Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1908-05-01
GIVES ADVICE
TO CONGRESS
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SENDS A
SHORT MESSAGE TO
THAT BODY.
LEGISLATION is NEEDED
To Make Antitrust Law Stronger
Postal Savings Banks lndorsed--
Power Of Injunction Should
Be Curbed.

Washington, d. c. Following Is
the message sent to congress on Mon
day by President Roosevelt:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
In my message to congress of March
%, 1908, / outlined certain measures
which l believe the majority of our
countrymen desire to have enacted in
to law at this time. These measures
do not represent by any means all
that l would like to see done If
thought it possible, but they do repre-
sent what I believe can now be done
IL an earnest effort toward this end
is made.
Since / wrote this message an en-
ployers' liability law has been enacted
which, 1t is true, comes short OF what
ought to have been done, but which
does represent real advance. ,p Ap-
parently there is good ground to hope
that there wfif be further legislation
providing for recompensing all EN-.
ployes who suffer injury while en-.
gagged in the public service; that there
will be child labor law enacted for
the District of Columbia; that the
waterways commission will be contin.
ued with sufficient financial support to
increase the effectiveness of it's pre-.
paratory work; that steps will be
taken to provide for such investiga.
ton into tariff conditions, by the ap.
propriate committee of the house OF
representatives and by government ex.
perts in the executive service, as will
secure the full information necessary
for immediate action in revising the
tariff at the hands of the congress
a1n fo11
financial legislation will be enacted
providing for temporary measures for
meeting any trouble that may arise in
the next year or two, and for com.
mission of experts who shall thorough.
ly investigate the whole matter, so as
to be able to recommend legislation
which will put our financial system
on an efficient and permanent basis.
1t is much to be wished that one fea-
ture of the financial legislation of this
session should be the establishment of
postal savings banks. Ample appro-
priation should be made to enable the
interstate commerce commission 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 will enable the commits
sion to examine the books of the rail-
ways would amount to an attack on
the law at its most vital point, and
would benefit, as nothing else could
benefit, those railways which are cor
ruptly managed. Forest reserves
should be established throughout the
Appalachian Mountain region wher-
ever it can be shown that they will
have a real connection with the i'm
provement of navigable rivers.
There seems, however, much doubt
about two of the measures have rec
commended: the measure to do away
with the abuse of the power of injunc-
ton and the measure to strengthen
and render both more efficient and
more wise the control by the national
government over the great corpora
tions doing an interstate business.
First, as to the power of injunction
and of punishment for contempt. In
contempt cases, save where immediate
action is imperative, the trial should
be before another judge. AS regards
injunctions, some such legislation as
that / have previously recommended
should be enacted.
Every farsighted patriot should pro-
test against the growth in this coun-
try of that evil thing which is called
"class consciousness" The dema, |
gogue, the sinister or foolish socialist |
visionary who strives to arouse this !
feeling of class consciousness in our
working people, does a foul and evil |
thing; for he is no true American, he |
is no self-respecting citizen of this |
republic, he forfeits his right to stand |
with manly self-reliance on footing |
of entire equality with other citizens, |
who bows to envy and greed, who |
erects the doctrine of class hatred into |
shibboleth, who substitutes loyalty |
to men of particular status, whether |
rich or poor, for loyalty to those eter. |
nal principles of righteousness which |
bid us treat each man on his worth |
as man without regard to his wealth |
or his poverty. But evil though the |
influence of these demagogues is, 1t is
no worse in its consequences than the |
influence exercised by the man of
great wealth or the man of power |
and position in the Industrial world, |
who by his lack of sympathy with, |
and lack of understanding of, still |
more by any exhibition of uncompro-
missing hostility to the millions of our
working people, tends to unite them |
against their fellow-Americans who |
are better off in this worlds goods.
The strengthening of the antitrust |
law is demanded upon both moral and |
economic grounds. Our purpose in
1t is to secure more
effective control by the national gov
ernment over the business use of the
vast masses of individual, and espe-
cially of corporate wealth.
Farmers Oppose the West Bill.