Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-12-11

~ siNe an account OF lts exercise 10 inc
THE LABOR PROBLEM. Y
There are many matters affecting labor
and the status of the wage worker to
which l should like to draw your atten-
ton, but an exhaustive discussion of the
necessary, This administration is near
ing It's end; and, moreover, under our
problem depends upon the action of the
states as much as upon the action of the
nation. NEVERTHELESS. there are certain
you. because l hope that our people will
more and more keep them in mind. A
effort for the reform of abuses and for
the readJustment Of society to modern
industrial conditions represents not true
conSerVatism but an Indictment 10 inc
widest TadiCalism; for wise radiCalisn
and wise conservatism go hand in hand,
one bent on progress, the other bent on
seeing that no change is made unless in
the right direction. | believe in a steady
effort, or perhaps it would be moro &C
Curate to say in steady efforts in many
different directions, to bring about a con-
dttlon OF affairs under which the men who
ers, the su"perintendents. the men who pro
duce for the market and the men who
find a market for the articles produced,
shall own a far greater share than at
present of tho wealth they produce, and
be enabled to invest 1t in the tools and
instruments by which all work is carried
AS far as possible 1 hope to see a frank
recognition OF the advantages conferred
by machinery, organization, and division
OF labor, accompanied by an effort to
bring about a larger share in the owner,
ship by wage worker of railway, mill and
factory. In farming, this simply means
that we wish to see the farmer own his
farms so large that they become the
property of absentee landlords who farm
hem by tenants: nor yet SO small that
peasant. Again, the depositors in our
savings banks now number over one
tenth OF our entire, population. These
inGs banks loan their money to the work
ers-that is, in many cases to them
trics. The more we increase their NUM-
Der, the more we introduce the principles
increase In the number of small stock
holders in corporations is a good thing.
for the same reasons; ard where the
is particularly good. Very much of this
movement must be outside of anything
that can be accomplished by legislation:
but legislation can do a good deal. Post
al savings banks will make it easy for
a ahs P2ors ssfct TO kTe66e e r thelF SaY'H of th 5n
national highways must be such that
they shall serve all people with equal
justice.
Corporate finances must be supervised
SO as to make 1t far safer than at pres
ent for the man of small means to In.
be prohibition of child labor, diminution
Of woman labor. shortening of hours of
should be prohibited and stock gambling
SO far as is possible discouraged. There
ol1'I large pc fo a RTosieSI Indust iiilaiI't edncation
should be encouraged. AS far as pos
sible we should tighten the burden OF
put a premium upon thrift, hard work,
and business energy; but these qualities
lating a fortune long before that for
tune reaches a point where 1t would be
seriously affected by any Inheritance tax
that the nation should fix the terms upon
which the great fortunes are inherited.
They rarely do good and they often do
entirety.
Protection for Wage Workers.
The above is the merest sketch, hardly
for which We should work. But there is
one matter with which the congress
should deal at this session. There should
no longer be any palterinS with the qucS-
ton Of taking care of the wage workers
who. under our present industrial system.
part of the regular incidents of a given
business. The majority of wage workers
must have their rlghts secured Tor mem
ment should legislate in thoroughgoing
and far reaching fashion not only for all
for all persons engaged in interstate
commerce.. The object sought for could
far as those killed or crippled are con
cerned, by proper employers liability
laws. As far as concerns those wh9 have
the fact that definite steps toward pro-
viding old age pensions have been taken
may be indefinitely extended through
voluntary association and contribu tory
i TeRsT bank or as anr Under fh the a re e Nj Ma say
chusetts plan. To strei1s then these prac-
teal measures should be our immediate
duty: 1t is not at present necessary to
consider the larger and more general
governmental schemes that most Euro
pean governments have found themselves
Obliged to adopt.
Pending a ~thoroughgoing investigation
and action there is certain legislation
law, passed at the last session of the
congress-. granting compensation to Ger
m raan e' shouid q be et extendsd u to si include all
employees of the government and should
be made more liberal in its terms. There
made In the law between those engaged
In hazardous occupations and those not
in any line of work. it was hazardous in
his case. Whether one per cent or 10
per cent of those following. a given occu-
patton actually suffer injury or death
ought not to have any bearing on the
question Of their receiving compensation.
one killed that he or they are entitled to
no compensation because very lew people
other than he have been injured or killed
in that occupation. Perhaps one of the
most striking omissions in the law is
that il does not embrace peace officers
and others whose lives may be sacrificed
in enforcing the laws of the United
States. The terms of the act providing
c~ompenSation should be made more lib
eral than in the present act. A years
compensation is not adequate for a wage
earner's family in the event of his death
by accident in the course, of his employ
ment. And in the event of death
occurring. say. 10 or II months after the
accident, the family would Only receive
as compensation the equivalent of. one
or two months earnings. In this respect
towards its employees compares most I'M
favorably with that of every country in
Europe-even the poorest.
I renew my recommendation made in
a previous message that half holidays be
granted during summer to all wage work
ers in government employ.
I also renew my recommendation, that
the principle of the eight hour day should
as rapidly and as far as practicable be
extended to the entire work being carried
on by the government; the present law
should be amended to embrace contracts
on those public works which the present
wording Of the act seems to exclude.
+ THE COURTS. n
7 most earnestly urge upon the congress
the duty Of increasing the totally mad
equate salaries now given to our judges.
on the whole, there is no body Of public
servants who do as valuable work. nor