The Delta independent., 1916-11-03
SPEECH OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT
AT WILKES BARRE, PA.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER IA. 1910

their decision was rendered the work OF
mining should go on in the interests of
the people as a whole When the mine
owners, backed by and representing the
most powerful financial interests of the
country, positively refused to arbitrate
| proceeded to appoint arbitration com.
mission without regard to them; securing
the consent of political opponent, ex-
President Grover Cleveland, to serve at
the head of that commission. | saw the
lieutenant General of the Armv and ar
ranged with him that if necessary would
| put the army in possession of the mines
and would treat him receiver to run
| the Tines. and see that neither side inter
iered with the running. When it became
evident that | meant what | said, that
both sides could count on my endeavor to
do strict justice, and that they could also
count on my insisting that the public
needs be Immediately met, the capitalists
yielded and the commission was ap-
pointed
You know the rest, you miners here!
Work was resumed in the mines immedi-
ately the old terms. which continued
until the commission reported The Com.
h'SNiob CoHsisttu oI as dDle ana as I'M
partial men there were in the country,
including the head of the Order of Rail
way Conductors, Mr. Clark 1t also in
cluded among others, Federal Judge
skilled engineer, trained labor expert
and a beloved friend of mine, Archbishop
Spaulding. OF Illinois. whose interest in
the welfare of the workingmen was genu-
inc and sympathetic. and also under
stood with entire clearness that in the
long run justice to the workingmen could
be permanently secured. only If It was
made part OF a scheme to secure justice
for everybody concerned.
The arbitration was successful un-
derstand that with slight notifications,
you have continued to operate the mines
under its terms up to the present day
More important still. it set the precedent
for the course that ought to be followed
in all disputes of this nature hereafter.
Mr.. Wilson. on the contrary, has set a
precedent which he himself admits must
never hereafter be followed if Justice is to
be done This is vital point of differ.
ence between the conduct of the Chief Exc
cutive in one ease and in the other. When
fourteen years ago. acted, there was no
precedent for me to follow. and no estab
lished instrumentaities through which to
work. had to establish the precedent
in order to meet great crisis | had to
create my own instrument. the arbitration
commission. Mr.. Wilson had before him
the precedent ! had created and he had as
instruments ready to hand the Arbitration
Board. and the Interstate Commerce Com.
A., d., H.
failed to follow the precedent. or to use
the instruments which were ready to his
hand. |. although lacking the agencies OF
law for the application of the principle.
nevertheless applied it. and established ar
bitration in the settlement on their merits
of industrial disputes. Mr.. Wilson. with
all the agencies of law subject to bis com
mand. ignored them, destroyed the prin-
ciple of arbitration in the settlement of
industrial disputes. and put a premium on
securing this settlement by threat and du-
ress.
President Wilson in his speech of Au-
gust 10Th and September 23d has furnished
his own condemnation out of his own
mouth. In them he explicitly condemns
exactly what he has done and actually de
mands legislation which will make impos-
sible the repetition of such proceeding
This is so extraordinary an attitude that
quote his OWE words. He said he wished
ito provide against ''the recurrence of
such unhappy situations in the future by
securing ''the calm and fair arbitration of
ali industrial disputes in the days to
come" This is explicit assertion tina.
arbitration of all industrial disputes is
the right method of action; and therefore
that he had adopted the wrong method
of action-although in the case of
the anthracite coal strike he had
exact precedent in point. by following
which he would have enforced the right
! method
President Wilson further says, This is
assuredly the best way of vndicatng
principle. namely, having failed to make
certain Of its observance in the present to
make certain of its observance in the fu-
ture." On the contrary, this il the very
worst way of vindicating principle. In.
deed, 1t is impossible to devise worse
way of vindicating principle, than to
| finch gnominiously from enforcing it in
the case at issue and at the same time to
seek TO cover the ignominy by vociferous
1 protestations about applying it in the
bulous future. The same paper, the New
York Times. from which | quote the above
| sentences, contained statements from the
leaders of the Brotherhoods whom he was
befriending. in which they said that they
would never consent to the legislation pro
viding for future arbitration for which
President Wilson asked; and President
Wilson kept weak and nervous silence
about this defiance. He did not get the
legislation which he declared was essential
to ''vindicate the principle" in the future.