Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-07


legitimate business" When corpora
tons not submitting themselves to the
regulation of the commission or clearly
evading or violating its orders are
| prosecuted under the Antitrust Law
and convicted, the commission should
have the duty of seeing that the de-
cree OF the Court is put into effect
completely" Only in this way can
there be avoided .tsueh gross scandals
as those attendant upon the present
Administrations prosecution of the
Standard Oil and the Tobacco Trusts, I"
u prosecution which has merely re-
suited in Increased prices to the pub
lie, injury to the small competitor, and
actual financial benefit to the trusts
themselves "The Progressive propo-
sal is definite. it is practicable. We
promise nothing that we cannot car
ry out, we promise nothing which will
jeopardize honest business. Oar
proposal is; to help honest business ac-
tivity, however extensive. and to see
that It is rewarded With fair return, so
that there may be no oppression either
OF business men or the common people
We propose to make it worth while for
our business men to develop the most
efficient business agencies for use in in
fernational trade; for it is to the inter-
est OF Our whole people that we should
do wei in international business. But
we propose to make those business
agencies do complete Justice to our own
people, Where these concerns deal
with tile necessaries of life, the COM
mission should not shrink, if the nee
ia, he 81
tent Of exercising regulatory control
over the conditions that create or de-
termine monopoly prices
II is impera tive to the welfarepo 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 ST manufacturing; our business
men are strong executives, strong or.
ganizers In every way possible our
Federal Government should cooperate
I'M this important matter. Any one who
has had opportunity to study and OBJ
serve firsthand Germanys course in
this respect must realize that their poll
icy OF CO. operation between Govern
ment and business has in comparative
IL few years nlade them a leading COM
petitor Tor the commerce of the world.
IL 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 ii 18th small units of bust
ness. which would be controlled, not by
the National Government, but by for
ty-nine conflicting State sovereignties.
f,s.1n- nj n
with the progress of the times and
gives our great commercial rivals ia
Europe-hungry for international mar
kets-golden opportunities of Wmch
they are rapidly taking advantage.
Social and Industrial Justice to the
Wage Workers.
Referring to the opening sentence of
his address, namely. that we are now
in the midst of a greas economic reyo-
lutien.'' Mr.. Roosevelt presents an adj
xaneed and comprehensive plan to in
sure the rights and better conditions
for labor. lie gives it the paramount
place III his speech. The first charge
upon the industrial craftsmanship OF
the day he said. is to prevent hu-
man waste. The dead weight OF or
phauage and depleted craftsmanship,
of crippled workers and workers sur
ferine from trade disease, of casual
labor. of insecure old age, and of
household depletion cue to industrial
conditions are, like our depleted soils,
our gashed mountain sides and Hooded
river bottoms. SO many strains upon
the National structure, draining the
reserve strength OF all industries, and
showing beyond all peradventure the
public element and public concern IN
industrial health He proposed sew
ersal specific methods for preserving
and improving "our human resources,
and therefore our labor power. Wage
scales and other labor data should be
made public; all deaths, injuries, anu
diseases due to industrial operation
should be reported TO the authorities
wage commissions should be, esta5-
lished in the Nation and State To de-
teruine the minimum wage scale in
different industries; the Federal Gov
ernment should investigate all indus
tries with Il view to establishing STAN
dards of sanitation and safety: there
should he mine and factory inspection
according to standards fixed by inter-
State agreement or ~ TIRE GSeei a.
Government: National and state legis-
lation should establish standards of
compensation for industrial accidents
and deaths and for diseases clearly due
to industrial conditions; for the adop-
ton by law of fair standard OF COM
pensation for casualties resulting Ia
tally which shall clearly fix the mini
mum compensation in all cases; the
monetary equivalent of a living wage
varies according TO local conditions.
hut should be sufficiently high to make
morality possible and TO provide Tor
education, recreation, proper care OF
the children. maintenance during sick
ness. and reasonable saving for old
age: excessive hours of labor should
be prohibited for all wage-workers,
and night labor of women and children
should be forbidden: one day of rest
in seven should be provided by law;
continuous twenty four hour labor
should he divided into three shifts of
eight hours by law; tenement-honse
manufacture should be entirely prohi-
bited, and labor camps should be sub
fol A.