Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-08-08

| icy Oh cOOpefallOn between govern
ment and business has In comparative
ly few years made them y leading com
petitor for the commerce Of the world
1t should be remembered that they are
doing this on national scale and with
large units of business, while the Dem.
Ocrats would have us believe that We
should do 1t with small units of bust
ness, which would be controlled not by
the national government, but by forty
eight conflicting state sovereignties.
Such 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 1t the paramount
place in his speech. 1.-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
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 peradventure the public ee-
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 he re
ported to the authorities: wage com
missions should be established in the
nation and state to determine the min
imum wage scale i'm different indus
tries; the federal government should
investigate all industries with a view
to establishing standards of sanitation
and safety: there should be mine anG
factory inspection according to stand
ards fixed by interstate agreement OF
by the federal government; national
and state legislation should establish
standards Of compensation for indus
trial accidents and deaths and for dis
eases clearly due 10 industrial condi
tons; for the adoption by law of fair
standard of compensation for casual
ties resulting fatally which shall clear
ly fix the minimum compensation in ali
cases: the monetary equivalent Of
living wage varies according to Local
conditions, but should be sufficiently
high to make morality possible and 10
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
law; continuous twenty-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 |
Joc%
ulation; insurance funds against sick
ness, accident, nvaldism and old age |
should be established by 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 own protection by the use of the |
ballot. Gas 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 |
NIT to such public regulation as will |
make it means Of life and health, not |
of death or inefliciency.
The Farmer
1.-THE country life commission should |
be revived with greatly increased pow
er; its abandonment was a severe blow |
to our people. The welfare Of the |
farmer is basic need of this nation"
The country school should be brought |
In touch with country life For thie
reason the Progressives approve Of gov
eminent cooperation with the farme"
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
profit sharing to the city man Of bust
ness, so long will the foundations OF
wealth be undermined and the com
forts OF enlightenment be impossible isr
che country communities.
"In every respect this nation has co
learn the lessons of efficiency I'm pro
duction and distribution and Of avoid
ance Of waste and destruction We
must develop and improve instead OF
A