The Louisiana populist., 1896-01-17


that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty, and the
pursuit Of happiness.-Declarat of
Independence.
1t has been held that in the political
institutions Of the United States u IRE
are two fundamental facts recognized
the sovereignty of the people and the
equality of conditions. 1t is held by
eminent jurists that these facts are or
iginal, perfect, and uncomfortable.
In the formation Of the government
under which We live certain rights OF
the individual are surrendered, but
never an inalienable right, never the
right Of life. liberty, and the pursuit Of
happiness.
To invade such rights, to strike them
down, is despotism pure and simple.
1t does not matter by what method
such rights are abridged or destroyed;
1t dses not matter under what circum-
stances the rights are murdered or who
the assassin may be; it does not mat
ter whether vandal court, a savage, or
a sultan perpetrates the crime, nor by
what juggling lies are clothed in robes
OF truth, nor does 1t matter what high
officials surround the bier upon which
a dead right is borne to It's grave. or
what Marc Antony orations embellish
the funeral, the occasion simply cele-
brates the death Of rights essential to
freedom. and when they cease to exist,
though drums may beat and banners
wave and eloquent tongues glorify law,
the three cardinal rights-life. liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness-lie dead
In the presence Of the people, and the
sovereignty of the people" and the
equality of conditions" 90 down to-
gether.
1t is not to be expected that despot-
ism is to be proclaimed from the house
tops and that the rights Of the people
are to disappear as when earthquakes
swallow down cities. The appr zach of
the calamity will be insidious. The
subtle and treacherous enemies Of lib
erty will inject into some law a provi-
sion to be vitalized at the proper time
and made the weapon OF those who
espouse the cause of wealth against
labor.
Such reflections are largely within
the boundaries of facts now in course
Of development, and provisions which
are claimed to answer the demands Of
the friends Of despotic power are said
to exist in what are known as the inter-
state commerce law and the antitrust
law, which, as they are interpreted by
the courts, uproot and scatter to the
winds the right Of railroad employees
to decide for themselves whether they
will continue or abandon work, as they
may elect, because, forsooth, this work
is Of public" or "semi-public" char
acter, and hence the public, more prop
erly the government, under the laws
which the government enacts, at once
reduces the employe to a servitude that
must inevitably, unless all sense Of lib
erty and independence is crushed and
dead, result in revolution.
One of the astounding phases OF the
controversy now going forward, involv-
ing the inalienable rights of citizens, Is
the autocratic power exercised by the
courts. 1t Is difficult to find words for
the proper characterization of this
power. in such discussions IL becomes
necessary to refer to the debasing meth
DDS by which certain mental and
moral infrmities find their way to the
bench and are permitted to don the
robes Of office. They are often the crea-
lures of a corrupt appointing power and
are selected because Of their willingness
to do the bidding Of those who are able
to pay the price Of their treason to JUS
tice. Having gained notoriety as cor
poration lawyers, their study and am
bition having been to find law for the
protection of the iniquitous practices Of
corporations, they 90 upon the bench
to continue their corporation practice,
until men who have the means are dis
posed to follow the example Of Jay
Gould, who said: when want Judge
I buy him." and this debauchery of
courts has reached a pass that a ma
jority Of the people regard courts, their
orders, and decisions, with profound
suspicion and contempt; and this de-
bauchery, this stupidity which distin-
guishes certain judges, creates in the
public mind a continually intensified
scorn, because the people behold in such
things only the mockery Of justice. They
see petty tryant called Judge issu-
ing dynamite orders designed for the
destruction Of the rights Of working
men and their organizations.
The practices Of corporations to de-
spofl workingmen are never so much as
hinted at; only the rights Of corpora
tions to throttle, gag, crush, and de-
grade their employees receive attention.
II Sere useless to attempt to obscure
the facts. Sophisms and chicane have
had their day. and 1t is seen that an |
effort is being made by the courts to |
suhiact ornnlovec IN condition, o,,ch ne /