Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-05
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

4 ERESIDbNI W1LSoN > HneSSaBe W
Congress to-day contains little
that is new and omits reference to
many things of vital Importance to the
country which the people as a whole
have been hoping at least would be
touched upon. Not one word has he
to say concerning protection for
American business at the end of the
war in Europe and there is absolutely
no mention of steps to relieve the con-
sumner from the well-nigh intolerable
and ever-advancing cost of living. The
President excuses himself for the
brevity of his message and the limi-
tation of his recommendations on the
score of the short legislative session,
but the country will resent failure of
executive suggestions along definite
lines on problems in which it is greatly
interested far more than it would a
lengthy presidential message.
So far as the President is concerned,
the high cost of living situation does
not exist, and American business men
are left entirely in the dark as to what
his attitude will be when the industries
of the nation are again thrown into
direct competition with the cheap for
eign goods of Europe.
President Wilson will bring himself
into direct and open conflict with the
labor unions of the country, whose
spokesman he was when the brother
hood eight-hour law was before Con-
gress. by his advocacy of the amend
ment of the existing federal statute
which provides for the mediation, con-
ciliation and arbitration of such con-
troversies as the present by adding to
it provision that, in case the methods
of accommodation now provided for
should fail, a public investigation of
the merits of every such dispute shall
be instituted and completed before a
strike or lockout may lawfully be at
tempted. Evidently, he clearly foresees
strong labor opposition to such a
in Congress, for he meets the
union arguments against it before they
are made, holding that while Congress
is powerless to compel any individual
to work who does not so desire, So
ciety is well justified in safeguarding
the necessary processes of it's very
life" by forbidding labor organizations
from striking until a public investi-
cation of conditions shall have been
made.
With these views of the President
the great mass of the people will
agree. If labor's cause is Just, it can
well afford to give the public time to
ascertain the merits of the case,
thereby assuring itself of public
opinion in its behalf If it is unjust,
then the public has right to know it
and a strike is unjustifiable. Labor
can lose nothing by such a course, but
on the other hand has much to gain.
BY antagonizing such a legislative
it will arouse suspicion in the
public mind that it is no more un-
selfish or unreasonable than it accuses
capital of being. Nevertheless, a big
fight is to be expected over this recon-
of the President when the
he advocates reaches Con-
gress.
Enlargement of the powers of the
L cSlNlCe is such an
apparent need that there will be small
objection to the enactment of some
such bill, and the same applies to the
legalizing of some plan for the en-
largement of American business op-
portunities abroad. although all may
not agree with the details of the Presi-
dents program. Acknowledgement of
the Interstate Commerce Commissions
powers to approve increases in rail-
road rates to cover any advance in
expenses and withdrawal of the bill
having to do with that phase of the
railroad dispute is belated admission
of facts never in dispute and is of
small importance. Explicit approval
of Congress authorizing the commits
sion to raise tariffs as a result of the
operations of the Adamson law, after
due investigation. was not necessary.
If our friend Schwab keeps on the
steel Trust is going to lose its name.