the trouble, for, as he said, "It is never well to take drastic
action if the result can be achieved with equal efficiency in
less drastic fashion." But there can be no question that the
drastic action would have followed if the coal operators had not
seen the light when they did.

In other phases of national life Roosevelt made his influence
equally felt. As President he found that there was little which
the Federal Government could do directly for the practical
betterment of living and working conditions among the mass of the
people compared with what the State Governments could do. He
determined, however, to strive to make the National Government an
ideal employer. He hoped to make the Federal employee feel, just
as much as did the Cabinet officer, that he was one of the
partners engaged in the service of the public, proud of his work,
eager to do it efficiently, and confident of just treatment. The
Federal Government could act in relation to laboring conditions
only in the Territories, in the District of Columbia, and in
connection with interstate commerce. But in those fields it
accomplished much.

The eight-hour law for workers in the executive departments had
become a mere farce and was continually violated by officials who
made their subordinates work longer hours than the law
stipulated. This condition the President remedied by executive
action, at the same time seeing to it that the shirk and the
dawdler received no mercy. A good law protecting the lives and
health of miners in the Territories was passed; and laws were
enacted for the District of Columbia, providing for the
supervision of employment agencies, for safeguarding workers