West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1916-12-07

heavy and exacting. II must first be
perfected as an administrative instru-
ment.
The country cannot and should not
consent to remain any longer exposed
TO profound industrial disturbances for
lack OF additional means OF arbitration
and Cancellation which the Congress
can easily and promptly supply And
IL will agree that there must be no
doubt as TO the power of the executive
TO make immediate and uninterrupted
use OF the railroads for the concen-
tration OF the military forces OF the
nation wherever they are needed and
whenever they are needed.
This is a program OF regulation, pre-
vention and administrative efficiency
which argues it's own case in the mere
statement of IT, With regard to one of
it's items, the increase in the efficiency
/ OF the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, the House OF Representatives has
already acted; its action needs only
/ the concurrence of the Senate.
| ] would hesitate to recommend, and
/ dare say the Congress would hesitate
/ TO act upon the suggestion should I
make 1t. that any man i'm any occupa-
| ton should be Obliged by law to con-
/ tinue in an employment which he de-
| sired to leave. To pass law which
| forbade or prevented the individual
workman to leave his work before re-
ceiving the approval OF society to do
so would be to adopt a new principle
into our Jurisprudence which / take
1t for granted we are not prepared to
Introduce. But the proposal that the
/ operation of the railways of the coun-
try shall not be stopped or interrupted
| by the concerted action of organized
bodies of men until a public investiga-
ton shall have been instituted which
shall make the whole question at issue
plain for the judgment OF the opinion
OF the nation is not to propose any
such principle. 1t is based upon the
very different principle that the con-
certed action of powerful bodies of
men shall not be permitted to stop the
industrial processes of the nation. at
any rate before the nation shall have
had an opportunity to acquaint itself
with the merits of the case as between
employe and employer, time to form
its opinion upon an impartial state
ment of the merits, and opportunity to
consider all practicable means of con-
citation or arbitration. / can see
nothing in that proposition but the JUS
tihable safeguarding by society of the
necessary processes of its very life.
There is nothing arbitrary or unjust
in its unless 1t be arbitrarily and UNI
Justly done. II can and should be
done with full and scrupulous re-
gard for the interests and liberties of
all concerned as well as for the per-
mancnt interests of society itself.
Three matters of capital Importance
await the action of the Senate which
nave already been acted upon by the
| House of Representatives; the bill
which seeks to extend greater freedom
of combination to those engaged i'm
promoting the foreign commerce of the
country than is now thought by some
to be legal under the terms of the laws
against monopoly; the bill amending
the present organic law OF Porto Rico :;
and the bill proposing a more thor
ough and systematic regulation of the
expenditure of money i'm elections.
commonly called the Corrupt Practices
act. need not labor my advice that
these measures be enacted into law.
Their urgency lies in the manifest cir
cumstances which render their adop-
ton at this time not only opportune
but necessary. Even delay would ser
! iously jeopardize the interests of the
| country and of the government.
Immediate passage of the bill to reg
ulate expenditure of money in cleo
tions may seem to be less necessary
than the immediate enactment of the
| Utner measures to which / refer; be-
cause at least two years will elapse
! before another election I'm which Fed
eral offices are to be filed but It
would greatly relieve the public mind
If this important matter were dealt
! with while the circumstances and the
| dangers TO the public morals of the
| present method of obtaining and
spending campaign funds stand clear
under recent observation and the
methods of expenditure can be frankly
studied IN the light of present exper-
fence; and delay would have the fur
Their very serious disadvantage of post
poning action until another election
was at hand and some special object
| connected with it might be thought to
be I'm the mind of those who urged II
Action can be taken now with facts
for guidance and without suspicion of
partisan purpose
] shall not argue at length the de-
STABILITY of giving freer hand i'm the
matter of combined and concerted eff
fort 10 those who shall undertake the
essential enterprise OF building up our
export trade That enterprise will
presentlywill Immediately assume has
indeed already assumed. a magnitude
Unprecedented I'm our experience. We
have not the necessary instrumentali-
tiea for ITS prosecution; Il is deemed
to b." doubtful whether they could be
created upon AN adequate scale under
our present laws We should clear
away all legal obstacles and create a