SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL JUSTICE
The supreme duty of the Nation is the conservation of human resources through an enlightened measure of social and industrial justice. We pledge ourselves to work unceasingly in State and Nation for:
Effective legislation looking to the prevention of industrial accidents, occupational diseases, overwork, involuntary unemployment, and other injurous effects incident to modern industry;
The fixing of minimum safety and health standards for the various occupations, and the exercise of the public authority of State and Nation, including the Federal Control over interstate commerce, and the taxing power, to maintain such standards;
The prohibition of child labor;
Minimum wage standards for working women, to provide a “living wage” in all industrial occupations;
The general prohibition of night work for women and the establishment of an eight hour day for women and young persons;
One day’s rest in seven for all wage workers;
The eight hour day in continuous twenty-four hour industries;
The abolition of the convict contract labor system; substituting a system of prison production for governmental consumption only; and the application of prisoners’ earnings to the support of their dependent families;
Publicity as to wages, hours and conditions of labor; full reports upon industrial accidents and diseases, and the opening to public inspection of all tallies, weights, measures and check systems on labor products;
Standards of compensation for death by industrial accident and injury and trade disease which will transfer the burden of lost earnings from the families of working people to the industry, and thus to the community;
The protection of home life against the hazards of sickness, irregular employment and old age through the adoption of a system of social insurance adapted to American use;
The development of the creative labor power of America by lifting the last load of illiteracy from American youth and establishing continuation schools for industrial education under public control and encouraging agricultural education and demonstration in rural schools;
The establishment of industrial research laboratories to put the methods and discoveries of science at the service of American producers;
We favor the organization of the workers, men and women, as a means of protecting their interests and of promoting their progress.
THE IMMIGRANT
Through the establishment of industrial standards we propose to secure to the able-bodied immigrant and to his native fellow workers a larger share of American opportunity.
We denounce the fatal policy of indifference and neglect which has left our enormous immigrant population to become the prey of chance and cupidity.
We favor Governmental action to encourage the distribution of immigrants away from the congested cities, to rigidly supervise all private agencies dealing with them and to promote their assimilation, education and advancement.
INHERITANCE AND INCOME TAX
We believe in a graduated inheritance tax as a National means of equalizing the obligations of holders of property to Government, and we hereby pledge our party to enact such a Federal law as will tax large inheritances, returning to the States an equitable percentage of all amounts collected.
We favor the ratification of the pending amendment to the Constitution giving the Government power to levy an income tax.
I especially appreciate the section on immigration and immigrants. Thanks for finding and posting this, Pablo.
TR also caused quite a stir by courting the Negro (in the parlance of the day) vote, and working closely with BT Washington. And although he eventually gave up the effort, he did initiate federal investigations into the de facto slavery that still existed throughout the South.
Platform preamble is still timely, too:
Thank you.
The election of 1912 is so pivotal in the history of party alignments. TR, totally ticked off at WH Taft for not stepping aside to let him carry the GOP mantle, uses the Bull Moose Party as his platform to the presidency. He undersestimated Taft and Wilson (and overestimated his own popularity/celebrity) and became the spoiler, giving the White House over to the Dems.
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p>Funny thing happened on the way back…by 1913 TR receded back to the GOP but the great majority of Bull Moose Progressives headed to the ranks of the Democrats.
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p>Of course, I am not referring to any women (of any color)…they were all left marching on the curb still trying to get the right to vote.
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p>
If you look at the 1904 election, the blue was in the southeast and the red extended from Maine across the northern half of the US to the Pacific coast and California.
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p>Seems that Teddy Roosevelt started the political reversal that made the Republicans the party of the southeast, and the Democrats the party of the northeast and the Pacific coast states. Goldwater in 1964 was another major force in that change, as was Nixon. The 2006 congressional election was certainly another milestone, as Christopher Shays in CT became the sole Republican congressman in New England.
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p>These are interesting times, as the part of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt transformed to the party of Obama and Hillary.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith, becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language. and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
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p>How does that stand with the current progressive movement?
That is one more reason why their invocation of TR is so laughable.
Why is the mention of TR by republicans laughable?
With what in the above quote would a Republican disagree?
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p>In any case, I asked how it stands with the current “progressive movement”, you know, like the good folks here at BMG.
… that you could run TR or RMN on the Green ticket today. If we wait another 100 years, maybe we’ll be able to say you could run them on the Socialist party ticket.
but I still don’t find an answer to my question in your comment. I’m not trying to be snarky here. I’m a Republican who happens to be a big fan of TR and I wonder how you all feel about his statement regarding immigrants.
… the immigration issue specifically (I was actually commenting on what Bob said, not your original comment), just the compatibility of TR and RMN generally with the modern GOP.
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p>But of course, what do I think? I think he’s wrong. TR was a big fan of Jingoism and his remarks seem to be to almost push a kind of cultural Jingoism with regard to immigrants. The loyalty thing is obvious, of course, but ‘every facet’ and ‘flags’ make me wonder if he’d be ok with Irish immigrants displaying the Irish flag on St. Patrick’s day.
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p>Regardless… I think Bob’s comment also wasn’t directed at the immigration debate specifically,… just the irony of any modern GOP claiming intellectual compatibility with TR given his record that could be considered positively progressive in ways that are incompatible with the modern GOP. That being said, I’m sure you can, of course, find specific items, such as the one you found, that are compatible, of course.
and Ireland was under British rule, I’d assume not.
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p>My view is that TR’s view of immigration is preferable to the viewpoint of wither major party in 2008.
I think that Roosevelt is spot-on with his description of the process of assimilation. I also think that Republicans falsely portray immigrants as non-American.
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p>It takes around three generations for an immigrant family to “assimilate”. The first generation, coming here, probably speak broken English, most definitely with an accent. They stick to their old ways, they congregate with people of their own ethnicity. The second generation is bilingual, may speak with a subtle accent, and still carries on some traditions of their ethnic backgrounds. They probably marry within their ethnicity. The third generation grows up knowing little of their heritage language. They identify themselves as “Americans”.
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p>I don’t have hard numbers on this, but since Hispanic immigration has been heavy since the arguably 1960’s. In other words, that first wave is just entering Generation #3. I’d be willing to bet that the grandkids of people who immigrated here in 1960 are probably as “American” as you or I.
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p>But that is too logical for Republicans. They look at someone who has come to this country in the past year, see that he doesn’t speak English very well, and scream “he’s not assimilating! That ethnic group is lazier than my ethnic group!”.
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p>Give it time. That doesn’t mean harassing the crap out of newly migrated ethnic groups. That means waiting, because it will happen. It always has.
It was quipped that Gov. Palin would be the first Vice President since Teddy Roosevelt who could “field-dress a moose” (a hunting term).
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p>It’s called a laugh line – a speaking device.
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p>There was no “invoking” going on, no “abandoning”.
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p>But you knew that, didn’t you?
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p>duh
I have nothing wrong with a a platform of immigrants, but no one ever seems to want to talk about the other side of the argument. Those of us from working class backgrounds are losing out big time. We can’t compete with the influx of immigrants who are willing to work for less money and no insurance. Each day I see the same exact thing where as my neighbors aren’t working while I cross the street and see immigrants being picked up to do the jobs my friends once did. Just last week I was talking to a construction worker friend of mine who was telling me that most people in his shoes can’t find work and he is worried about the fact that he has a 2 year old daughter.
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p>There is nothing wrong with immigrants yet we rarely hear about the fact that back during Roosevelt’s time there as a demand for these people due to the amount of industrial jobs. Even more important was the fact that we had a machine in place that made sure that all immigrants were healthy, weren’t criminals, had a sponsor and also had to state the profession they were going into.
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p>Today illegal immigrants come in without any background check so we can make sure that people with disease’s aren’t coming in and also checking to see if these people aren’t criminals. We also have no idea as to who they are and whether or not they are taking a job away from an American who is able and willing to work. Plain and simple I don’t buy this nonsense that illegal immigrants are doing the jobs American’s won’t do since I see plenty of people who are willing to work but not for slave wages.
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p>We need immigration reform now more then ever. We first need to impose fines on companies and individuals who don’t play by the rules and hire illegal immigrants. We next need to create a policy that makes sure that native American’s job prospects aren’t being harmed. We then need to document and check these people for disease and criminal backgrounds. The next step would be to create a guest worker program where we allow people into this country who will play by the rules and also work jobs that don’t harm the American workforce.
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p>I am the son of an immigrant and know how hard it is for someone to come to this land seeking a better life. Thing is people like my mother and others played by the rules. As a nation we have to think about our own people first, and we also have to respect the laws. People who want immigration reform aren’t xenophobic or hatefilled. We just see the argument in a different light since many of us see the effects of undocumented workers on our communities and economy. Imagine being in the shoes of a 32 year old construction worker with a newborn. When his father was in the profession, work was plentiful and it paid well enough that everyone owned homes. Now today these people can’t find work and the work that is available pays little. People like my friend feel their is no future and wonder why no one is out there fighting for their side of the story.
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p>No one wants to send someone back who wants a better life, yet we want these people to understand that if you want to come here, you need to follow the laws. It may be hard but why should we penalize people who played by the rules and those who can’t work for low wages.
I think the way the current republicans/neocons minds work, they figure that most people will conflate TR with FDR and not really know the difference. People will remember that FDR was one of greatest presidents, although they may have only a vague idea why (or they may be elderly and remember but are fuzzy on details)… They can’t obviously claim FDR as a Republican so they can refer to only “Roosevelt,” try to mention Teddy Roosevelt as infrequently as possible and hope people are confused. I noticed this happening during the RNC speeches. They are counting on people to be uninformed and lazy.