The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-08
LEADING EDITORIALS.
from tho Terrell Times-star


and means for resisting the arbitrary acts
of Federal judges, reminds the student and
reader Of history OF the times when John
Adams was president
i Recently Judge jackson, a Federal Judge
In West Virginia, issued an Injunction
against the coal miners in that State and
those who addressed them, restraining
them from speaking or talking to each
other In public assemblages. Similar in
functions were issued in Pennsylvania
against the miners marching In the streets
Of the towns of that State.
Acts like these by Federal judges In the
time OF John Adams sounded the death
knell OF the Federalists party and elected
Thomas jefferson to the presidency.
The States had insisted upon the incor-
poration Of q provision in the Constitution
| guaranteeing the freedom Of the press, the
| freedom OF speech and the right OF assem-
bly,. When Adams was president many men
| had been tried and imprisoned under the
allen and eedition laws" Under the Sc
| dition act, Matthew Lyon, the editor of
| Vermont newspaper and member of con-
! gress from that State, In speech on the
| floor OF congress referred to the prcsdent's
| speech as the kings speech In derision.
He also wrote to his paper criticising the
presidents policy. He was arrested, con-
victed OF sedition and imprisoned and fined
$l0O0. Jared Peck, an eminent citizen of
| New YORK, was indicted under the act for
| circulating petition asking congress to
! repeal the ALLEN and sedition laws" He
was arrested In the midst OF his family and
taken before a Federal judge for trial.
| Although the Constitution guaranteed the
right OF assembly, the right of free speech
ana the right OF petition, yet Judge Peck
was prosecuted for exercising his constltti-
tional rights and dragged from Coopers-
town to New York for trial.
1t was In the midst of this kind of feel
ing that Thomas Jefferson was elected, de-
Ieatlng John Adams. Pending all this ex-
element, Jefferson, though vice president,
qua not hesitate to condemn and denounco
the alien and sedition laws. The Virginia
| ana Kentucky resolutions were adopted
during this excitement and they were re-
sarueu as the product of Jefferson, and
| were taken as the democratic platform JEFF
| iefson was elected and as soon as he took
MS seat ne pardoned the many citizens who
| were IN Jail under conviction OF the alien
ana sedition Laws. and he declared those
| laws unconstitutional, null and void"
what would Thomas Jefferson do today
We're he president of the United States and
a Federal Judge were to issue an order pro
| hipitlhg the right OF assembly and the right
of Tree speech? The alien and sedition law
| was defiance of the Constitution and the
lar-reaching injunctions OF the Federal
courts OF recent years are Just as much
uellance or the organic law of the land In
| TINS respect the times OF John Adams hays
| returned The Federal judges, in their
arpitrary course, have the tacit assent of
the president of the United States But wa
heed another Jefferson to overhaul the Fed
eral judiciary.
From the Washington Post.
| SOUND MONEYS FOOL FRIENDS -.
The New York Mail and Express. in com.
mon with many other fool friends of sound
money reaches out for and embraces every
possinie opportunity to show contempt for
and therefore, necessarily, to stimulate
uis'rust OF our currency. The fact that
the greater part of the silver dollars do
not go INTO actual circulation is constantly
pafaded to them dlsparagement But why
| any newspapers or citizen should desire TO
dispahage any part of the money of his
COUNTY, is mystery which we have never
| pse4aabie 10 iathom. 1t seems to us the last
| thlng that a prudent advocate of a safe
| ana sound financial system should under
| take. The Post Is as much opposed IN the
| coinage plank of the Chicago platform.
| and as earnestly in favor of the St Louis
aeilVerance on that subject as any of It's
contemporaries. But tho Post realizes the
| tremendous import of the fact that we
nave some S5oo, 100000 In silver money and
large amount of silver bullion. II real
ICES that more than 50 per cent of Nat is
REQUIRED to carry our silver money or
| the paper that represents It, at it's face
value, And II calm view Of this situation
fails to reveal single reason why any
| patriotic citizen should desire to depre-
| ciate silver or to bring our coined dollars
into contempt, The latest offense in this
iine by the Mail and Express Is this state
ment Large amounts OF currency are
! being sent into the West for use in moving
the crops, but there is no demand for
SILVER dollars. Tho farmers want a form
OF circulating medium which they can
handle without the aid of a shovel"
vi course there is no demand for sill
yer DOLLARS or golG dollars, or coin OF
any Kind. There never was a time When
the people of the West or any other Sec
tion called fer metallic money in prefer
eAce TO It's paper proxies, The Mail and
ENpress, however, knows that the bulk of
the currency that Is going West to move
the crops is probably In the shape of sill
yer certificates. The farmers. as well as
their fellow citizens In other branches
business, are quite satisfied with paper
| promises to pay in silver. Tor they know
that the faith of the Nation is pledged
for their redemption.
The most ineomprehensible phase of the
currency question, and IL seems to us
the most ineNcusable, is the persistent |
assault by the opponents of FREQ coinage
on the metal In our coins: on the metal
that we are still coming and stamping
at more than double Its bullion value. We
have On previous occasions demonstrated
the impchcy, not to say danger. of such
warfare. and have called attention 10 In
tndcous denunciation of our entire cur
rency system by a treasury official We
have been glad to perceive tho wholesome
influence ct our protest on tho tone of some |
OF our contemporaries and we hope that |
even so reckless sinner as the Mail |
and Express may yet be found ameaaple |
to reason.
THE KENTUCKY STAGE.