The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-08-09
Colonies CONFESSION or FAITH

7, erc1s1ng regulatory control over the
conditions that create or determine
monopoly prices.
ut is imperative to the welfare of our
people that we enlarge and extend our
foreign commerce. We are pre-emi-
nently fitted to do this because as a
people we have developed high skill in
the art of manufacturing; our business
men are strong executives, strong Or
ganizers. In every way possible our
federal government should cooperate
IN this important matter. Any one
who has had opportunity to study and
observe first hand Germany's course in
this respect must realize that their pol
! icy of cooperation between govern
: ment and business has in comparative.
) ly few years made them a leading ON
petitor for the NJ of the world.
1t should be remembered that they are
doing this On a national scale and with
large units of business. while the Dem
Ocrats would have us believe that we
should do it with small units Of bust
ness, which would be controlled not by
the national government, but by forty
eight conflicting state sovereignties.
Such a policy is utterly out of keeping
with the progress of the times and gives
our great commercial rivals in Europe
- hungry for International markets -
golden opportunities Of which they are
rapidly taking advantage"
Social and Industrial Justice to tho
Wageworkers.
Referring to the opening sentence of
his address, namely, that we are now
in the midst of a great economic revo-
luton" Mr.. Roosevelt presented an ad-
vanced and comprehensive plan to in
sure the rights and better conditions
for labor. He gives it the paramount
| place in his speech. The first charge
upon the industrial craftsmanship Of
the day." he said, lis to prevent human
waste. The dead weight of orphanage
and depleted craftsmanship, Of Grip
J pied workers and workers suffering
from trade diseases, of casual labor, of
insecure old age and of household de-
pletion due to industrial conditions are,
like our depleted soils, our gashed
mountain sides and flooded river bot
toms, so many strains upon the ma
/; tional structure, draining the reserve
strength of all industries and showing
beyond all p%eradventure the public ele-
ment and public concern in industrial
health" He proposed several specific
-, methods for preserving and improving
'our human resources, and therefore
our labor power" Wage scales and
, other labor data should be made pub
lie; all deaths, injuries and diseases due
to industrial operation should be re-
ported to the authorities; wage COM
, missions should be established in the
nation and state to determine the min
imum wage scale in different indus-
tries; the federal government should
investigate all industries with a view
to establishing standards of sanitation
and safety; there should be mine and
: factory inspection according to stand
ards fixed by interstate agreement or
by the federal government; national
and state legislation should establish
=, standards of compensation for indus
dSSlttShIo oIu uColLo oAN " NNS
eases clearly. due to industrial condi-
tions: for the adoption by law of a fair
standard of compensation for casual
ties resulting fatally which shall clear
ly fix the minimum compensation in all
cases; the monetary equivalent of a
living wage varies according to local
conditions. but should be sufficiently
h;~b ~ roaI,o ,ooro1ifr rnScih1n on6 fn
provide for education, recreation. prop
er care Of the children, maintenance
during sickness and reasonable saving
for old age; excessive hours Of labor
should be prohibited for all wage work
ers, and night labor of women and
children should be forbidden; one day
Of rest in seven should be provided by
law; continuous tw~enty-four hour labor
should be divided into three shifts Of
eight hours by law; tenement house
manufacture should be entirely pro-
hibited, and labor camps should be sub
ject to governmental sanitary regula-
ton; all industries employing women
and children should be specially sub
ject to government inspection and reg
ulation; insurance funds against sick
ness, accident, invalidism and old age
should be established by a charge
either in whole or in part upon the in
dustries; the suffrage should be granted
to women If for no other reason to
enable working women to combine for
their W protection by the use of the
ballot. CAS- a people we cannot afford
to let any group of citizens or any indi-
vidual citizen labor under conditions
which are injurious to the common
welfare. Industry, therefore, must sub
init to such public regulation as will
make it a means of life and health, not
of death or ineficiency.
The Farmer.
"The country life commission should
be revived with greatly increased pow
err; its abandonment was a severe blow
to our people. The welfare of the
farmer is a basic need of this nation"
The country school should be brought
in touch with country life. For this
reason the Progressives approve of gov
eminent cooperation with the farmer
, to make the farm more productive.
Cooperative associations of farmers
both for the production and the selling
Of agricultural products should be en-
couraged. $50 long as the farmer
leaves cooperative activities with their