Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-04-01
A SPECIAL MESSAGE
The President Advises Con-
gress to Pass Laws.
HE MAKES TIMELY SUGGESTIONS

the President Urges Immediate Ac-
tion on Certain Important Matters
Before Adjournment-Child Labor
Should Be Prohibited in All Sec
tions.
Washington, special.-A special
message from the President was read
in both houses of Congress soon af-
ter Governing Wednesday and in both
ii was closely followed. In the House
the Presidents declaration that the
time lad come for revision of the
tariff elected handclapping on the
part of Democratic members. Demo-
cratic approval also was given by
way Of pounding on desks to the
suggestion that Congress could with
advantage forthwith remove the tar
irf on wood pulp, with correspond
ing reduction upon paper from wood
pulp. Ii q
Tn the Senate the message was re-
ccivcd without comment of any kind.
In substance the recommendations
of the President are as follows:
I call your attention to certain
measures as to which I think there
should be action by the Congress be-
fore the close of the present session.
There is ample time for their consid-
Grafton.
Child labor should be prohibited
throughout the nation. At least a
model child-labor bill should be
passed for the District of Columbia.
1t is unfortunate that in the one
place solely dependent upon Congress
for its legislation there should be no
law whatever to protect children by
forbidding or regulating their labor.
renew my recommendation for
the immediate re-enactment of an en-
ployers' liability law, drawn to con-
form to the recent decision of the
Supreme Court. Within the limits
indicated by the court, the law
should be made thorough and COM
prehensive, and the protection it at
fords should embrace every class OF
employe to which the power of the
Congress can extend.
I also urge that action be taken
along the line of the recommends
tions I have already made concern
ing injunctions in labor disputes. No
temporary restraining order should
be issued by any court without notice
and the petition for a permanent in
junction upon which such temporary
restraining order has been issued
should be heard by the court issu-
ing the same within a reasonable
time-say, not to exceed week OF
thereabouts from the date when the
order was issued.
1t is urged that the Interstate Com
merce Law and the law of receiver
ships should both be amended; as
also should the antitrust law, to the
end that these laws should conform
to the needs of trade and that no
damage may result to legitimate
business interests.
Concerning the legitimate business
combinations the following express
sion is used:
In the modern industrial world
combinations are absolutely neces-
sary; they are necessary among bus
mess men, they are necessary among
laboring men, they are becoming
more and more necessary among far
mers. Some of these combinations
are among the most powerful of all
instruments for wrong-doing. Others
offer the only effective way of meet
ing actual business needs.
On the subject of labor unions and
strikes the president says.
But strikes themselves
are. and should be recognized to be
entirely legal. Combinations of
workingmen have a peculiar reason
for the existence. The very wealthy
individual employer, and still more
the very wealthy corporation, stand
at an enormous advantage when com
pared to the individual workingman ;
and while there are many cases where
it may not be necessary for laborers
to form a union, in many other cases
it is indispensable, for otherwise the
thousands of small units, the thous-
ands of individual workingmen, will
be left helpless in their dealings with
the one big unit, the big individual
or corporate employer.
The right of employers to combine
and contract with one another and
with their employees should be ex-
plicitly 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 off for the pur-
pose of peaceably obtaining from en-
ployers satisfactory terms for their
labor. Nothing should be done tc
legalizc either a blacklist or boy
colt that would be Illegal at COM
mon law; this being the type of boy
colt defined and condemned by the
anthricite strike commission.
The tariff may need revision at
some future time. The exception is
made that the duty on wood pulp
used in the manufacture of paper
might be removed at once
Ample provision should be made
for permanent waterways commits
sion, with whatever power is requir-
ed to make it effective.
Numerous bills granting water
power rights ON navigablc streams
have been introduced, None of them
give the government the right to
make a reasonable charge for the
valuable privileges so grantel, in
spite of the fact that these wafer