The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-28

the supreme court, exercising It's CoA-
StituuOnal support and duty, gave an
Interpretation to a law Of the United
States that was not pleasing to con-
gresS, they would increase the NUMBER
OF Juuges ana PACK the couIt - So 80 q
decision to please them 1ApplauSe-l
Ny friends, our fathers who framed
this government divided its great pow
ers between three great departments,
the legislative, the executive and the
judicial. 1t sought to make these IN
dependent. the one of the other, so that
neither might overshadow or destroy
the other. The supreme court, the
most dignified judicial body IN the
world (Applause), was appointed to in
terpret the laws and the constitution,
and when that court prnOunceS a de-
cree as to the powers OF congress or as
to any other constitutional power, there
is but one right method, If We disagree,
and that is the method pointed out by
the constitution, to amend II TO CONFORM
to our views. That is the position to-
day. Mr.. Hill said in his speech that II
it means anything it means that it is
the duty of congress to reconstruct the
supreme court Of the country II means,
and now note his words, and II was
openly avOWed that 1t means the adding
of an additional number to it, or the
turning out of Office and recOnstructing
the whole court; will not follow any
such revolutionary step as that
You are to answer then, my fellow
citizens, in all the gravity of great
crisis, whether you will sustain party
that proposes to destroy the balance
that our fathers Instituted In our form
of government and wherever tumult-
uous congress doesn't agree with the
supreme court and subserVient pres
ident is in the White House, that the
judgment of the people shall be recon-
sindered and reversed by increasing
the number of judges and packing the
court with men who will decide as con-
gress wants them to. I cannot eXag-
gerat the gravity and the Importance
Il q
constitutional form of government. One
Of the kindest and most discriminating
critics who ever wrote with q foreign
pen about American affairs, Mr.. Bryce,
in his American Commonwealth, point
ed out this danger, that the constitu-
ton did not fix the number OF the SUI
preme court judges, and 1t was posi-
BILE for a reckless congress and a reck-
less executive to subordinate and prac-
tically destroy the supreme court by
the process I have just described, and
the Englishman, after speaking OF this,
says: What prevents such assaults on
the fundamental law? Nothing but the
fear of the people, whose broad good
sense and attachment to the principles
of the constitution may be generally re-
lied on to condemn such a perverSion OF
such powers (Applause( Our Eng
lish friend did not misJudge, think,
the sound good sense of the American
people when an issue like this is to be
presented. -,
resources, but the poor have not. The
high-ninded, Independent judiciary
that will hold to the line in questions
between wealth and labor, between the
rich and the poor, is the defense ana
the security of the defenseless. Cap
II do not intend to spend any time in
the discussion of the tariff question
That debate has bsen won (Applause)'
and need not be protracted- II means
that it might run on eternally upon
theoretical lines. We had had some eX-
periences, but they were historical re-
mote and not very instructive to TINS
genera ton. We needed an experience
Of our own and we have had it. (Laugh-
terD 1t has been a hard lesson, put
very convincing one, and everybody
was in the schoolhouse When II WAS
given (LaughterO
Mr.. Harrison traced the price of
wages and the price of living from the
war down to the present time, ana
then looked at his watch ceres OF 80
on, we are all here.')
IAN of my streng 9Th and voice is not
here have sketched very hastily
some of the evils that will result from
+oir change to a debased dollar, con-
fraction of our currency by the export
ing of our gold and a readJustment OF
everything I read the other day IN
a Daper a most amusing description OF
the troubles of the ticket agent at
Laredo a station on Mexican ralI-
way who had to sell tickets TO people
who came from the United states with
United States money going into Mexico,
oDd then to people who came out OF
Mexico who gave him Mexican money
ne had a large book bound up with yell
low paper and he had to cover one
whole sheet in his calculation uSually
when he sold a ticket (Laughter-)
..That is what would happen every
where. Everything would nave 10 pc
readjusted, the price OF eVerylhlhg, tIS
whole intricate business adjustments OF
the country would have to be read1ust-
ed. and while that process was gong On
uncertainty would characterize buSI-
ness, resulting IN pane anu = 1L7zr $50 81
Now. who will get any beneht? WeA'
fl1a man who owes a debt that IS con
tracted upon a gold basis ana IS apIe
TO nav it with a so cent dollar he anu
the mine owner who gets an e&agSeIsat-
ed price for the products OF MS mine
are the only two people or classes OF
neopIe that I can see that WouLd nave
anv benefit out of it. My tI1enos, the
lion. this legislation favorable TO the
mine owners to double the price or the
products of their mines ana pILeT tuls
tenaptation of reputation 10 the oeplor
class ia the party that has for twenty
one years been proc 3l- AZ Aii1S'
class legislation. (Applause-)
s.Tbey make a strong appeal 10 tne
farmer. They say 1t VIII put up - pII 80
We'll in a sense yes, nomlnally yes;
really. no. If wheat goes from 80 cents
to a dollar twenty the price mas peen
Increased you will say; but IL lhe price
of everything else has gone up IN the
same proportion, a bushel of wheat
won't buy for the farmer any more SUI
gar or coffee or farming implements or
SDvtbine else that he has to purchase
IF thet dollar won't buy for the farmer
anv more or be a better dollar than the
one we have now where is the good to
anybody of introducing these hctltlou5
orfces that are now real They would
work very we'll for the farmer if the
prices of wheat, hay, oats and rye
would double and nothing else would
double. but if everything else doubles,
vCbo is the richer, who is richer than
he was before? Only the man who
bought when he had an honest dollar