The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1916-11-04
SPEECH Of THEODORE ROOSEVELT
At WILKES. BARRE, Pa
SATURDAY. OCTOBER u. 1916

! Fave accepted tne inNitstion W co"S
70 Wilkes. Barre to discuss the Adamson
law, because Wilkes Barre 10 the head
quarters Of the great industry In connec-
ton witktshich l myself as president
vas brought into close and intimate touch
with the labor movement in this country.
II what have to say 10 Of any value
must be not only because II represents
what in the abstract 10 right, but also be
cause in the concrete ! applied. in actual
practice, when | had power. the principles
which | criticize Mr.. Wilson for not sp-
plying now. Therefore. ] wish to recapi-
tulate TO you just What occurred In con-
nection with the anthracite coal strike and
to contrast il with what Mr.. Wilson has
done in connection with the law for the in
crease Of wages on railroads. -
At the outset, ] 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.
have usually been in entire sympathy with
them. While ! held public Office ] found
myself in the vast majority Of cases able
to support them in their demands. because
these demands were right. But now they
have demanded legislation raising their
wages to lie taken without investigation
and witt,ut the exercise OF that form OF
judgment shown by q competent arbitra-
ton commission; and such . demand 10
wrong, and I stand against II because Il
il wrong, exactly as ] have stood against
the demands OF bankers and lawyers, and
mine-o~ncrs and railroad presidents when
they were wrong, believe in labor unions.
] am proud that am myself an honorary
member Of a labor union. But ! believe
first Of all in the Union to which all Of ~
belong, the union Of all the people Of the
whole United States.
In the case Of the settlement OF the an
thracito coal strike. the action took was
Of precisely the kind which President VII
son now says the law shculd make obi.
gatory in all similar cases in the future.
But Mr. Wilson himself admits that his
own action was so bad that il ought new.
er to be repeated. for he has assured the
public that although Congress has ad-
journcd without doing anything. 1t 10 his
inteu,ion when Congress meets 10 zee that
il does something to render il impossible
for another President ever to repeat ex.
sctly what he has just done. In other
words. stood and stand by my action 40
the proper action, constituting the proper
precedent for future action Mr.. Wilson
himself confesses that his action was
wrong and that the precedent thereby set
IL 20 evil that legislation must be en-.
acted rendering il impossible for another
President ever to repeat, the action.
There is another point Of difference and
a vital pp.nt. The ac;ion I took was in
tended TO NEE, the situation at once. Tn,
action that Mr.. Wilson took has been de
ferred 40 that il shall not take place unit
considerably after election. -
Four,,cn yc,rs AGO the great .nthracit,
co,I s,r,l. h,d occurred in this region
From the beoinninu I nut the govern
mcpt,l AGENTS in touch with the situation
and kept myself thoroughly informed q,
that I should h. able To act immedatel,
1, II became necessary for me to act,
ho,cJ that il would not be necessary. an,
that the p,r,ies tbcm.elye. would come I.
an onr,emsut; for | was very loath to in
terfere # !, could he avoided. But col,
weather approacbed. . coal famine men
.ced the ,ntir. eastern section Of IN,
United States. and there was not tn
.iyh,,st symp,om Of an agreement bein
reached by The contendins parties. | fel
chat the time had come for me TO act. o,
,he one sid. were the greatest and veal
thiest mine. owner. Of the country. init
nately connected with the ~ealthiest an,
most power(uI industrial and railroad cor
variations in the countr, 6 The Rnancia
,,,ensth of Wall Street was behind them
Ibcss men absolutely refused to srbitrate
They said there was nothing TO srbitrat<
that had no power under the Constitu
tion to act, and that the public could no
interfere. nor the representatives of tn
public with the way in which they man
AGED their business. The representative
OF the mine workers. of labor, on the con
trary, expressed their entire willingness L
,rhi,r,te and demanded nothins excep