Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-02-03

their servants. the Judges; yet moth
ing is more potent than the fact that
our courts are owned in too many in
stances by the plutocracy, very much
as they own their stocks and bonds.
and counted as so much available as
sets. When a railroad corporation
spends money 10 elect a Judge. it is
not spending It's money merely to rid
itself of a surplus. When a millionaire
| spends time anc money to secure the
appointment of Federal Judge. he is
not parting with his cash for his health.
They fully understand that if they can
control our courts they can render nu-
gatory any legislation that restricts
their power, or interferes with their
interests.
| Take the Interstate Commerce law
as an example. Section after section
has been pared away by judicial de-
cision until the greater part of that
| which would have helped the people
has disappeared; only that remains
which the courts have stretched to
| bind employees hand and foot and leave
them completely at the mercy of the
railroads. The principle of an income
| tax was maintained in our courts until
our multimilllouaires desired the in
| come tax principle to be declared I'M
constitutional Their mandate was
obeyed, although that principle was
hoary with precedent.
We have witnessed the disgraceful
spectacle of Judges Issuing Injunction
after injunction solely to intimidate
working men and compel them to re-
turn TO the employ of their masters.
We have seen verdicts against blacK-
listing set aside where a railroad was
mulcted in damages for using it against
employees, and decisions against the
boycott sustained where employees have
sought to use it in their defense.
One need not look to those cases
a few hundred dollars is involved, for
display of plutocratlc power in our
courts. Let the management of rail-
road or question of taxation he moot
| ed, and then watch them. Let a case
be brought such as the recent black
listing case, and then keep an eye on
the court for results.
just now there is an agitation to I'M
seat Judge Bland from the bench of the
St. Louis Court of Appeals. 1t is
claimed that Judge Bland paid Judge
North one thousand dollars to with
draw from the race in 1896. and leave
the contest to himself and Rom bauer.
Every Corporation Attorney in this
State is lifting his eyes and holding up
| his hands in holy horror at Judge
| BANDS enormity, as though not
ipulate a legislature or handled any of
Mark Hanna's slush. Judge BANDS
strength lies In the men that are fight
ing him. The Bland name is not one
the corporations and plutocracy feel
kindly towards. Could they be assured
that they could use Judge Bland, the
fight against him would disappear.
The people of this State understand
this Bland matter better than the cor
poratious and their myrmidons think.
They believe it is part of the scheme
to control the judiciary of this State.
They do not care a continental wheth-
er Judge Bland paid Judge North a
thousand dollars or not. They care
nothing whatever about that feature of
the case. They see it is the common
enemy that is bounding Judge Bland.
and they are on his side to man. If
he should be Ousted, they would, in all
probability. place him on the Supreme
Bench as protest against the acolytes
of corporations becoming too sudden
ly and unaccountably virtuous.
The Bland incident is only part of
larger game; open opposition to that
jurist will disappear when it is found
that it will open up the whole case of
the conduct of our judiciary. The plu-
tocracy will smother its dislike to the
name and character of Bland, rather
than provoke a discussion of this ma
ture. 1t would be well to scrutinize
the character, affiliations, and acts of
candidates for the bench more closely |
in the future than we have done in the |
past. When we see the extent to |
which the law-interpreting branch of |
our government has usurped the pow
ers of the legislative and executive |
branches, we feel that too little atten-
ton has heretofore been given to the |
matter. Every Democrat should keep |
in mind that Judges are to be elected |
from the districts this year.