The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-09-20
Colonel SOUNDS
MOOSE KEYNOTE
Machinery for Presidential
Elections Should Be Re
vised, Says T. R.
HITS AT THE NEW HAVEN
Would Not Divorce Capital and Labor.
Declares Every Employer Should
Recognize Unions.

SPECIAL TO The Washington Herald
Wichita, Kans., Sept. ls.-Ex-Presi-
dent Roosevelt sounded keynote OF
the Progressive fail campaign here to-
day by advocating a national legisla-
tive program that shall consider the
interests of business and labor with
out divorcing them; creation OF gov
eminent agencies to deal with modern
commerce and manufacture and social
legislation and reform Of the political
machinery, particularly that relating
to residential nominations.
He scored the Colorado Fuel and
Iron Company and the New York, New
Haven and Hartford Railroad for the
conditions revealed by recent investi-
cations, saying:
When employers show themselves
as caIlous to the public need. as short
sighted and as greedy of their own
profit without regard TO the welfare
OF the wagewoTkers or Of the people
at large, as has been the case in the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company and
the New York, New Haven and Hart
ford Railroad Company, it is essen
tiaI that the people of the country
shall be able. through the Legislature
the wrongdoing."
Denies Attack on Property.
Col Roosevelt, making the first speech
of his Western trip Endorsed the course
Of action followed by the Progressives
in Congress under the leadership Of
Victor Murdoch.
He denied emphatically that the Pro-
gressive party contemplated any attack
on property, but added:
We wish to be sure that great wealth
is accumulated not only legally but in
accordance with moral laws and with the
interests of the people as a whole"
Discussing the trust problem he said
that opponents Of the Progressiyes at
Washington in both the old parties had
failed to show an intelligent understand
ing of the real needs of the situation and
asserted that administrative commissions
were needed to control combinations in
an effective manner.
Almost no good and a great deal Of
harm" he continued. results, and mas
resulted. in the efforts simply to break
up these combinations. This effort, if
made in bad faith, resulted in corruption:
il made in good faith, it is ineffective and
yet harassing. and succeeds in diverting
the attention of honest people from the
real needs"
Would Recognize Unions.
Mos: Of the former Presidents address
was devoted Il the relations Of capital
and laOnr.
We must realize both the absolute
need that business shall prosper and the
absolute need that the Iaborer shall have
his share in this prosperity" he said.
There is in this country at the present
time a great population. living Siosc
enough to want so that illness, LncInploy-
ment. or a death in the family may in
volve not merely hardship or griCt but I
veritable calamity for all its members.
AS late as a quarter of a century ago
only q fourth Of the people engaged in
gairful occupation were employees, where
as Low nearly half OF these people work
for salary or for wages.
Just as / believe in full recognition
of the corporation but in the control Of
the corporation so as to see that its
activities are not anti-soCial so 1 be-
lieve in the full recognition of the trade
union. but in full recognition Of the
fact that the duties OF the union must
increase with its powers, and that when
We achieve the ideal of a strong labor
union with a recognized share in the
control of its own industry, certain legal
as well as moral obligations must &C
company such power, such share in con-
troll.
I believe that every wise employer or
corporation should recognize the union"