The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-21
STANLEY MATHEWS.


Stanley Matthews as one of the Justices Of the
Supreme Court of the United States, by vote
of % against %, is said to have been a sheer
accident on account Of the unexpected alb
sence of several senators. 1t was also done in
opposition to nearly the unanimous recon-
mendatlon of the senate judiciary committee
whose advice in such cases had hitherto never
except under very exceptional circumstances,
been disregarded.
Matthews was VIGOROUSLY Jay Cookies can.
didate, and the whole lobby influence that
finally dragged HIM through was in the pay
of Jay Cooke and the other railroad monopo.
lists. They championed his cause because he
has for years been a professional railroad at
torney and as such fought the Thurman bill
(whose object was to compel the Union and
Central Pacific railroads to pay their honest
Indebtedness to the government in all It's
stages, insisting throughout on Its unconsti.
tutionality--a view maintained by no other
senator and by no respectable jurst Of the
country except Il few other professional rail
road attorneys whom the monOpolists have
succeeded in foistng upon the supreme bench.
The battle for Stanley Matthews was waged
with especial earnestness by the monopoly in
terest because his elevation is expected to give
them majority on the bench
Should such be the case the result will be
The Thurman bill, through which hundred
millions would in time be saved TO the ma.
tional treasury will be declared unconstitu.
tional and nulliicd; the greatest Of all the
fruits of the granger movement, by which
there was secured from the Supreme Court OF
the United States the decision that it Is the law
Of this country that public corporations which
appeal to the public for support are subject tC
the control of the people through the leglsla
lures Of the states, will be irretrievably lost
and every decision of the Supreme Court here
tofore made by which cities, towns and wi
lagos have been protected against railroad
sharpers and swindlers IN the fraudulent issue
of township or village bonds, will be reversed
AS the decisions OF the Supreme Court now
stand, the people are masters of tho corpor
atoms. The appointment of Stanley Mat
thews, by securing reverse Of those decis
IONS, will make the corporations masters o
the people
The deplorable part Of the business to demo
Gratis is, that the confirmation of Matthew.
was made possible only by the aid of the votes
of half dozen of southern democrats. Doubt
less Garfield anil the monopolists promised
them in return few drlppings in the shape
OF executive appointments in the southern
states. 1t is not the first time the northern
democracy have had occasion to be ashamed
OF the same kind of sycophancy on the par
Of their southern brethren" But for south
ern weakness It Is even doubtful whether tn,
great fraud by which Tilden was cheated on
of the presidency could have been made sue
cessiul. We hope the yeas and nays on The
confirmation Of Stanley Matthews will bt
published. The northern democracy desire tC
know who the Southern democrats" in thu
senate were that betrayed them. If it is tC
become the rule that IN every important crisi:
OF this kind the southern democracy are L
| fly the track and go over to the enemy, the
sooner the solid south IS broken the better
1t will be for the democracy and for good gov
eminent generally.