Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-03-11
President Taft's Inaugural Address


| Journ IN foreign countries because of race
/ or religion
The admission Of Asiatic immigrants who
Sahhot De amalgamated with our population
| mas been made the subject either of Drohib-
! ltory clauses in our treaties and@sta tutes
| or OF strict administrative regulation Sc
| cured by diplomatic negotiation. | sincerely
nope mat we may continue TO minimize the
! eVllS likely TO arise from such Immigration
| without unnecessary friction and nv mutual
| CONCESSIONS between self-respecting govern
hehts Meantime. we must take every pre-
caution TO prevent. or, failing that TO pun-
| lsh outbursts of race feeling amonp onr na1
4 pie against foreigners of whatever nation-
| atty who have by our grant Il tres+r rioh+
! 10 pursue lawful business here and TO he
| protected against lawleSs assault or ininry
Need Monetary Reform
One of the reforms to be carried out dur
ing the incoming administration is a change
| or our monetary and banking laws so rs to
| secure greater elasticity in the forms OF
currency available for trade, and to prevent
the limitations of law from operating to in
| crease the advertisements of a financial
panic The monetary commission lately ap-
pointed is giving full consideration TO exist
ing conditions and to all proposed remedies
and VIII doubtless suggest one that will
meet the requirements of business and of
public interest We may hope that the re-
port will embodv neither the narrow view
of those who believe that the sole purpose
7
large return on banking capital nor of those
VINO would have greater expansion of cur
| rency with little regard to provisions for
It's immediate redemption or ultimate Sc
curity.
The Panama Canal.
The Panama Canal will have a most i'm
foftant bearing upon the trade between the
eastern and the far western sections of our
! country and will greatly increase the ia
! cilities for transportation between the east
| Grn and the western nd nd
Slhly revolutionize the transcontinental rates
With respect to bulky merchandise. 1t will
also nave most beneficial effect to in
crease the trade between the eastern sea-
: board of the United States and the western
| coast OF South Africa. and indeed with
! some of the important ports on the east
coast OF South America reached by rail
! from the west coast The work on the canal
J Is making most satisfactory progress The
! construction will go on under most effect
! i've organization controlled by Col. Cocktails
/ ana ms fellow army engineers associated
! with him, and will certainly he completed
early in the next administration. if NOT
before.
Dependencies Make Progress
The governments of our dependencies in
Porto Rico and the PHILIPPINES are progress
ing as fayorably could be desired The
prosperity of Porto Rico continues unabat-
ed. The business conditions in the PhiliD-
pines are not all that could wish them
to be. but with the passage of the new
tariff bill permitting free trade between the
United States and the Archipelago. with
such limitations in sugar and tobacco as
shall prevent injury to the domestic inter
ests on those products. can count on an
Improvement in business conditions in the
Philippines and the development of mutu-
ally profitable trade between this country
and the islands. Meantime our government
in each dependency is upholding the tradi-
tions of civil liberty and Increasing popular
control which might be expected under
American auspices. The work which we
in6n nndc
a nation.
l look forward with hope to increasing
the already good feeling between the South
and the other sections of the country NV
chief purpose is not to effect change in
the electoral vote of the Southern States
That is secondary consideration. What 1
look forward to is an increase in the toler-
ance OF political views of all kinds and
their advocacy throughout the South. and
the existence of a respectable political op-
position in every State: even more than
this. to an increased feeling on the part of
all the people in the South that this gov
eminent is their government, and that its
officers in their States are their officers.
The consideration of this question cannot,
however. be complete and full without ref
erence to the negro race, its progress and
its present condition The thirteenth amend
ment secured them freedom the fourteenth
amendment due process of law, protection
of property and the pursuit of happiness
and the fifteenth amendment attempted to
secure the negro against any derivation of
the privilege to vote. because he was
negro. OF course. the mere adoption of
constitutional law is only one step in the
right direction. 1t must he fairly and Just
ly enforced as well. In time both will
come
Would Educate Negroes.
There is in the South a stronger feeling
than ever among the intelligent, well-to-do
and influential element in favor of the in
dustrial education of the negro and the en-
couragement of the race to make themselves
useful members of the community. The
progress which the negro has made in the
last fifty years from slavery when its sta
tistcs are reviewed, is marvellous, and it
furnishes every reason to hope that in the
next twenty-five years q still greater i'm
provement in his condition as a productive
member of society. on the farm, and in the
shop and in other occupations, may come.
The Labor Controversy.
Ny distinguished predecessor has given
much attention to the cause of labor, with
whose struggle for better things he has
shown the sincerest sympathy. At his in
stance, Congress has passed the bill fixing
the liability of interstate carriers to their
employees for injury sustained in the course
of employment. abolishing the rule of fell |
low-servant and the common law rule to
contributory negligence. and substituting
therefor the sO-called rule of comparative |
negligence 1t has also passed law fixing |
the compensation of government employees |
for injuries sustained in the employ of the |
government through the negligence of the |
superior. IL also passed a model cnllQ LABOR |
law for the District of Columbia. In pre- |
viouS administrations an arbitration law for |
interstate commerce railroads and their en- |
ployeS. and laws for the application of safe |
ty devices to save the lives and limbs OF |
employees of interstate railroads had been |
passed. Additional legislation of this kind |
was passed by the outgoing Congress. I |
wish to say that in so far as / can. hope |
to promote the enactment of further legis- |
lation of this character.
Another labor question has arisen which |
has awakened the most excited discussion. |
That is in respect to the power OF the Fed |
eral courts to issue injunctions in indus |
trial disputes. As to that. my convictions |
are fixed. Take away from courts, If it |
could be taken away. the power to issue in
functions in labor disputes and it would
create privileged class among the laborers |
and save the lawless among their number |
from a most needful remedy available to all
men for the protection of their business |
against lawleSs invasion. The proposition |
that business is not property or pecuniary
right which be protected by equitable |
Injunction is utterly without foundation in |
precedent or reason The proposition is
usually linked with one to make the sec
ondary boycott lawful. Such 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 instrument of
tyranny, and ought not to be made legiti-
mate.
New Statute Needed.
The issuing of a temporary restraining
order without notice has in several in
stances been abused by its inconsiderate
exercise. and to remedy this. the platform
upon which I was elected recommends the
formulation in a statute of the conditions
under which such a temporary restraining
order ought to issue. A statute can and |
ought 10 be framed to embody the best
modern practice. and can bring the sub
tect so closely to the attention Of the court
as to make abuses of the process unlikely
in the future.
Having thus reviewed the questions like
" TO recur during my administration, and
having expressed in a summary way the |
position which ! expect to take in recon-
mendatIons to Congress and in my conduct
as an executive, | invoke the considerable |
sympathy and support Of my fellow citi-
zens and he aid of Almighty God in the
of my responsible duties.