Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-03-10


the Philippines and the development
of mutually profitable trade be-
tween this country and the islands.
Meantime our government in each DE-
tendency is upholding the traditions
of civil liberty and increasing popular
control which might be expected I'M
der American auspices. The work
which we are doing there rebounds to
our credit as nation.
The president said he looked for
ward with hope to increasing the al
ready good feeling between the south
and the other sections of the country
His chief purpose is not to effect
change in the electoral vote of the
southern states. That is secondary
consideration. What he looks for
ward to is an increase in the tolerance
of political views of all kinds and
their advocacy throughout the south,
and the existence of a respectable po-
litical opposition in every state; even
more than this, to an increased feeling
on the part of all the people in the
south that this government is their
government, and that it's officers in
their states are their officers.
Ignorant Electorate.
Discerning colored diSfranchise-
ment in the south the president said
the danger of the control of an ig-
norant electorate has passed. With
this change, the interest which many
of the southern white citizens take in
the welfare of negroes has increased.
The colored men must base their hope
On the results of their own industry,
self-restraint, thrift and business
success, as well as upon the aid and
comfort and sympathy which they may
receive from their white neighbors OF
the south There was time when
northerners who sympathized with
the negro in his necessary struggle
for better conditions sought to give to
him the suffrage as a protection, and
to enforce it's exercise against the
prevailing sentiment of the south.
The movement proved to be failure.
The president feels that education is
fast solving the negro problem. He
doubts whether, in the case of any
race, an appointment of one of their
number to a local Office in commun-
ity in which the race feeling is so
fere with the ease and facility with
which the local government business
can be done by the appointee, is OF
sufficient benefit by way of .encour-
agement to the race to outweigh the
recurrence and increase of race feel
ing which such an appointment is like
ly to engender. Therefore, the exc
cutive, in recognizing the negro race
by appointments must exercise
careful discretion not thereby to do it
more harm than good. On the other
hand we must be careful not to en-
courage the mere pretense of race feel
ing manufactured in the interest of
individual political ambition. Further,
the president said: "The exercise of
political franchises by those of his
race who are intelligent and well-to-
do will be acquiesced in, and the right
to vote will be withheld only from
the ignorant and irresponsible of both
races"
Injured Employees.
The president said he was strongly
convinced that the government should
make itself as responsible to employees
injured in it's employ as an interstate
railway corporation is made RESPONSE
ible by federal law to it's employees;
ditional reasonable safety device can
be invented to reduce the loss of life
and limb among railway employees, to
urge congress to require its adoption
by interstate railways.
Injunctions.
Another labor question has arisen
which has awakened the most excited
discussion. That is in respect to the
injunctions in industrial disputes. AS
to that declared President Taft, my
convictions are fixed. Take away from
courts, if it could be taken away, the
power to issue injunctions in labor
disputes, and it would create priv
ileged class among the laborers and
save the lawless among their number
from {. most needful remedy available
to all men for the protection of their
business against lawless invasion. The
proposition that business is not a
property or pecuniary right which
can be protected by equitable injunc-
ton is utterly without foundation in
precedent or reason. The PROPOSE
ton is usually linked with one to
make the secondary boycott lawful.
Such a proposition is at variance
with the American instinct and will
find no support in my judgment when
submitted to the American people.
The secondary boycott is an instru-
ment of tyranny, and ought not to be