The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-10-14
A MINISTER IN POLITICS.

fl6nC yOurSeIl out see Inat every
| friend aud neigbor votes with you.
A MINISTER IN POLITICS.
FALSE LOGIC AND MISTAKEN STATE
MENTs.
A friend has sent US the following
letter:
Editor Representative:
Enclosed please lind an article writ
ten by Rev. +. O. Holman, D. D.
| l wish you would take up the sup
posed points that he makes. and show
then up in the right light.
Fte2se answer this article and pub
lish 1t in your paper. Yours ETC.,
Geo. A. Potter.
Boone Lake, Mimi, Sept. 81.
/ The article referred to appears in
the Methodist Herald, Of Sept. 8. 1896.
| 1t is entitled 1.-THE Present Crisis. "
The article commences as follows:
We are now in the midst of the
| most critical political campaign since
the first election of Lincoln. and pos
sibly since the founding Of this repub-
| nc. Recent events have followed one
another so swiftly: and party lines
have been so suddenly and completely
OOllterated that many sincere and
good men are bewildered and are won
dering where in the new alignment OF
forces they ought to be found. In
such time it behcoyes every man
who thinks he has a word of wisdom
to speak it forth with no uncertain
sound. l wish to state my reason for
believing (as l most profoundly do)
that the Democratic party with Mr..
Bryan for its candidate, and the Chi
cago platform for its program, is one
OF the most dangerous combinations
of political forces which ever appealed
to the voters of this nation. My fea.
study Of (D the platform, (2) the party,
The Rev. Mr.. Holman seems to
think the Populists are the worst and
most dangerous element in the poll
tics OF this country. He is, doubt
less, not aware that a large majority
OF P0pulists are farmers, landowners,
peaceful and industrious citizens.
This class has been in all ages conser-
vative; and has formed the back bone
of all orderly governments every
where on earth. TO pretend that the
tillerS of the soil, the men who own
the land, and have most interest in
the preservation of peace and good Or
der are source Of threat and danger
to the rest of the community is sim
ply absurd.
The next point made by the rev.
erend gentleman is as follows:
O The Chicago platform was die
tated by the most dangerous elements
Of the Democratic party. 1t was con-
structed In Difference to and as a bid
for the Populist vote. 1t is a plat
datiOn Of law and order and under
mines the Safeguards Of liberty. By
it's seemingly harmless declaration
against life tenure Of office it strikes
at the Supreme Court of the United
States. 1t proposes to degrade that
hitherto august body to the level of a
Justice cOurt,and compel it's venera bic
judges to a periodical scramble in the
arena of party politics for reelection
or reappointment. And this is to be
done in order that the Constitutional
law of the land may be interpreted in
the interest of party politics and
temporary majorities.
The Peoples Party does not pro-
pose. as Mr.. Holman seems to think,
to belgrade the Supreme Court of the
United States to the level of JUS
tice Court" 1t says on the other
hand, that our government, under the
Constitution, consists Of three differ
ent, coordinate departments. These
departments are co-equal indepen-
dent of each other, and no one Of
them has the right under the consti.
tuition, to interfere with the action of
the other. The President has no
right to make laws and the Congress
has no right to enter the Supreme
Court and decide the differences
which may arise, on questions of law,
between the citizens of the country.
Neither has Congress the right to
abrogate decision Of the Supreme
Court made upon any subject Of which
1t has proper cogniZance. Some of us
old-although this is not part of
the creed of the Peoples Party-that
there is nothing In the Cons titution
OF the United States which gives the
Supreme Court the right to cancel or
nullify or wipe from the statute
books a law CT Congress. The power
to do SO is simply an encroachment
upon the law-making power Of Con-
gress, in other words, OF the people.
England has never tolerated any such
! encroachment upon the power of
Parliament. and would scout such an
idea. The foundation stone Of this
government, as OF all free govern
ments, is the right Of the people,
through their representatives, to
make all laws necessary for the goy-
ernment of the people. The Supreme
| Court is not elected by the people but
appointed by the President; they do
not hold their Office subject to the
will Of the people, but for life. If
they have the right to take the laws
passed by the people. through their
representatives, and say which law
sh I'll stand and which shall not. then
they P>asess power higher than Con-
gress and hfg>er than the people that
elected the Congress. And ms tead Of
a seif-governed Republic, we have an
| oligarchy of dozen men, sitting
upon their thrones, and holding