Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-27
COMPLETES ITS WRITING
Will Deal Almost Entirely With
Broad Economic Problems.
RADICAL STEPS ADVOCATED
Hopes That Large Business Inter
ests Will Not Be Frightened by
His Propositions.


Theodore Roosevelt has put the finishing
touches on his confession of faith that
he will present to the national progress
sive party convention III Chicago August
). He remarked last night that when
he has competed the recital of his doc
! trines he probably will be called social
istic, or anarchistic. and maybe both.
But he insisted that the measures he adj
vocated must come.
They a corrective to socialism
and an antidote to anarchy" he de-
clared.
Two of the more striking measures ia
vored by Col. Roosevelt are the fixing by
law of minimum wage scales for woman
! workers and a guarantee by law TO work
men employed in what he calls the con
tinuous industries of eight-hour shifts
| and one days rest in every seven.
Although Col. Roosevelt has taken un-
usual precautions to prevent the contents
OF his speech from becoming known pre-
| maturely. he gave glimpse behind the
veil last night.
Deals With Economic Problems.
He dealt almost entirely with broad
economic problems. and gave the impress
sion that he will lay emphasis chiefly
upon subjects of this nature, which he
says both the democratic and republic
can parties have ignored in their plat
forms, rather than upon matters which
might be placed under the head OF par
tisan politics.
Col. Roosevelt said at the outset he had
not wished at the present to ta..e up new
things but had come to the conclusion
that he must develop some of his doc
trines in his Chicago speech. and had
gone farther than ever before in advo-
eating what might be regarded by his
opponents as radical measures.
He said he was curious TO see how his
speech would be received by the large
business interests. and recalled the oppo-
sition stirred up among business men by
his speech In Columbus, Ohio, last Febru-
airy. in which he first advocated the re-
call of judicial decisions.
Hopes Fright Will Not Be Caused.
The things he now has to say, he added
he hoped would not brighten these men,
for il they We're wise. he asserted. they
would see that he was acting in their
interest
Business should be encouraged in every
legitimate way, he said, but, at the same
time, business prosperity should be Enade
the ''handmaiden OF the people" aLAl the
tendency should be toward a diversified
ton of the ownership OF property. The
lines along which business has developed
recently, as best illustrated by the fOrma-
ton Of huge corporations should be rec
oSnized, he said and the effort should be
to correct attendant evils, rather than
attempt to abolish large corporations or
restrict their size.
Minimum Wages for Women.
1t was in this connection that he said
he favored the establishment of minimum
wage scales for women, and he added
that later it probably would be necessary
to make similar scales for male workers
His proposal of guarantee Of six days
work and eight-hour shifts be restricted
TO the continuous industries" like the
steel mills, in which work is kept up
twenty-four hours a day and seven days
a week
Gel Roosevelt mentioned these two
measures merely as illustrating the kind
of legislation which he believes should be
adopted to meet the conditions now ex-
listing.
He said it would be foolish for him to
attempt to see ten years ahead, or to say
Il at he knew just what steps should be
taken to bring about solution OF all the
economic problems that have been raised.
But it is possible. he continued, to see the
first few steps, and after they have been
taken it Will be easier to see what should
be done next
Styles Democratic Proposals Futile.
The proposals of the democrats. Col.
Roosevelt said, were futile. He cited the
Stanley congressional investigation as IL
Illustrating his point. Referring to the
recommendation that no corporation be
permitted to control more than 80 per
cent Of any particular business. he de-
clared that such an arbitrary limitati
would be foolish.
The democrats some time before. he
said. favored the same plan. only with
different limit, and he asserted that II an
attempt were made to put it into erect
the only result would be series OF law
suits for four or five years. terminating
in decisions similar to the recent rulings
of the Supreme Court in the American
Tobacco and Standard OIL cases. which,
in his opinion, have accomplished MOTH
ing.
The democratic party. he said, offered
no solution Of these problems, and as
for the democratic platform. he viewed
i, lightly, saying that 1t was written by
William ]. Bryan, who did not know
what he wanted. The republican party.
now that the men in the national pro-
gressive movement have left 1t. he as
serted, is composed largely Of the bosses
and the financial interests.