Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-05-05
nv 4 .yA AYnius. snnLoe. sMrrH s q ssilo1x. ii OK,

facts that. seventy millions OF people
have freightea their all Of earth in
this, our goodly ship of state, and
SHIT they have the supreme right to
say that no more handful shall lower
a single sail or taka the rudder from
the hands Of the sele ct pilots. What
over is to be accomplished in the
way of change shah not be by the
: South American hab Of revolution,
but by the North American process
of evolution.
# against some L cal movement,
some effort of few, the Supreme
Court calmly lifts it staying hand
and says, "Thus reads the Constitn-
tion," let no man haste to destroy
that court or weaken it's power in
: order that the restraints of the Con-
stitution may be safely ignored, but
let the people proceed in the ap-
pointed way to change or remove
any restraints in that instrument
| which they believe stand in the way
of better social and polite VI Jife.
No one can be blind to the fact
that there is to-day in the land a
movement to displace the court. 1t
is part and parcel of the schcmcs
to array the many against the few,
the masses against the classes,
and this is done under tho pretenca
of realizing a moro complete gov
crnmcnt by the people. The lead
crs are too adroit to propose their
total abolition. The cry is to shear
them of Jurisdiction and leave
them like painted ships on painted
ocean. The shibbolcth Of this move
ment is "government by Injunction"
and in support of the claim that
there is danger of liberty from the
action of courts, great names arc
invoked, even the name of him
whom we honor tonight. They
quote his declaration that if the
policy of the government upon vital
questions affecting the whole people
is to be irrcvocably fixed by 4 decis-
ion of the Supreme Court, the peo-
pie will cease to be their own mas
ters, ignoring that in tho same great
message he declared that the decis-
ions of that court in any case must
be binding upon all the parties there
to; that it was duty from which
judges could not shrink to decide all
eases properly brought before them,
and that it was no fault of theirs if
such decisions were turned aside to
political purposes.
| | am as much opposed to govern
mcnt by judges as any man. They
are more qualified TO exercise the
functions of government than the
clergy, and theocratic government
has long since proved u failure. But
the writ OF injunction is not an act
! of Legislation. 1t creates no new
law. 1t only onforces rights which
the Constitution and the law have
heretofore declared saored. 1t is as
old as the struggle of the English
speaking people for liberty, and it
has been used to protect and not to
govern.
The only distinguishing feature of
it in the practice Of to-day is one
necessarily growing out of the great
combinations of mon and capital.
1t is sometimes applied for against
many instead of against a single in.
dividual. DO numbers change
rights ? If one man trcsspasses on
my property, and [ may have injunc-
ton to restrain him, is my right to
protection any the less clear because
} thousand join in the trespass
The common sense Of every one
thundcrs an answer in tho negative,
and aflirms that there is nothing
more despicablc in any idea of JUS
ticc than'an effort to measure it by
numbers Of votes or wealth. The
great strike of which this CITY was
; tho historic centre attcsts the wisdom
of judicial interference. As one of
} the leaders in it declared, "IL was
uot the soldiers that ended the
strike it was not the old brother
hood that ended the strike it was
simply the United States Courts
that ended the strike"
Aud to the great honor of the
men who were engaged in it be said,
that while they yielded not to any
show of force, they did yield to the
decisions of tho lawfully constituted
tribunals of the nation. The peace
full ending q that strike is supreme
attestation of the power of the Amc-
rican people to go.urn themselves.
} That honest and true minded mon
were on both sides Of that contro-
yorsy no sensible man dcrhts on1