Evening star., 1938-01-03
Text of President Ro0sevelt's Message to Conoress

ground Of operating efficiency,
but have been created for the sake
OF securities profits, financial con-
troll, the suppression Of competi-
ton and the ambition for power
over others. In some lines of in
dustry very small numerical
group Is In such position Of
influence that its actions are of
necessity followed by the other
units operating in the same field.
That such influences operate to
control banking and finance Is
equally true, in spite of the many
efforts, through Federal legislation,
to take such control out of the
hands Of small group We have
but to talk with hundreds of small
bankers throughout the United
States to realize that. irrespective
Of local conditions, they are COM
PEELED in practice to accept the
policies laid down by a small num-
ber of the larger banks in the
Nation. The work undertaken by
Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Will
son is not finished yet.
The ownership Of vast properties
or the organization Of thousands
of workers creates a heavy obliga-
ton of public service. The power
should not be sought or sanctioned
unless the responsibility is accepted
as we'll The man who seeks free
dom from such responsibility in
the name of individual liberty is
either fooling himself or trying to
cheat his fellow men. He wants
to eat the fruits of orderly society
without paying for them.
Democratic Menus Held Used
To Correct Nations Weaknesses.
As a Nation we have rejected
any radical revolutionary program.
For permanent correction Of
grave weaknesses in our economic
system we have relied on new ap-
plicationS of old democratic proc
esses. 1t Is not necessary to re-
count what has been accomplished
in preserving the homes and liveli-
hood of millions Of workers on
farms and in cities. in reconstruct
ing sound banking and credit
system, in reviving trade and in
dustry, in re-establishing security,
Of life and property. All we need
today is to look upon the funda-
mental, sound economic conditions
to know that this business recess
sion causes more perplexity than
fear on the part Of most people
and to contrast our prevailing
mental attitude with the terror
and despair of five years ago.
Furthermore, we have new
moral climate In America. That
means that We ask business and
finance to recognize that fact, to
cure such inequalities as they can
cure without legislation, but to
join their Government In the
enactment Of legislation where the
ending of abuses and the steady
functioning of our economic sys-
tenn calls for Government assist
ance. The Nation has no obliga-
ton to make America safe for in
competent business men or for
business men who fail to note the
trend of the times and continue
the use Of machinery of economics
and practices of finance as out
worn as the cotton spindle Of 1870.
Government can be expected to
cooperate in every way with the
business of the Nation provided
the component parts Of business
abandon practices which do not
belong to this day and age. and
adopt price and production policies
appropriate to the times
In regard to the relationship Of
government to certain processes Of
business, to which have referred,
it seems clear to me that existing
laws require reconstruction. I ex-
pect, therefore, to address the Con.
gress in special message on this
subject, and hope to have the
help of business in the efforts of
Government to help business.
Difficult Situations
Caused by Labor Rows.
have spoken of labor as another
essential in the three great groups
OF the population in raising the
Nations income. Definite strides in
collective bargaining have been
made and the right of labor to
organize has been nationally recog-
nized. Nevertheless in the evolu-
ton OF the process difficult situa-
tlons have arisen in localities and
among groups. Unfortunate divi-
sions relating to jurisdiction among
the workers themselves have retard-
ed production within given indus
tries and have. therefore, affected
related industries. The construc-
tion Of homes and other buildings
has been hindered in some locali-
ties not only by unnecessarily high
prices for materials but also by
certain hourly wage scales.
For economic and social reasons
our principal interest for the near
future lies along two lines: First,
the immediate desirability of in
creasing the wages of the lowest
paid groups In all industry; and,
second, in thinking in terms of the
regularizing the work of the in
dividual worker more greatly
through the year-in other words,
in thinking more in terms of the
workers total pay for period OF
a whole year rather than in terms
of his remuneration by the hour
or by the day.
In the case Of labor as in the