The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-07-03
I. R. SPEAKS
TO VAST CROWD.
ABOUT sTR|EK IN.
THE COAL RDG|ON
~ aaeEk "-<- ri
ROOSEVELT IN SPEECH REVIEWS
LABOR TROUBLE AND suG-
GESrS REMEDY.
EMPHASIZES "NEW FREEDOM
DOCTRINE, SAYS WILL PROVE
coUNTRY'S SALVATION.

iatlon vi CoTDOTallOnS ana cuiHDlhh'
tons to ENSURE their doing justice 10
their rivals. to their customers and to
their employees" has been emphasized,
Theodore Roosevelt declared yester.
day at the clambake which opened the
National Conference OF the Progress.
give party, by what has occurred since
election in the West Virginia bitumin.
Gus coal fields.
In opening his Speech Colonel
Roosevelt pointed to the Progressive
platform upon which he ran Tor the
presidency last fall az II docunent
which uphOiders of social and indus.
trial Justice in the future will rccog.
nize as one of the great documents OF
American political history From ii
he cited two demands-the first that
the national government undertake on
a gigantic scale the work OF harness.
Ing the flood waters of the Ohio ana
Mississippi rivers. using for that pur.
pose the outfit that has been used in
the construction OF the Panama Canal.
so eSNohu
to, Colonel Roosevelt dwelt upon at
considerable length. He quoted from
court decisions and declared that he
wished he could make the men OF
property understand that In fighting
such decisions and such conditions as
in West Virginia he was fighting
against anarchy in favor OF law and
order and for property.
1.-THE utter fntility of the plan Of
action. or rather non.action. advocat.
cd IN both the Republican and Demo.
cratic platforms last year. ana chris.
tened by President Wilson with mag.
niloQuent vaguaness The New Free.
DOM, has been strikingly shown By
what has thus occurred In West Vir.
ginia," Colonel Roosevelt declared.
THE New Freedom Is nothing what.
ever but the right of the strong to
prey on the weak, of the big men to
crush the little men, and to shield
heir iniquity beneath the cry tina,
they are exercising freedom"
'So1ohei ieooStNelIS Spetcn ypSttr-
day afternoon sounded the Keynoe OF
the Progressive policies and opened
the discussion of party ideals and
ideas that will continue Two days. Re.
ferring again to President Wilson's
article on 1.-The New Freedom" Col
Roosevelt said:
"A careful study of the articles tina;
have appeared by President Wilson
dealing with this subject since he was
President has left me somewhat puz.
zled as TO what he really does mean.
but of course | assume that there must
: be meaning. and If this assumption Is
/. warranted then The New Freedom
means nothing whatever but the old
license translated into terms of pleas.
ant rhetoric.
There is but one way to interfere
with freedom 10 inflict slavery on 9th.
ers, and that is by invoking the super.
Pisory. the regulatory, the controlling
and directing power of the Govern,
ment precisely us the PrugirSsives
last year demanded in their platform
and as and others like me demanded
On our speeches"
Suggests Remedy.
Dealing with the regulation of cor.
porations and combinations and using
the West Virginia strike ms the basis
for his arguments for the adoption of
Progressive principles. Colonel Roosr.
said in part:
What Is needed is the thor
ough roofing out of the candi.
tons which brought about the
dreadful state of affairs in the
West Virginia bituminous fields.
In that region we see in actual
operation the over.competitive
conditions TO which the advo.
Gates Of the new freedom would
have us return under the I'M.
preston that they offer pana.
cea for all our ills.
Under the pressure of an un.
enlightened caaitallstic opinion,
the West Virginia courts have
rendered decisions-in strict ac.
Soiuaice Will tne principles OF
the new freedom'-which them.
selves serve as the most strik-
ing object lesosns of the need of
the widespread application of
Progressive principles. In the
district where the rioiing has
occurred the employing opera
tors have endeavOred TO keep
the miners In state OF practi.
cal serfage by the uuse OF the
company stores. This fact has
Deen recognized and the practice
forbidden In most civilized
countries: in England. for in
stance legislation was passed
forbidding this practice more
than seventy years ago. The
West Virginia legislature did its
duty by passing laws requiring
the cash payment OF wages, and
prohibiting persons and corpora.
tons engaged in mining and
manufacture frou selling any
merchandise or. supplies from
stores to their employees at
RFpatar naHnanton. %