The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-02-08
A Special Message.

President Roosevelt had weakened in the presence
of financial disaster and the approaching presiden-
tial election were mistaken.
The Presidents December Message to congress was
lacking in those Rooseveltian qualities to which the
public had been accustomed and he has since been
suspected of temporizing with the enemy whom ne
had so vigorously attacked in the courts and the
forum, having in view the favors that would help
in fixing the succession on tavor1te member OF
his cabinet
Tn thus passing Judgment on the executive head
of the nation sentiment in error, tor MI KooSe-
ve1ts special message of last week to Congress is
brst1ing with the old spirit of hostility to wrong
doors in high places to the representatives OF preda-
torv wealth and to all the combinations OF corpora
ton power that resist the enforcement OF laws
through which the public may be protected against
their encroaChmentS.
The President addressed himself to Congress on
the EMPLOYERS liability act recently rendered IN
nocuous bv the Federal Supreme Court on 1nJunc-
tions in labor cases and Federal control OF cor
porations These formed the text
The discourse took wide range and without mercy
he assaulted all the interests that banded to-
pether in resistance to the executive authorlV'
Smartinq under the assaults of what he deslgnates
certain great moneyed interests" upon his pollceS
through newspaper advertisements that covered the
entire country Mr. Roosevelt reaffrmed his poll
ces and dashed his enemies with the nne-str1nged
whip of official censure.
Assuming that the Supreme Court, IN declaring
unconstitutional the employers liability act also nelu
that Congress had power to deal with the suDJect
in its interstate phase, he recommended the re-eh
actment of the law with its application confined to
interstate employment leaving the intrastate held
to state jurisdiction He urged also provision LOT
the adequate compensation of those employees OF
the government who might become the victims OF
accident while in the performance OF their duties
Touching upon the subject of lnunct1ons by courts
in their application to organized labor the President
commended the cautious use OF that unqueSuolleu
nrerogatve of the courts. He was OF the OPINION
tbouolr that it was all wrong ito the injunction
70 nrevent the entirely proper and legitimate actions
of labor organizations in their struggle tor indus
trial betterment; or under the guiSe OF protecting
property rights unwarrantly, to invade the 1uhda-
mental rights of the individual"
Strongly in accord with humane public judgment
is Mr. Roosevelt on this subject. For years organ
lied labor has been appealing to an unresponsWe
Congress- to do that which the President now asks
of Congress.
Under the heading of Federal control OF corpora
tions the author of the special message opened MS
batteries on the law defying organizations, on the
men and the newspapers that have charged the IL
nancia1 troubles of the country to his EFFORTS 10 en-
force the laws and on those who imagine that Ill
gotten wealth will protect them from the processes
of Justice Mr. Roosevelt said:
The apologists of successful dishonesty always de-
claim against any effort to punish or prevent It,
on the ground that any such effort will unsettle
business" 1t is they who by their acts have I'M
settled business; and the very men raising this cry
spend hundreds of thousands Of dollars in securing
speech. EDITORIAL book, pamphlet, the defense by
by measurements of what they have done; and yet
when public servants correct their msstatements by