Rocky Ford enterprise., 1910-09-09
ROOSEVELT TALKS
TO WAGE-EARNERS
Labor Day Address Delivered at
Fargo Is Well Received.
JOINT ACTION A NECESSITY
Trades Unions Commended, But Some
Of Their Acts crIticised-AmsrI-
can Federation Pianks Ap-
proved by Speaker.

proved by Speaker.
Fargo. N. D.. Sept. 5.-The union
labor forces of Fargo and thousands
Of other persons had treat today
when Theodore Roosevelt delivered
the Labor Day address. He spoke
with great seriousness and with frank
ness. and his speech was well re-
ceived by the big crowd that heard It.
Colonel Roosevelts address was as
follows:
Today-on Labor Day-I speak in one
sense especially to those personally and
vitality interested in the labor struggle;
and yet speak OF this primarily as ono
aspect of the larger social struggle grow
ing out of the attempts to read1ust social
conditions and make them more equitable.
The nineteenth century was distinctly
one Of economic triumphs-triumphs in
the domain of production. including trans
portation and the mechanics Of exchange.
The marvellous progress made in these
respects multiplied mans productive
power to an almost inconceivabie degree.
In the matter of the production OF wealth.
a. much progress was made during the
nineteenth century az during all previous
periods since history dawned: that Is. the
changes brought in a single century
through machinery And steam have been
greater than the sum total of the changes
Of the preceding thousands of years: and
progress have thrust upon US social and
political problems OF the first magnitude.
The triumph Of the physical sciences in
the nineteenth century represented prog
ress primarily In the material elements of
civilization. The most pressing problems
that confront the present century are not
concerned with the material production
Of wealth. but with its distribution. The
demands of progress now deal not 80
much with the material as with the
moral and ethical factors Of civilization.
Our basic problem IL to see that the mar
velously augmented powers of production
bequeathed to US by the nineteenth CEN
tury shall In the twentieth be made to ad-
than be exbioited for the profit OF the few.
The American wage-earner faces this
larger sociai problem in q dual capacity:
Arst. a. q citizen Of the Republic charged
With the full duty Of citizenship: and next
a. . wnge-earner-as q waGe-worker-
who, together with his feilow-workers. Is
vitality concerned in the question OF wages
and general conditions of employment.
which affect not only his well-being and
that Of his wife and children. but the
\elopment-
Must Depend on Our Own Efforts.
II 10 true of wage workers. as of all
ether eitixens. thnt most Of their progress
must depend upon their own initiative
and their own efforts. Nevertheless. there
are three different factors in this prog
ress. There II. hrst. the share which the
mans own individual qualities must de-
ssrmfne. This II the most important Of
all. for nothing can supply the place OF
Individual capacity. Yet there are two
other factors also Of prime Importance:
namely, what can be done by the wnGe-
workers In cooperation with one another:
and what can be done by government
that 10. by the instrument through which
all the people work collectively. Wages
and other most important conditions OF
employment must remain largely outside
Of eovernment control: must be left for
adjustment by free contract between en-
ployers and wage-earners. But to attempt
To leave this merely to individual action
means the absolute destruction of indivf-
duaiism; for where the individual IL so
wenk that he. perforce. has to accept
whatever n strongly organized body
chooses to give him. his Individual liberty
becomes n mere sham and mockery. II
10 indispenaabiy necessary. In order to
preserve to the largest degree our sys-
TEN Of individualism. that there should
BE- effective and organized collective nc-
ton. The wage-earncrs must act joint
~. through the process Of collective bar
gaining. In great Industrial enterprises.
Only thus can they he put upon n plane
Of economic equality with their corporate
employers. Only thus is freedom Of con-
tract made q real thing and not a more
legal Action. There are occasional occu-
pations where this In not necessary: but.
speaking broadly. II Is necessary through
out the great world of organised indus
try. believe this practise Of collective
bargainine effective only through such
ORGANIZATIONS as the trades unions. to
have been one Of the most potent factors
In the past century In promoting the
pnsress Of the wase-~arncrs and In Sc
cSIlng larger social progress for human
it,A believe In the principle of organ-
i1sV labor and in the practise of coliec-
tive bargaining. not merely as desir-
able thing for the wnge-earners. but as
something which has been demonstrated
TO be essential in the long run to their
permanent progress.
This d. not mean that uneauivo-
eaiiy ind sc any or all practises that
labor organizations may happen to adopt.
or any or all principles that they may
choose TO enunciate. Labor examinations
have the weaknesses and defects common
10 all other forms OF human organiza-
lions Sometimes they act verJ' well. ana
sometimes they act very badly: and l
am for them when they act well. and I
am against them when they act badly. I
believe that their existence Is n necessity:
I believe that their aims and purposes are
generally good: and believe that all or
them have occasionally made mistakes.
and that some of them have been guilty
Of wrone-doing.' Just In SO far rs they
are strong and effective they tempt de-
signing men who seek to control them
for their own interests. and stimulate tho
desircs Of ambitious leaders who may be
clever. crooked men. or who may be non
est but vis,onary and foolish. In other
words, in treating of inbor unions. as In
treating Of corporations. or Of humanity
generally. we will do well to remember
Abraham IIncoln's saying that there -
deal Of human nature In manklhd
Whether in a man or in an organized
body OF men. the power to do good means
that such power may be twisted Into evil;
and In proportion as the power grows. 30
II becomes steadily more Important that
n shouId he handled Alright Just in pro-
portion a. In its proper function power
is important TO social progress. so In its
Improper function II becomes fraught with