The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-12-10

there shall be substituted . Law
which shall expressly permit combi.
nations which are in the interest oil
the public. but shall at the same
time give to some agency Of the
National Government full power oil
control and supervision over them
One If the chief features OF this con.
troll should be securing entire pub
Iicity In all matters which the public
has a right TO know. and further.
more. the power, not By judicial but
By executive action, 10 prevent OIL
put a stop TO every form of improper
favoritism or wrong-doing.
Labor.
There are many matters affecting
labor and the status of the wage
worker to which / should like tC
draw your attention, but an exhaus
tive discussion of the problem in al
its aspects Is not now necessary
This administration is nearing its
end; and, moreover, under our form
of government the solution of the
problem depends upon the action oil
the State as muhc as upon the actor
of the nation. Nevertheless, there
are certain considerations which
wish to set before you, because
hope that our people will more and
more keep them in mind. A blind
and ignorant resistance to every eff
fort fer the reform of abuses and
for the readjustment of society tC
modern industrial conditions repre-
sents not true conservatism but ar
Indictment to the widest radicalism
for wise radicalism and wise con.
servatism go hand in hand, one bent
on progress, the other bent on seeing
that no change is made unless In
the right direction. l believe in a
steady effort, or perhaps it would
be more accurate to say in steady
efforts in many directions, to bring
about a condition of affairs under
which the men who work with hand
or with brain, the laborers, the su,
perintendents, the men who produce
for the market and the men who find
a market for the articles produced
shall own a far greater share than
at present of the wealth they pro.
duce, and be enabled to invest it In
the tools and instruments by which
all work is carried on. AS far as
possible | hope to see a frank recog-
milton of the advantages conferred
by machinery, organization, and di.
vision of labor, accompanied by an
effort to bring about a larger share
in the ownership by wageworker OF
railway, mill, and factory. In farm
ing, this simply means that we wish
to see the farmer own his own land
We do not wish to see the farms sc
large that they become the property
of absentee landlords who farm them
by tenants, nor yet so small that the
farmer becomes like a European
peasant.
Postal Savings Bank.
Postal savings banks will make il
easy for the poorest to keep theil
savings in absolute safety. The reg
ulation of the national highway:
must be such that they shall serve
all people with equal justice Cor
porate finances must be SUPERVISED
so as to make it far safer than a
present for the man of small mean
to invest his money in stocks. Their,
must be prohibition of child labor
diminution of woman labor, shorten
ing of hours of all mechanical labor
Protection for Wageworkers.
The above is the merest sketch
hardly even a sketch in outline, O
the reforms for which we shout
| work. But there is one matter wit
| which the Congress should deal a
| this session. There should no long
er be any paltering with the questio
of taking care of the wageworker
who, under our present industria
system, become killed, crippled, o
worn out as a part of the regula
incidents of a given business. TIL
majority of wageworkers must hav
their rights secured for them b
State action; but the National Coy
eminent should 1egislate in tho1
ough-going and far-reaching fashio
not only for all employees of tn
National Government, but for a
persons engaged in Interstate con
merce. The object sought for coul
be achieved to measurable degre,
as far as those killed or crippled al
concerned, by proper employers liz
bility laws. AS far as concerns thos
who have been worn out, I call you
attention to the fact that definii
steps toward providing o1d-age pei
sions have been taken in many {
our private industries. These ma
be indefinitely extended through vo
untary association and contributor
schemes, or through the agency I
savings banks, as under the recel
Massachusetts plan.
Remedy Delays in the Administer
ton of Justice.
/ 1t is certainly to be desired tn;
some method should be devised (,
doing away with long delays whie
now obtain in the administration
justice, and which operate with D
culiar severity against persons
small means, and favor only the vel
criminals whom it is most desirab
to punish. These long delays in tt
|, final decisions of cases make in tt
, aggregate a crying evil; and a rer
edy should be devised. Much of til