The Washington herald., 1910-09-18
ROOSEVELT'S SPEECH AT SYRACUSE.

ly means nothing but an application to
new conditions OF certain old anu funda-
mental moralitieS At means an invitation
10 meet the new problems Of the present
day IN precisely the spirit in which Lin
coin and the men OF his day met their
new problems.
In my Western speeches 1 said chiefly
what | again and again said in messages
to Congress when l was President L
very slightly developed the doctrines
contained In those Presidential addresses
in order 10 meet the development of the
new conditions, and the chief way in
which l developed them was 10 include a
quotation from Abraham Lincoln and
construe il in connection with the very
Old doctrine of eminent domain
Now, what l say in the West I OF
course say here. Whether il is sound or
not can. I think. be answered by the
simple expedient Of asking whether any
party is willing frankly 10 take the
other side of the propositions OF which
complaint is made If so, it would be a
good thing 10 have the issue made in
clear cut fashion before the people. for
in the end the people would most GER
tainlv decide i'm favor Of the principles
embodied in the new nationalism. because
otherwise this country could not continue
TO De "A true republic, true democracy.
Take, for instance, what / said in
reference 10 two decisions OF the supreme
Court. It was in the course of an ad-
dress in which dyelt upon the great
need Of having the spheres of activity Of
the national and State governments ex-
tended TO cover the whole field OF our
life that can properly De touched BY leg
islation al an. So that there shall not be
left a debatable land in which neither
nation nor state has real power and
which can serve as a place of refuge for
men who wish 10 ESCAPE all effective con-
troll under the law. and especially for
the great corporations which wish thus
TO escape control. One decision was in
the Knight sugar case, in which. accord
ing 10 the dissenting opinion of Justice
Harlan, the Judgment OF the court placed
'he puohc SO iar as ha'IohaL power Is
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Against S'h'' HiEh'A'
The second decision was one against
State rights, prohibiting the state Of
New York 10 regulate in very moderate
and confectionery establishments where
the conditions are such that excessive
hours of labor continued day in and day
out may endanger the health and shorten
the lives Of the workmen.
Here what I said was based upon the
dissenting opinions Of Justices Harlan,
White, Day. and Holmes. who specifically
power to regulate the hours of labor
under such conditions, taking the broad
ground that III is the primary duty OF
the state to guard and protect the health
and safety Of its people
Here I hold that the dissenting JUS
tees were right I'm their views. and that,
however honest men may be who revive
snail not interfere with the liberty OF
Iaborers who are driven BY grinding need
to contract TO work for an excessive
number OF hours under unhealthy condi-
tons. yet that such doctrine is essentially
anti-social and Is really a relic of a past
geological age in our social and economic
history.
II lily OHlhi'hA1 ulrdbi &c Win me- eel
them frankly say that the state has no
right 10 limit the hours Of labor Of men
employed under conditions dangerous tC
their health and welfare II they do so
7 take issue with them. If they do not
.yhcn they have no right TO criticise what
7 have said
..Fifty-three years ago Abraham Lin
coin was assaiIed for his repeated criti-
cisms of the Supreme Court in the Dred
Scott case As regards this decision. he
announced. not once but again and