Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-10-16
Cheered to the Echo

mer President has yet delivered. In
spite Of the fact that President White
of the United Mine Workers Union
less than week ago, declared for Will
son, the miners. aroused by the colonies
fiery oratory. cheered him to the echo
and frequently interrupted with yells
of encouragement.
The speaker called attention particu-
larly to the evil precedent which
President Wilson established in dealing
with the railroad brotherhoods, and de-
clared: 1T will return to plague US
whenever We have in the White House
President who is timid in the face Of
threat Of physical violence. or who sub
ordinates duty to the hope Of personal
political profit"
Mr.. Roosevelt announced himself a
friend Of labor. and recounted the man.
ner in which he handled the situation
IA years ago. when coal strike threat
ened to bring hardship on the public.
He also attacked Samuel Gompers.
CHASING him as an amateur diplomat"
and placing responsibility for the cha
otto condition of Mexico on Gompers,
Wilson and Carranza. The full text of
the colonel's speech follows:
Il have accepted the invitation to
come to Wlkesbarre to discuss the
Adamson law, because Wilkesbarre is
the headquarters Of the great industry
in connection with which l myself as
President was sbrought into close and
intimate touch with the labor move
ment in this country. If what 1 have
to say is of any value it must be not
only because it represents what in the
abstract is right but also because in the
concrete l applied, in actual practice,
when l had power. the principles which
I criticise Mr.. Wilson for not applying
now.
Therefore. I wish to recapitulate to you
just what occurred in connection with the
anthracite coal strike and to contrast It
with what Mr.: Wilson has done in con-
nection with the law for the increase OF
wages on railroads.
At the outset. I wish to express my
very hearty admiration for the brother
hoods. am proud of the fact that am
an honorary member of one Of them. I
have usually been in entire sympathy
with them. While I hold public Office
found myself in the vast majority OF
cases able to support them in their de-
mands, because these demands were
right. But now they have demanded leg
islation raising their wages to be taken
without investigation and without the ex-
ercise of that form of Judgment shown
by a competent arbitration commission
and such demand is wrong. and stand
against it because it is wrong, exactly as
I have stood against the demands Of
bankers and lawyers. and mill owners
and railroad presidents when they were
wrong.
believe in labor unions am proud
that am myself honorary member OF
a labor union But I believe first of all
in the Union TO which all of us belong,
the union Of all the people of the whole
United States.
l have accepted the invitation to
come to Wilkesbarre to discuss the
Adamson law, because Wilkesbarre is
the headquarters of the great industry
in connection with which l myself as
President was brought into close and
intimate touch with the labor move
ment in this country. If what | have
to say is of any value it must be not
only because it represents what in the
abstract is right hut also because in
the concrete l applied in actual prac-
tice. when had power the principles
which I criticize Mr. Wilson for not
applying now. Therefore, l wish to
recapitulate to you just what occurred
in connection with the anthracite coal
strike and to contrast it with what Mr..
Wilson has done in connection with the
law for the increase of wages on rail-
roads.
At the outset, I wish to express my
very hearty admiration for the Broth
erhoods. am proud of the fact that l
am an honorary member Of one of
them. l have usually been in entire
sympathy with them. While / held
public office l found myself in the vast
majority of cases able to support them
in their demands, because these de-
mands were right But now they have
demanded legislation raising their
wages to be taken without investiga-
ton and without the exercise of that
form of Judgment shown by a compe-
tent arbitration commission; and such
a demand Is wrong, and I stand against
It because it Is wrong. exactly as I
have stood against the demands of
bankers and lawyers. and mine-own-
ers and railroad presidents when
thew were wrong. I believe in labor
unions. I am proud that I am myself
an honorary member of labor union.
But believe first or all IN the Union
to which all Of us belong. the union of
all the people Of the whole United
States.
In the case Of the settlement of the
anthracite coal strike. the action took
was Of precisely the kind which Presi-
dent Wilson now says the law should
mako obligatory in all similar cases in
the future. But Mr.. Wilson himself ad
naits that his own action was so bad
that It ought never to be repeated. for
he has assured the public that although
Congress has adjourned without doing
anything, 1t is his intention when Con-
eress meets to see that 1t does some
thing to render 1t impossible Tor
another President ever to repeat exact
" what he has Just done. In other
words, stood and stand by my action
as tho proper action. constituting the
proper precedent for future action. Mr..
Wilson himself confesses that his ac-
ton was wrong and that the precedent
thereby set is so evil that legislation
must be enacted rendering it impossi-
bio for another President ever to re-
peat the action.