The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-10-23

Oct. II Theodore Roosevelt said.
| have accepted the invitation to
come to Wilkesbarre to discuss the
Adamson law, because Wikesbarrre is
the headquarters of the great industry
in connection with which / 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 il must be not
only because ii represents what in the
abstract is right. but also because i'm
the concrete | applied. in actual prac-
tice. when | had power. the principles
which | criticize Mr.. Wilson for not
applying now. Therefore | wish TO re-
capitulate to you just what occurred in
connection with the anthracite coal
strike and to contrast ii with what Mr.
Wilson has done i'm connection with the
law for the increase of wages on rail-
roads.
At the outset. | wish TO express nay
very hearty admiration for the Broth
erhOods. | am proud Ui the fact that !
am an honorary member Of one OF
them. / have usually been In entire
sympathy with them. While | held
public office ! found myself in the vast
majority of cases able TO support them
I'm their demands. because these demands
Uere right. But now they have de-
manded legislation raising their wage
to be taken without investigation and
without the exercise OF that form of
judgment shown by a competent arbi-
tration commission: n such a de-
- - a.
because it is wrong. exactly as l have
stood against the demands of bankers
and lawyers, and mine-owners and
railroad presidents when they were
wrong. | believe In labor unions. ]
am proud that | am myself an honor
airy member OF a labor union. But /
believe first of 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 Pres
ident Wilson now says the law should
make obligatory in all similar cases in
the future. But Mr.. Wilson himself
admits that his own action was 50 bad
that II ought never TO be repeated. for
he has assured the public that although
Congress has adjourned without doing
anything. ii ia his intention when Con
gress meets TO see that il does some
thing to render il impossible for anoth-
err President ever to repeat exactly
what he has just done. In other words.
| stood and stand by my action as the
proper action. constituting the proper
precedent for future action. Mr.. VII
son himself confesses that his action
was wrong and that the precedent
thereby set is so evil that legislation
must be enacted rendering K impossi-
BILE for another President ever 10 re-
peat the action.
There is another point OF difference
and a vital point. The action ! took
was intended to meet the situation at
once. The action that Mr.. Wilson took
has been deferred so that IL shall not
take place until considerably after
election.
Refused TO Arbitrate.
Fourteen years ago the great anthra-
cite coal strike had occurred in this
region. From the beginning | put the
governmental agents in touch with the
situation and kept myself thoroughly
informed, so that | should be able 10
act Immediately If IT became neces-
sary for me to act. l hoped that II
would not be necessary. and that the
parties themselves would come to an
agreement; for | was very loath to in
~terfere If II could be avoided. But cold
weather approached. a coal famine
menaced the entire eastern section OF
the United States. and there was not
the slightest symptom OF an agreement
being reached by the contending par
ties. / felt that the time had come for
me to act. On the one side were the
greatest and w~ealthlest miue-oWners
OF the country, intimately connected
with the wealthiest and most powerful
Industrial and railroad corporations In
the country. The financial strength OF
Wall Street was behind them. These
men absolutely refused to arbitrate
They said there was nothing to arbi-
trate, tina / had no power under the
Constitution to act. and that the pub
lie could not interfere, nor the repre-
of the public, with the way
I'm which they managed their business
The representatives of the mine work
.rs, of labor. on the contrary. expressed
their entire willingness to arbitrate and
demanded nothing except that as one
Of the conditions of arbitration there
should be some representative OF or
gained labor to sit together with the
representatives of capital and of the
public at large. | made every effort to
the two sides to agree. When
failed, / decided that I would act my
self. held that where the public ne
cessity was national and imperative II
the duty of the Chief of the
to act. I held that in any such
gigantic controversy between labor and
containing such a threat to the
of the great body Of our peo-
pie, there were three parties in inter-
est: viz, the capitalists. the working
men. and the people a. a whole; and
where the public need was vital
hat need must control.
/ held, moreover, that in any case of
vuch Importance and such interest we
must have full knowledge before Ana
on any OF the points at issue
VAS taken. and that this knowledge