Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-05-08
pREs!DEN! IN
URGENT APPEAL
FOR LEGISLATION
Roosevelt Sands Another Mes
sage to Rouse Present
Congress to Activity.
OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE
Stronger Antitrust Law and Resula.
ton of Labor and Capital Relations
Are Greatly Needed-Civic
Conscience Firmer.

Washington. April 2S.-The president
has sent another special message to
congress-, strongly urging the passage
of measures which he has from time to
time recommended. He lays special
ernnha sis on tile Importance of legisla-
ton to do away with abuse of the pow
er of Injunction. amendments to the
antitrust law and a bill strengthen
ing the Hepburn rate law. The mes
sage is an appeal to the public con-
science as well as to the congress whose
policy is to do nothing. The message
follows:
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tives:
In my message to the congress of March
%. 1908, I outlined certain measures which
I believe the majority of our country
men desire to have enacted into law at
this time. These measures do not rep
resent by any means all that 1 would ike
to see done If i houglt it possible, but
they do represent what1 believe can now
be done If IN earnest effort toward this
end is made.
Since / wrote this message an employ
ers' liability law has been enacted which,
1t is true. comes short of what ought TO
have been done, but which does represent
a real advance. Apparently there is good
GROUND to rope that thee will be further
legislation providing for recompensing all
employees who suffer injury while engaged
in the public service; thtt there will be a
c~hild-labor law enacted for the District
of Columbia; that the waterways commits
sion will be continued with sufficient
financial support to Increase the effective
ness of its preparatory work; that steps
will be taken to provide for such investi-
CATION into tariff conditions, by the app
.propriate committee of tie House of Rep
resentatives and by government experts
in the executive service as will secure
the full information necessary for imme-
date action in, revising the tariff at the
hands of the congress elected next fall;
and finally. that financial legislation will
be enacted providing for temporary meas
ures for meeting any CUB that may
arise in the next year or two, and for a
commission of experts who shall thor
oughly investigate the whole matter, both
here and in the great commercial coun-
tries abroad, so as to b. able to recOm-
mend legislation which, will put our finan-
cial system on an Efficient and perma-
nent basis. 1t is much to be wished that
one feature of the financial legislation Of
this session should be the establishment
of postal saving banks Ample appropria-
ton should be made to enable the Inter-
state Commerce commission to carry out
the very important feature of the Hep
burn law which gives to the commission
supervision and control over the account
ing systems of the railways. Failure to
provide means which will enable the com
mission to xainine 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 corruptly or in
competently managed. Forest reserves
should be established throughout the APP
patachian mountain region wherever 1t
can be shown that they viii have a d.
rect and real connection with the conser-
walton and Improvement of navigable
rivers.
about two of the measures l rave recon-
mended: the measure to do away with
abuse of the power of Injunction and the
measure or group of measures to strength
en- and render both more efficient and
more wise the control by the national gov
m over the great corporations doing
an interstate business.
First, as to the power of injunction and
of punishment for contempt. In contempt
cases, save, where immediate action is i'm
tons. some such legislation as thai
have previously. recommended should
fail to realize the extreme bitterness
caused among large bodies of worthy citi,
zens by. the use that has been repeated,
made of the power of Injunction in labor
disputes. Those in whose Judgment WI
have most right to trust are of the opinion
that while much of the complaint against
the use OF the injunction is unwarranted
yet that 1t is unquestionably true tina
|in a number of cases this power has
been used to the grave injury of the
rights of labcring men. ] ask that i
be limited in some sach way as that
have already pointed out in my previous
messages, for the very reason that 1 dc
not wish to see an embittered effort made
10 destroy it. 1t is unwise stubbornly t.
refuse to provide against a repetition o.
the abuses which have caused the presen'
unrest. In a democracy likes ours it !:
idle to expect permanently to thwart tht
discrimination of the great body of gu
citizens. It may be and often is thu
an executive, to resist and defy a gus
Of popular passion; and most certainl!
no public servant. whatever may be TIL
consequences to himself, should yield tt
what he thinks wrong. But in a ques
ton which is emphatically one of public
policy, the policy which the public de
mands Is sure in the end to be adopted
and a persistent refusal to grant to &
large portion Of our people what is RICH
Is only too apt in the end to result n
causing such irritation that when the RICH
of a movement SO i'll considered and vic
lent as to be accompanied by much tina
Is wrong. The process of Injunction il
labor disp,utes as well as where stat
laws are involved, should be used spar
tngly, and only when there is the clear
est necessity for it; but 1T Is one 81
necessary, to the efficient performance o
duty by the .cour on behalf of the natiol
that 1t is in the highest degree to b
re GREETED that it should be liable to reck
less use; for this reckless use tends t
make honest men desire so to hamper it
execution as to destroy it's usefulness.
Every f~ar-sighted patriot should protes
first of all against the growth in thi
county e.o'n n co Of that evil thing Eh WHICH is Gale,
the sinister or foolish socialist visionar,
who strives TO arouse this feeling of elias
consciousness in our working people, doe
q foul and evil thing; for he is N tru
American, he Is no self-respecting citizel
of this republic, he ~forfeits his right t
stand with manly self-reliance on a foo7
ing of entire equality with all other Cit
zelis, who bows to envy and greed, VIII
erects the doctrine of class hatred Int
a shibboleth, who substitutes loyalty (
men Of a particular status, whether rio.
or poor, for loyalty to those eternal an
immutable principles of Righteousness