Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-03-04
TAFT'S INAUGURAL
Address 2 !! ! !! E!:SSS
Continued from page q

- shop and
4 g.. g. '"".'il'.i;tou. "..~ 'cme. The
ne:rrcs ~" new Awrrj'nns. Their
ancestors cntl' hero rvg"@ aro against
their will. ard this /, their only coun-
try apl their only flag. They have
shown themselves ar..icus TO live fer
1t and to die fer It, Encountcring the
race fecliNg against them subjected
at times to cruel Injustice growing out
of it, they may well have cur profound
sympathy and aid In the struggle they
are making We are CHARGED with the
sacred duty of making their path 80
smooth and easy as we can. Any
roco~rlticn Of thnir 1ie'ir~r''sho1 MOI,
uuy appuIutmenI TO ONCE lIOIn among
heir number. Is properly taken as an
encouragement and m appreciation of
'lleir progress, and this JUST policy
lhall be pursued
Tic Appointment CT Negroes.
But it n.ay well admit OF doubt
whether in case Of any race an APP
pointment of one of their number to
local office in Il community in which
the race feeling is SO wide read and
acute as to interfere with the ease ana
facility with which the local govern
ment business can be done by the APP
pointee Is OF sufficient benefit by way
Of encouragement to the race to cut
weigh the recurrence and Increase cf
race feeling which such an appoint
ment is likely to cngcndcr. Therefore
the executive in recognizing the negro
race by appointments must exercise 4
careful discretionsnot thereby to do it
more harm than good. On the other
hand. we must be careful not to en-
courage the mere pretensc OF race feel
Ing manufactured in the interest of in
dividual ro!!ti al a:p5it,-.
No Race Feeling In Whito House.
Personally / have not the SLIGHTEST
race prejudice or feeling. ana rcccGni-
ton of It's existence only awakcns il
my heart deeper sympathy for those
who have to bear it or suffer from it,
and l question the wisdom of policy
which is likely to increase it. Mean
time. If nothing is done to prevent
the whites in the south will continue
to grow, and more and more of the
white people will come to realize that
the future of the south is to be much
benefited by the industrial and intel
lectual progress Of the negro. The OK
ercise of political franch'~cr by thee
OF his race who are intelligent and
IN dn will ln
the right to vote will be withheld only
from the ignorant and irresponsible of
both races
The Labor Question.
There is one other matter to which 7
snail refer. 1t was made the subject
or great controversy during the cleo
tion and calls for at least a passing
reference now. My distinguished pred
ecessor has given much attention to
the cause of labor with whose strug-
gle for better things he has shown the
slncerest sympathy. At his instance
congress has passed the bill fixing the
liability Of Interstate carriers to their
employees for injury sustained in the
course Of employment, obolishing the
rule of fellow servant r.,nmr,,
law rule as to contributory negligence
and substituting therefor the SO called
rule of comparative negligence. 1t has
! also passed law fixing the compen-
sation of government employees for
injuries sustained in the employ of the
government through the negligence of
the superior. 1t also passed Il model
child labor law for the District of Co
lumbia. In previous administrations
an arbitration law for Interstate COM
merce railroads and their employees
and laws for the application of safety
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.
l wish to say that, in so far as can,
l hope to promote the enactment of
further legislation Of this character
| am strongly convinced that the gov
ernnent should make Itself rs respon-
| sible to employees injured in its en-
ploy as an interstate railway corpora
tioA l. mace responsible by federal