Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1916-10-28

e The second kilograms which / r
h ceived were to vote against compu
l. sorry arbitration law, and | am wit
y them on that proposition, but do yo
e know that when you pass a law
q which the Congress of the Unite
$ States fixes your wage or creates
h tribunal by which your wage is fixe
s that that is the grst step towards con
: pulsory arbitration, and you are boun
e to get to ii just as sure as the man
t bound to go to the bottom when h
= jumps over Niagara Falls.
e The President submitted to us tn
v third proposition, to-wit: Making
D a penal offense, criminal offense, fC
man to strike during the investiga
ton. What is that but compulsor
! arbitration? And yet, my friends,
I say to you 1t Is logical. The Presider
Is absolutely right. If you start in
t fixing wages by the government, tn
: government will see that these wage
are lived up to, and for that reaso
1 should have voted against any fix
ing of wage by any government tribu
, nal of any kind whatever, because
leads inevitably to an enforcement o
. The President said at Shadow Law
the other evening, and | have his state
ment here upon the desk, that whel
Congress met in December he propose,
to see that this provision with refer
enoe to making it criminal offens
to strike, and making the decree o
the tribunal a decree of the Court, /
carried into effect and made a part o
the law.
don't know how you think
about it, | want TO say to you
that l am just as much opposed
to compulsory arbitration as l was
opposed to the government of the
United States fixing the wages,
and Ii the working men of this
country are entering upon the
proposition of the government
fixing the wages, either through
Congress or tribunal, they will
take the next step which the
President of the United States has
outlined In his message to Con-
gress.
In the first place, therefore, IL
is not an eight-hOur day, but u
wage question. In the second
place, it is fixing the wage by
Congress, which I'm my judgment
Is dangerous. In the third place,
1t leads to compulsory arbitra-
ton. In the fourth place, COM
pulsOry arbitration leads to in
voluntary seryitude, all of which
is un-American and contrary to
the best interests of the working
men of this country. (Applause.)
But, my friends, this law expires
of its own force few months
after the election. Why should it
| 10 nCtn lAl iCh
ing a principle as an eight-hour
day, principle of humanity or
justice, as an eight-hour day, for
it to expire in few months? Will
1t be any less an act of justice or
humanity in nine months as 1t is
now? You will be precisely in
year from now where you were at
the beginning, with this excep-
ton, that you will have establish
ed the precedent of a government
fixing wages, which / venture to
say the working men of this
country will never accept when it
is finally understood in all its con-
| sequences.
MEXICAN SITUATION.
Now, my friends, fastening on.
want to discuss for a few moment!
certain phases of the foreign affairs
the Mexican question. | do not desire
to detain you too long, but l do no
come often. l want to discuss this
and then l shall have told you as Ions
as | think in good conscience | can.
Will you read another plank from
the Democratic platform adopted a
Baltimore: I'VE pledge ourselves
anew to preserve the sacred rights o
American citizenship at home an(
abroad" A fundamental principle o
: government. THE constitutional
rights of American citizens should pro
tect them on our borders and go will
them throughout the world, and ever,
American citizen residing or having
property in any foreign country i
entitled to and must be given the full
protection of the United States govern
ment, both for himself and his prop
erty."
1 believe in every word, sylla-
bic, phrase and sentence of that
platform. The government of the
United States is under obligation
to protect its citizens and their
property so long as they owe al
legience to the Republic, upon
whatever part of Gods fOOtstool
they may stray. (Applause.)
That is the Mexican platform. II
discussing this Mexican question,
am going to deviate from the bette
rules of public discussion to certain
extent by referring, in brief way t.
MY own attitude upon this question
| do so not for the purpose of exhibit
ing any supposed wisdom which ma.
be contained in it, but for the reason
that / do not think 1t would be fat
for a man that has had the honor t
be member of the foreign relations
committee of the Senate to sit i'd,
by and be silent while the Presiden
was dealing with such an importan
question, and make no suggestion o.
principle or proceeding and then aftel
the history has been written to criti
else 1t. l would deem myself estoppeC
in this campaign from offering any
suggestions now had | sat entirely
silent as a member of the foreign rela.
lions committee while in the heat OF
this controversy and had not spoken
when | was under obligation to speak
1t is for this reason that I refer tC
some matters concerning myself, In
order to place me in a fair attitude
before this audience.
AS l stated, l have had the honor OF
being a member of the foreign rela-
tons committee of the Senate for the
| last six years, and all these questions
come Immediately before our commit
tee. During the early struggle with
the Mexican question, at a time when
they were seeking to get rid of Huerta,
the President invited the foreign reia-
tiOnS committee to the White House