Middletown transcript., 1916-10-21
SPEECH Of THEODORE ROOSEVELT
At WILKES BARRE, PA.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER IA, 1910

both sides could count on my endeavor to
do strict justice, and that they could also
count on my insisting that the public
needs be Immediately met, the capitalists
yielded and the commission was ap-
pointed.
You know the rest, you miners here!
Work was resumed in the mines immedi-
ately, on the old terms, which continued
until the commission reported. The Com
mission consisted of as able and as inn
partial men as there were in the country,
including the head of the Order of Rail-
way Conductors, Mr.. Clark. 1t also in
cluded among others, Federal Judge, a
skilled engineer, a trained labor expert
and beloved friend of mine, Archbishop
Spaulding, of Illinois, whose interest in
the welfare of the wOrkingmen was genu-
inc and sympathetic, and also under
stood with entire clearness that in the
long run justice to the workingmen could
be permanently secured, only if it was
made part of a scheme to secure justice
for everybody concerned.
The arbitration was successful. l un-
derstand that with slight notifications
you have continued to operate the mines
under its terms up to the present day.
More important still, it set the precedent
for the course that ought to be followed
in all disputes of this nature hereafter.
Mr.. Wilson, on the contrary, has set a
precedent which he himself admits must,
never hereafter be followed if justice is to
be done. This is a vital point of differ
ence between the conduct of the Chief Exc
cutive in one case and in the other. When
fourteen years ago, acted, there was no
precedent for me to follow, and no estab-
lished instrumentalities through which to
work. l had to establish the precedent
in order to meet great crisis. had to
create my own instrument, the arbitration
commission. Mr. Wilson had before him
the precedent had created and he had as
instruments ready to hand the Arbitration
Board, and the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, with its enlarged powers. But he
failed to follow the precedent, or to use
the instruments which were ready to his
hand. l, although lacking the agencies of
law for the application of the principle,
nevertheless applied it, and established ar
bitration in the settlement on their merits
of industrial disputes. Mr.. Wilson, with
all the agencies of law subject to his COM
mand, ignored them, destroyed the prin-
ciple of arbitration in the settlement of
industrial disputes, and put premium on
securing this settlement by threat and du-
ress.
President Wilson in his speech of Au-
gust 20th and September 23d has furnished
his own condemnation out of his own
mouth. In them he explicitly condemns
exactly what he has done and actually de-
mands legislation which will make impos-
sible the repetition of such a proceeding!
This is SO extraordinary an attitude that
| quote his own words. He said he wished
"to provide" against "the recurrence of |
such unhappy situations in the future" by |
securing "the calm and fair arbitration of |
all industrial disputes in the days to |
come. This is an explicit assertion that
arbitration of all industrial disputes is |
the right method Of action; and therefore
that he had adopted the wrong method |
of action-althougn in the case of
the anthracite coal strike he had an
exact precedent in point, by following
which he would have enforced the right
method.
President Wilson further says, ''This is
the best way of vindicating a
principle, namely, having failed to make
certain of its observance in the present to
make certain of its observance in the f1-
ture." On the contrary, this is the very
worst way of vindicating a principle. In
deed, it is impossible to devise a worse
way of vindicating a principle, than to
finch ANONYMOUSLY from enforcing it in
the case at issue and at the same time to
,eek to cover the ignominy by vociferous
about applying it in the ne
oulous future. The same paper, the New
York Times, from which quote the above
contained statements from the
eaders of the Brotherhoods whom he was
in which they said that they
would never consent to the legislation pro-
riding for future arbitration for which
President Wilson asked; and President
Wilson kept a weak and nervous silence
bout this defiance He did not get the
egislation which he declared was essential
o "vindicate the principle" in the future.
All that he accomplished was the violation
i the principle in the present, in the COLI
rete case at issue. The only law he Sc
ured established the precedent of viola
ion of the principle All that he did was
o establish the most evil Of all precedents
or a democracy, the precedent of violat-
ng a principle under the duress of threat
nd menace. 1t is precedent which will
eturn to plague us throughout all future
ime whenever we have in the White
House President who is timid in the face
f threat of physical violence or who
ubordinates duty to the hope of personal
olitieal profit.
President Wilson further said, while try
ng to gloss-over his timidity in the pres
Mt by assuming an attitude of frowning
efance as regards the netmlous future
hat the American people must be made "a
artner in the settlement Of disputes that
Interrupt the life of the nation" that it
lust enforce the partnership and see to
that no organization is stronger than
hat organization to which we all belong,
ur own Government" and that we, the
eople, must say to any outside organiza-
ion that it "must not interrupts the Ma
onal life without consulting u.s." These
re fine words about the future. They are
ltended to cover up, but as a matter of
let, they furnish the strongest condemna-
ion of Mr.. Wilson's deed in the present.
a these words Mr.. Wilson exactly de-
cribes what he ought to have done with
he Brotherhoods, and explicitly condemns
he action which he in fact took. If the
rinciples j he laid down were good for
be future, they were good for the present. I
70 it now, Mr.. Wilsonl Do not use fine