Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-03-26
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WASHINGTON, March 2

President Roosevelt today sent an
other special message to congress in
which he calls attention tn certain
measures upon which lie thinks there
should be action before the close Of
the present session. The message, in
part, is as follows:
PROHIBIT CHILD LABOR.
"Ohild labor should be prohibited
throughout the nation. At least Il
model child labor bill should .be pass
ed for the District of Columbia. re-
new my recommendation for the i'm
mediate re-enactment of an employ
ers' liability law. In addition to the
liability law protecting the employees
of common carriers, the government
should show its good faith by enact
ing q further law giving compensa-
tion to its employees for injury or
death incurred in its service.
STRIKES ARE LEGAL.
1t is important that we should en-
courage trade agreements between en-
ployer and employe where they are
Just and fair. A strike is a clumsy
weapon for righting wrongs done to
labor, and we should extend, so far as
possible, the process of Cancellation
and arbitration as a substitute for
strikes. Moreover, violence, disorder,
and coercion, when committed in con-
nection with strike, should be as
promptly and as sternly repressed as
when committed in any other connec-
tion. But strikes themselves are, and
should be, recognized to be entirely
legal. The business man must be pro-
tected in person and property, and so
and as regards all alike, the right of
peaceful combination for all lawful
purposes should be explicitly recognize
ed. The right Of employers to combine
and contract with one another and
with their employees should be expli-
city recognized: and so should the
right Of the employees to combine and
to contract with one another and with
the employers, and to seek peaceably
to persuade others to accept their
views, and to strike for the purpose OF
peaceably obtaining from employers
satisfactory terms for their labor.
Nothing should be done to leglaize
either a blacklist or boycott that
would be illegal at common law.
FINANCE AND TARIFF.
1.-THE question of financial legislation
is now receiving such attention in
both houses that we have q right to
except action before the close of the
session. 1t is urgently necessary that
there should be, and indeed must be,
action should be taken to to establish
postal savings banks.
1.-The time has come when we should
prepare for a revision of the tariff
This should be, aud indeed must be,
preceded by careful investigation. II
is peculiarly the province of the con-
gress and not Of the president. and in
deed peculiarly the province of the
house of representatives, to originate
tariff bill and to determine upon its
terms; and this fully realize. Yet it
seems to me that before the close OF
this session provision should be made
for collecting fu Il material which will
enable the congress elected next fall
to act immediately after it comes into
existence. am of the opinion, how
ever, that one change in the tariff
could with advantage be made forth
with. Our forests need every protec-
tion, ann one method of protecting
them would be TO put upon the free
at wood pulp, with a corresponding
reduction upon paper made from wood
pulp, when they come from any oouu-
try that does not pat an expor. duty
upon them. -