Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-12-28
euVERNMBNT BY INJUNCTION.

The people of the United State
know & great deal more about gov
ssrnment by injunction than they kne'
eighteen months ago, and the NOR
they know the more they endorse ant
approve the wisdom of the plank il
the Democratic platform declaring
against government by judicial writs
Ehe,question is a comparatiyel,
new one in politics and it was no
Cnuch understood when it became thu
subject of strong declaration in th,
greatest platform ever written by d
political party. While Democrats
bad not devoted much thought to a
question that had never been brought
hosne to them, they accepted the plat
GOrn and voted against this sort Of
ruIe because they had faith in the
wisdom Of their representatives in
convention at Chicago in 1896.
Events have. however, transpired
during the year now closing that have
opened the eyes of the people every
where in regard 10 the danger first
discovered and condemned by the
Democratic leaders.
Government by injunction is no
longer theory. 1t is a condition
that threatens the lives and Liberties
Of the free people of America
Only last summer federal Judge
eenjoined the coal miners of Pennsyl'
vania from holding public meetings
or even travelling the public highways
in body, during their battle for liv-
ing wages. A number of them met
at one of their public halls, emptied
their pockets of even their penknives
and while walking peacefully along
public road at Hazelton, Pennsylva-
mia, were confronted by an armed
body of men, under judicial orders,
who fired upon them and continued
to follow up and shsot down the flee
ing and unarmed citizens until % Of
chem lay dead in the road and twice
as many more were bleeding from
wounds that did not prove fatal, The
Hazsiton massacre was bad enough,
but las. week Judge Clark, OF Ten.
nessee, went step further and en-
Joined the sovereign State of Tonnes
see from collecting taxes levied upon
the property of railroads in the State.
Whatever may have been the merits
of the question in litigation is not ia
portant in discussing this decision.
No Judge should be allowed TO usurp
the power to override the action of
State Legislature and arbitrarily
nullify existing laws to the extent Of
shutting off the revenues of State
government raised by lawful taxation.
1t is step toward Capitalization of
power that should arouse the indig-
mation of every patriotic lover of his
country.
The President s invested with the
authority TO pardon a bank robber
every three weeks, as his record
shows he is doing as fast as he can
find such men, who have been con
victed by honest Juries.
The House of Representatives is
mere farce in which but one actor oc-
cupies the stage, whose brutal disre-
gard Of the rights of the peoples
representatives on the floor is ma
tional disgrace Add to this condi-
tion of affairs the power Of judges to
enjoin free Americans from the en-
joyment Of the rights guaranteed by
the constitution and Of sovereign
q )mnon Eealths t hduct their own
State governments and we have a
danger menacing the very foundation
of our liberty.
The American people will never
submit to one man rule No Judge of
high or low degree will be permitted
to usurp power not given by the con-
stitution. The people can remedy
the growing insolence Of feders
Judges, not all Of whom are incor
by eieeting the right kind
Of Congress and the right kind Of
a President in 1900. In the mean
while, the first step to be taken is the
election Of a Democratic Congress
next year
usu-aa-azurl--T'raa'-'