Grand Forks herald., 1919-05-20
The Presidents
Message
+.tcontinued from page ~

the support of the government. Many
OF the appropriations which are abso.
lutely necessary for the maintenance
OF the government and the fulfill.
ment r' of it's varied obligations for the
fiscal year 1919-'20. have not yet been
fhade; the end of the present fiscal
year {is at hand; and action upon
these appropriations can no longer
be prudently delayed. 1t is necessary
'refore, that I should Immediately
your attention to this critical
q: Is hardly necessary for me
ompt attention Il shall take the
Liberty OF addressing you on my re-
! turn on the subjects which have most
engrossed our attention and the at
tention Of the world during these last
nxious months since the armistice
Il last November. was signed, the in
ternational settlements which must
form the subject matter of the pres
ent treaties of peace and Of our ma
ttonal action in the immediate future.
1t would be premature to discuss
them or to express Judgment about
them before they arc brought to their
complete formulation by the agree
the table of the conference. l shall
/ hope to lay them before YOU in their
many aspects as soon as arrangements
have been reached.
hesitate to venture any opinion
or press any recommendation with
regard to domestic legislation while
absent from the United States and
out Of daily touch with intimate
sources of information and counsel.
:. l am conscious that 1 need. after so
\ long an absence from Washington, to
seek the advice of those who have
et'emained in constant contact with do
nestle problems and who have known
them close at hand from day to day:
(,and trust that it will very soon be
Apossible for me to do SO. But there
'aYe several questions pressing FOR
consideration to which I feel that
may and indeed must. even now di-
rect your attention if in only general
terms. In speaking of them I SHALL
l dare say. be doing little more than
speak your own thoughts. l hope
that I shall speak your own judg-
at the front of all others in every
country amidst the apresent great
awakening is the question of labor;
and perhaps l can speak of it with
as great advantage while engrossed
in the :. consideration of interests
which affect all countries alike as 1
could at home and amidst the inter-
ests which naturally most affect my
I thought because they are the inter-
/ ssts Of our own people.
BY the question of labor Il do not
meansthe question of efficient indus-
trial production, the question of how
labor.is to be obtained and made ef-
fectiv in. the great process Of sustain.
ing .populations.s and winning, success
amidst comlnercia1 and Industrial
rivalries. l mean that much greater
and more vital question. how are the
men and women who do the daily la
Dor of the world to obtain progress
'sive Improvement in the conditions
of their labors, to be made happier.
and to be served better by the COM
nunities andsesthe industries which
their labor sistains and. advances? !?
How are they to be given their right
advantage as citizens and human be-
irgs? a ~. ass
We cannot go any further in our
presentS direction. We have already
cone tao far. We cannot live our
right nse as a nation or achieve our
properSsuccess as an industrial COM
munitYNif capital and labor are to
continNs to be antagonistic instead Of
being ssHhrtners; If they are to con-