own employees for in
, jury or death incurred in it's service II
I is rcproach 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 in
dustral country Of tie world
also urge that action be taken along
the linc of the reoommenda tions | 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 is
sued should he heard by the court issuing
san within reasonable time say. not
to exceed a week or thereabouts from
the date when the order was issued. 1t
IS worth considering whether ii would
not give greater popular confidence in
the !mpartialty of sentences for con-
! tempt If it required that the issue should
be decided by another Judge than the
one issuing the injunction. except where
the contempt is committed in the pres
ence Of the court. or in other case Of ur-
gency
AMEND INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
ACT,
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 Commerce law
should be amended so as to give rail-
roads the right To- make traffic agree
ments. subject to these agreements he
ing approved by the Interstate 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
herea fter issued by railroads doing an
intersta tc-commercc business
law should he passed providing in
effect that when federal court deter
mines to place common carrier or other
public utility concern under the control
of Il roceivcrshp tn" attorney general
should have the right to nominate 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
necessitatcd the creation of the receiver
ship. Receivershps should he used not
to operate roads but as speedily
possible TO pay their debts and return
them to the proper owners
CHANGE ANTITRUST LAW.
In addition to the rei sons hav, al
ready urged on your attention, IT has
now become important that there should
be an amendment of the antitrust law
because of the uncertainty as to how
this law arec's combinations among la
bor men and farmers, II the combination
has any tendency t. restrict Interstate
commerce. All Of these combinations. IL
and while existing for and engaged IN
the promotion OF innocent and proper
purposes. should be recognized as legal.
As | have repeatedly pointed ont. this
antitrust law was a most unViselv
drawn statute II was pcrhaps noyit-
able that in feeling after the right
remedy the first attempts to provide such
should he crude ana il was absolutely
imperative that some Legislation should
be passed to control, In the interest Of