The Colorado statesman., 1908-12-12

Il
ness. AS far concerns those
who have been worn out I call your
attention to the fact that definite
steps toward providing old-age pen
sions have been taken in many of our
private industries. These may be in
definitely extended through voluntary
association and contributory schemes.
or through the agency of S,ings
banks, as under the Massachusetts,
plan.
Urgent Need of Reform.
Our present system, or rather no sys-
tom, works dreadful wrong. and IS OF
benefit to only one class of people-the
lawyers. When workman is injured
what he needs is not an expensive and
doubtful lawsuit but the certainty of
relief through immediate administra-
tive action. No academic theory
about freedom of contract" or "consti-
tutional liberty to contract" should be
permitted to Interfere with this and
similar movements.
l renew my recommendation that
the principle Of the eight-hour day
should AS rapidly and as far as practi-
cable 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.
Judges Too Poorly Paid
dietary of the nation the president
urges that, beginning with the su-
preme court, the judges should have
their salaries doubled.
AS was to be expected, the attitude
assumed by certain labor leaders dur
ing the recent election comes in for
bitter criticism. The president as
serts that demands made on congress
for Legislation were unjust and i'm
practical and could but work harm to
the cause of labor. While declaring
that our judicial system is sound and
effective at core, the president says
There certain decisions by various
courts which have been exceedingly det-
r'mental to the rights of wage-worters.
This is true of all decisions that decide
that men are by the constitution. guar
anteed their liberty" to contract to enter
dangerous occupation, or to work an
undesirable or improper number of hours,
or to work in unhealthy surroundings;
and therefore cannot recover damages
when manned in that occupation and
cannot be forbidden to work what the
legislature decides is al excessive num-
Der of hours. or to carry on the work
under conditions which the legislature
decides to be unhealthy.
There is also. | think. ground for the
belief that substantial injustice Is often
suffered by employees in consequence of
the custom of courts issuing temporary
iniunctions without notice to them. and
furnishing them for contempt of court in
instances where. as a matter of fact.
they have no knowledge of any proceed
ings. Organized labor is chafing
under the unjust restraint which
comes from repeated resort to this
plan of procedure.
Injunction Must Remain.
The power of injunction is a great
| equitable remedy. which should on no
| account be destroyed. But safeguards
| should be erected against it's abuse.
| In substance. provision should be made
| that no injunction, or temporary re-
| straining order issue otherwise than on
| notice, except where irreparable injury
would otherwise result; and in such case
| a hearing on the merits of the order
should be had within a short fixed pc
| riod, and. If not then continued after
! hearing, it should forthwith lapse De-
| cisions should be rendered Immediately,
! and the chance of delay minimized in
| every way Moreover l believe that the
! procedure should be sharply defined, and
! the judge required minutey to state the
| particulars both of his action and of his
| reasons therefor. that the congress
| can If it desires examine and investigate
! the same.
Harm Worked by Law.
Discussing measures necessary for
the proper control of giant corpora
tions operating in defiance of law, the
| president says:
Real damage has been done by the
| manifold and conflicting Interpretation
| OF the interstate commerce law. Con-
| troll over the great corporations doing
! interstate business can be effective only
! If it is vested with full power in an
! administrative department branch of
! the federal executive. carrying out
| federal law; it can never be effective If
| divided responsibility is left in both
! the states and the nation; 1t can never
| be effective if left in the hands of the
| courts to be decided by lawsuits.
The courts hold place of peculiar and
| deserved sanctity under our form of gov
ernment Respect for the law Is essen
| tial TO the permancnce of our institu-
tions; and respect for the law is largely
conditioned upon respect for the courts
! 1t is an offense against the republic to
say anything which can weaken this re-
| spect, save for the gravest reason and in
the most carefully guarded manner In no
other nation in the world do the courts
WELD such vast and far-reaching power
as In ehe United States. All that is nee
| essarv is that the courts as a whole
should exercise this power with the far
sighted wisdom already shown by those
judges who scan the future willie they
act in the present.
Forest Preservation.
The manifest necessity for forest
preservation is pointed out as a duty
the present generation owes to its de-
scendants, and the president cites the
case of China, where reckless de-for-
estation has resulted in creating des-
erts, as an object lesson.
Inland Waterways.
Immediate action by the present
session of congress for the improve
ment of our inland waterways the
| president declares TO be imperative.
He recommends the creation of a per