The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-07-27
Roosevelt Advocates a Mini
mum Wage Scale for Wom-
en- Workers and Guarantee
by Law to Workmen.
FINISHING TOUCHES
ON CHICAGO SPEn011
Says Business Should Be En-
couraged, but Business
Prosperity Should Be the
Hand Maiden of People. :
National News Association


is now down in black and white, the
!! finishing touches having been made to-
/ day. When he has completed the re-
cital of his doctrines in Chicago on the
night of August 5, he probably will be
called socialistic or anarchistic, and
maybe both, he said tonight. But he
insisted that the measures he adyocat-
ed must come.
"They are corrective to Socialism
and an antidote to anarchy" he de-
clared.
Two of the more striking measures
favored by Col. Roosevelt are the fix
ing by law of minimum wage scales
for women workers and guarantee
by law to workmen employed in what
he calls the continuous industries"
of eight-hour shifts and one days rest
in every seven.
Although Col. Roosevelt has taken
unusual precautions to prevent the
contents of his speech from becoming
known prematurely, he gave glimpse
behind the veil tonight. He dealt al
most entirely with broad economic
problems and gave the impression that
he will lay emphasis chiefly upon sub
jects of this nature, which he says
both the Democratic and Republican
parties have ignored in their platform,
rather than upon matters which might
be placed under the head of partisan
politics. s&s
1 Col Roosevelt said at the outset he
/ had not wished at the present to take
UP new things, but had come to the
conclusion that he must develop some
of his doctrines in his Chicago speech
and had gone further than ever before
in advocating 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 op-
position stirred up among business
men by his speech in Columbus, o.,
last February, in which he first advo-
Gated the recall of judicial decisions.
The things he now has to say, he add
ed, he hoped would not frighten these
men, for if they were wise, he assert
ed, they would see that he was act
ing in their interest.
Business should be encouraged in
every legitimate way, he said, but at
the same time business prosperity
should be made the hand maiden
of the people" and the tendency should
be toward a diversification of the own
ership of property.
The lines along which business has
developed recently, as best illustrated
by the formation of huge corporations,
should be recognized, he said, and the
effort should be to correct attendant
evils rather than attempt to abolish
large corporations or restrict their
size.
! = 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 a
guarantee of six-day work and eight
hour shifts he restricted to the con
tinuous industries" like the steel mills
in which work is kept up twenty-four
hours a day and seven days week
Col. Roosevelt mentioned these two
measures merely as illustrating the
kind of legislation which he believes
should be adopted to meet the condi-
tions now existing
The proposals of the Democrats, Col
Roosevelt said. were futile. He cited
/ the Stanley congressional investiga
J tion as illustrating his point.
Referring to the recommendations
} that no corporation be permitted te
, control more than 80 per cent of an.
particular business, he declared thai
J such an arbitrary limitation would be
/. foolish The Democrats some time be
t fore, he said, favored the same plaI
3 only with a different limit, and he as
1 serted that if an attempt were made te
:, put it into effect, the only result woulG
t be a.series of law suits for four ol
five years, terminating in decision!
! similar to the recent rulings in tn,
s American Tobacco and Standard OF
e cases. which, in his opinion, have &C
d complished nothing.
0 The Democratic party, he said, offer
ed no solution of the problems. and al
e for the Democratic platform, he view
t ed it lightly, saying that it was writ
n ten by William ]. Bryan, who did no
know what he wanted. The Republi
can party, now that the men in tn
national Progressive movement hav
left it, he asserted. is composed large
ly OF the bosses and the financial in
terests
Col. Roosevelt sent telegram t
Medfll Mccormick of Chicago. today
congratulating Illinois Progressives O.
the outlook on the eve of their stat
convention. He declared the action il
, Illinois of prime importance at thi
time q an examzlEta the csnntzA