The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-12
OLNEY TALKS PLAIN
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE AT
DEMOCRATIC DINNER.
HEALTHY JoLTS FOR TRUSTS.
SHOWS WHEREIN THEY VIOLATE
THE LAWS.

Calls Attention to the Fact That the
state of Pennsylvania Provides by
statute Against the Mining of COnI
by Common Carriers-Many Greet
ed the Speaker He Arose as the
Next President-The banquet the
beginning of the State Campaign
In Massachusetts.
Boston, Oct. 11.-One Of the features
of the present state campaign was the
dinner which the Democratic Club Of
Massachusetts, rendered tonight to Col
William A. CASTOR. the party candidate
for Governor. over $50 party follow
ers listened to speeches by Hon. Rich
ard Olney. former Secretary Of State;
Charles s. Hamlin, Josiah Quincy.
John r. Thayer. congressman from
the Third district Henry H. Hollis,
Democratic candidate for Governor in
New Hampshire. and Col. CASTOR.
Undoubtedly the speech of the even
ing was that delivered by Mr.. Olney.
who was cheered for some minutes
when he arose. Many greeted him as
the next President. Mr.. Olney spoke
in part as follows:
1.-THE signs Of the times are that
under the regime of the Republican
party, and through the national gov
ernment's forty years of partnership
with the protected industries, we have
| come to a pass where public officials
| as well as private citizens deem them
| selves above the law.
Witness the jealous haste with
which the treasury rushes to the re-
lief of Wall street spectators by "A
novel and forced construction of the
national banking law. Witness the
astonishing proceeding of the same de-
! partmenS in its instructions to subor-
| dinate officers respecting the duties to
be collected on coal But the generally
| lawless atmosphere in which the pro-
| tected Republican reign has envelop-
| ed us Is even more strikingly illus
| trated by the recent presidential dem
onstration upon the coal strike. There
are those who say that as the PresI-
dent disclaimed any official duty or
relation TO the matter he should not
| have interfereu. There is something
to be said for that view Though his
office is charged with great functions
and invested with great powers the
| President is a constitutional officer,
|
tied by law.
within that sphere he is wen nigh
absolute-without, he Is legally impo-
tent. When, therefore, he goes without
1t the danger is that he may fail and
be defied and that his great office may
lose prestige and power and thus be
less capable of performing its legiti-
mate duties.
1.-THE President. for example, is our
representative with foreign Powers.
i VIII 1t strengthen his hands that some
half a dozen private citizens are found
swapping their fingers in his face? The
| Presidents overture to the coal opera
tors was prompted by the best motives
and should have been treated with re-
spectful consideration. 1t must have
been declined courteously, even If firm
ly.
But the opportunity to administer a
snub to the President was too tempt
| ing. Accordingly, he was not only
treated as a rash intermeddler; he was
also lectured upon the law and the
facts of the case, and to crown all,
was notified that the cause OF the trou-
bles was lawlessness which he was sar-
castically invited to suppress.
For sheer audacity this attitude of
the coal operators could hardly be
matched, and nothing could more
| strongly emphasize the disrepute into
which the law of the land has been
brought by long continued Republican
domination.
"Yet who are they who were so in
sistent upon the suppression of law
| lessness in the mining regions? Why,
the most unblushing and persistent of
| lawbreakers. For years they have
| defied the law Of Pennsylvania, which
forbids common carriers engaging in
the business of mining. For years they
have Disseminated between customers
in the freight charges on their rail-
roads in violation of the interstate
| commerce law. For years they have
unlawfurly monopolized interstate
commerce in violation of the Sherman
| antitrust law.
Indeed, the very best excuse and
explanation of their astonishing atti-
tude at the Washington conference is
that, having violated so many laws
for so long, and so many times, they
| might rightfully think they were
wholly immune from either punishment
| or reproach.
| ut Is sometimes urged in extenuation
of the coal operators foolishly offensive
| tone at the conference that they were
enraged at the recognition of labor UNI
ions, and the presence by invitation of
their representative. If that be so
| they must be as blind to the salient
they are oblivious of legal obligations.
I'm these days Of combination by
capital on scale and to an extent as
startling as it is unprecedented, can
they possibly imagine that labor is to
be denied an equivalent right of COM
bination? If they do, it is only another
instance of their complete indifference
| to the law of the land.
I'm 1894 receivers of railroad were
| brought into court on a claim that la
borers ought not to be discharged be-
! cause of membership in a labor union.
! Though the court was a federal court
| 1t sat in Pennsylvania and the petition
ers got nothing from that court.
But what followed? In a year or
| two Pennsylvania made 1t a criminal
! offense to deprive man of work be-
| cause he belonged to a labor union In
1898 Congress not only did the same
thing, but, in statute providing for
the arbitration of labor disputes, ex-
pressly made labor organizations par
ties to such arbitration. This was in
addition with the previous legislation
by Congress encouraging and provid-
ing for the Incorporation of labor I'M
ions. In ignoring them, therefore, the
coal operators simply ignore and con-
denim the law of the land"
1