Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1916 — PRESIDENT WILSON’S MESSAGE [ARTICLE]

PRESIDENT WILSON’S MESSAGE

Washington, D. C., December 5. ■—Following is President Wilson’s address delivered to the congress today: Gentlemen of the Congress: In fulfilling at. this time the duty laid upon me by the constitution of communicating to you from time to time information of the state of the Union and recommending to your consideration such legislative rneasures as may I>g judscod iigcgssary and expedient I shall continue the practice. Which I hope has been acceptable to you, of leaving to the reports of the several heads of the executive departments the elaboration of the detailed needs of the public service and confine myself to those matters of more general public policy with which it seems necessary and feasible to deal at the present session of the congress. I realize the limitations of time under which you will necessarily act at this session and shall make my suggestions as few as possible; but there were some things left undone at the last session which there will now he time to complete and which it seems necessary in the interest of the public to do at once.

In the first place, it seems to me imperatively necessary that the earliest possible consideration and action should be accorded the remaining measures of the program of settlement and regulation which I had occasion to recommend to you at the close of your last session in view of the public dangers disclosed by the unaccommodated difficulties which then existed., and

which still unhappily continue tq exist, between the railroads of the country and their locomotive engineers, conductors and trainmen. I then recommend: First, immediate provision for the enlargement and administrative reorganization of the interstate commerce commission along the lines embodied in the hill recently passed by the house of representatives and now awaiting action by the senate; in order that the commission may he enabled to deal with t»he many great and various duties now devolving upon it with a promptness and thoroughness which are, with its present constitution and mean 9 of action, practically impossible. Second, the establishment of an eight-hour day as the legal basis alike of work and of wages in the etOT’ nf °ll railway employes who are actually engaged in the work of operating trains in interstate transportation. Third, the authorization of the

appointment by the President of a small body of men to observe the actual results in experience of the adoption of the eight-hour day in railway transportation alike * for the men and for the railroads. Fourth, explicit approval by the congress of the consideration by the interstate commerce commission of an increase of freight rates to meet such additional expenditures by the railroads as may have been rendered necessary by the adoption of the eight-hour day and which have not been offset by administrative readjustments and economies, should the facts disclosed justify the increase. Fifth, an amendment of the existing federal statute which provides for the mediation, conciliation and arbitration of such controversies as the present by adding to it a provision that, in case the methods of accommodation now provided for shall fail, a full public investigation of the merits of every such dispute shall he instituted and completed before a strike or lockout may lawfully be attempted. And, sixth, the lodgement in the hands of the executive of the power, in case of military necessity. to take control of such portions and such rolling stock of the railways of the country as may be required for military use and to operate them for military purposes. With authority to draft into the military service of the United States such train crews and administrative officials as the circumstances require for their safe and efficient use.

The second and third of these recommendations the congress immediately acted on: It established the eight-hour day as the legal basis of work and wages in train service and it authorized the appointment of a commission to observe and report upon the practical results, deeming these the measures most immediately needed: but it postponed action upon the other suggestions until an opportunity should be offered for a more deliberate consideration of them. The fourth recommendation I do not deem it necessary to review. The power of the interstate commerce commission to grant an increase of rates on the ground referred to is undisputablv clear and a recommendation by the congress with regard to such a matter might seem to draw in question the scope of the commission’s authority or its inclination to do justice when there is no reason to doubt either. The other suggestions—the increase in the interestate commerce commission’s membership and in its facilities for performing its manifold duties, the provision for full public investigation and assessment of industrial disputes, and the grant to the executive of the power to control and operate the railways when necessary in time of war or other like public necessity—-I now very earnestly renew.

The necessity for such legislation is manifest and pressing. Those who have intrusted us with the responsibility and duty of serving and safeguarding them in such matters would find it hard, I believe, to excuse a failure to act upon these grave matters or any unnecessary postponement of action upon them. % Not only does the interstate commerce commission now find it practically impossible, with its present membership and organization, to perform its great functions promptly and thoroughly hut it is not unlikely that it may presently he found advisable to add to its duties still others equally heavy and exacting. It must first he perfected as an administrative instrument

The country can not and shonid not consent to remain any longer exposed to profound industrial disturbances for lack of additional

means of arbitration and conciliation which the congress can easily and promptly supply. And all will agree that there must be no doubt as to the power of the executive to make immediate and uninterrupted' use of the railroads for the concentration of the military forces of the nation wherever they are needed and whenever they are needed.

This is a program of regulation, prevention and administrative efficiency which argues its own case in the mere statement of it. With regard to one of its items, the increase In the efficiency of tne interstate commerce commission, the house of representatives has already acted; its action needs only tne concurrence of the senate. I would hesitate to recommend, end I dare say the congress would hesitate to act upon the suggestion should I make it. that any man in any occupation should be obliged bv law to continue in an employment which he desired to leave To pass a law which forbade or prevented the individual workman to leave his work before receiving 1 'he approval of society in doing so would be to adopt a new principle : ihto our jurisprudence which I take it for granted we are hot prepared to introduce. But the pro- ■ posal that the operation of the railways of the country shall not be s'opped or interrupted by the concerted action of organized bodies of men until a public investigation; shall have been instituted which shall make the whole question at issue plain for the judgment of the opinion of the nation is not to propose any such principle. Tt is bas'-d upon the very differed principle that the concerted action of 'be powerful bodies of men shall not be permitted to stop the industrial processes of the nation, at any rate before the nation shall have had an opportunity to acquaint itself wi'h the merits of the case as between employe and employer. time to form its opinion upon an impartial statement of the merits, and opportunity to consider all practicable means of conciliation or arbitration. I can see nothing in that proposition hut the] justifiable safeguarding by society j of the necessary processes of its: very life. There is nothing arbi- j trarv or unjust in it unless it be arbitrarily and unjustly done. It j can and should be done with a full] and scrupulous reeard for the interests and liberties of all concerned as well as for the permanent interes's of society itself. Three matters of capital importance await the action of the senate' which have already been acted upon by the house of representatives: The bill which seeks to extend greater freedom of combination to those enaaeed in promotine the foreign commerce of the country than is now thought by some to be legal under the terms of the laws against monopoly; the hill amending the present organic law of Porto Rico; and the bill proposing a more thorough and systematic regulation of the expenditure of the money in elections, commonly called the corrupt practices act. need not labor my advice that measures he enacted into law. Their urgency lies in the manifest circumstances which render their adoption at this time not only opportune hut necessary. Even delay would seriously jeopard the interests of the country and of the government.

Immediate passage of the hill to regulate the expenditure of money in elections may seem to be less necessarv than the immediate enactment of the other measures to which I refer: because at least two years will elapse before another election in which federal offices are to be filled: but it would greatly relieve the public mind if this important matter were, dealt with while the circumstances and the dangers to the public morals of the present method of obtaining and snending campaign funds stand clear under recent observation and the methods of expenditure can be frankly studied in the light of present experience: and a delay would have the further very serious disadvantage of postponing action until another election was at hand and some special object connected with it might be thought to be in the mind of those who urged it. Action can be taken now with facts for guidance and without suspicion of partisan purpose. I shall not urge at length the desirability of giving a freer hand in the matter of combined and concerted effort to those who shall undertake the essential enterprise of building up our export trade. That enterprise will presently, will immediately asnme. has indeed already assumed, a magnitude unprecedented in our experience. We have not the necessary instrumentalities for irs prosecution; it is deemed to be doubtful whether they could be created upon an adequate scale under our present laws. We shonid clear away all legal obstacles and create a basis of undoubted law for it which will give freedom without nermitting unregulated license. The thing must be done now. because the opportunity is here and may escape us if we hesitate or delay.

The argument for the proposed amendments of the organic law of Porto Rico is brief and conclusive. The present laws governing the island and regnlating the rights and privileges of its people are not jnst. We have created expectations of extended privilege which we have not satisfied. There is uneasiness among the people of the island and even a suspicions donht with regard to our intentions concerning them which the adoption of the pending measure would happily remove. We do not donht what we wish to do in any essential particular. We ought to do it at once.

At the last session of the congress a hill was passed by the senate, which provides for the promotion of vocational and industrial education, which Is of vital importance to the whole country because

it concerns a matter, too long neglected, upon which the thorough industrial preparation of the country for the critical years of economic development immedately ahead of us in very large measure depends. May I not urge the early and favorable consideration by the house of representatives and its early enactment into law? It contains plans which affect ail interests and all parts of the country and I am sure that there is no legislation now pending before the congress whose passage the country awaits with more thoughtful approval or greater impatience to see a great and admirable thing set in the way of being done. There are other matters already advanced to the stage of conference between the two houses of

which it is " not necessary that I should speak. Some practicable basis of agreement concerning them will no doubt be found and action taken upon them. Inasmuch as this is, gentlemen, probably the last occasion I shall have to address the sixty-fourth congress, I hope that you will permit me to say with what genuine pleasure and satisfaction I have cooperated with you in the many measures of constructive policy with which you have enriched the legislative annals of the country. It has been a privilege to labor in such company. I take the liberty of congratulating you upon the completion of a record of rare serviceableness and distinction.