The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-10-15

partments and then. to make the lib
critics of the people more scure, they
made provision for local self govern
ment. This plan was devised by men
who possessed high ideals of govern
ment and who believed that men would
attain to a higher state of industrial
moral and intellectual development
when left to govern themselves than
was possible under government in
which the iron hand of centralized
power cowed the individuality of the
citizen. (Applause.) Working upon
this theory the American republic en-
tered upon a career that astonished
the world. The foundation of all our
present greatness was laid when our
constitution was adopted. But the en-
emies of liberty have not been idle
During the past. three decades there
have been colossal fortunes made in
this country at the expense of the peo-
pie and frequently by criminal meth
DDS. So powerful has capital become
that it has practical control of the
agencies that influence public opinion.
It's friends are upon the federal bench
and we now find ourselves at the mer-
cy of the courts. A century ago
Thomas Jefferson said that the federal
judiciary of this country were THE
mfners that would steadily and stealth
lily undermine the foundation of the
constitutions; would gradually extend
their jurisdiction and absorb to them
sedves functions of government that
did not belong to them. Jefferson was
a true prophet for all at once we have
woke up and found in full operation a
form of government heretofore un-
known to the world and that is govern
ment by injunction. Not content with
interpreting the law as he finds it. a
federal judge now proceeds to legls-
late. He issues an order prohibiting
an entire community from doing any
thing he sees fit to prohibit and then
when this injunction is disregarded he
takes it upon himself to send men to
prison, although they have offended no
statute. When the law forbids a thing
no injunction is necessary and to pun
lsh for things which the law does not
forbid is despotism. (Applause.) And
yet injunctions are issued daily for
bidding the doing of things the legis-
lative power has not forbidden and
making other things punishable by i'm
pr1sonment which the legislative power
said should be punished only by a fine.
They deprive men of trial by Jury
when the constitution guarantees them
trial by jury. And the climax of this
tyrannical power was reached when,
a Few weeks ago, a very humane Judge
issued an injunction prohibiting the
distribution of food and clothing
among the striking coal miners of the
east. No despotism was ever more
absolute, no inquisition was ever more
brutal than this government by in
junction as invented and practiced by
the republican federal judiciary CAP
plause.)
The Trusts.
colonel Hamer made a republican
speech in Haley on the night of Oc-
tober l. He declined to discuss state
issues, giving as his reason that the
subject was so disagreeable that the
people would be obliged to hold their
noses if he mentioned it, The audi |
ence thought of McConnellism and |
quite agreed with him. (Applause) |
He abused democrats for awhile with
out attacking democratic principles
and then he tackled the trust ques-
ton. He said that the trusts were
not very bad things for the people be-
cause they pay out so much in wages
TO American workingmen. Then he
grabbed a stuffed club and proceeded
% mercilessly belabor these combina-
ions of capital which a few seconds
before he was apologizing for. He
old the people of Haley that the re-
publican party had been honestly pros
ecuting the trusts under the Sher-
man anti trust law ever since the en-
actment of that statute. Colonel Ha-
mer neglected to tell why, If the trusts
were such good things for the Ameri-
can workingman, they should be pros
ecuted so vigorously. AS a matter of
fact the criminal clause of the Sherman
law, providing for a fine of $4,000 and
in the penitentiary, has
not been employed in the prosecution
OF a single trust. II man breaks
the law in Idaho he is not permitted
to say what form his prosecution shall
take and yet the press dispatches told
us that the prosecution of the meat
trust was arranged to the satisfaction
OF the interests involved" And the
same day the trust raised the price
or meat one cent per pound just to
show how it stood in fear of the trust
busting attorney general The meat
trust paddock is still firmly fastened to
the American workingmans full din
ner paid" daughter and applause
Judge Richards also has made the
trust question a matter of serious
study and his explanations" are SO
serious that they are almost pathetic.
He is telling the people of Idaho, from
the republican platform that the rea-
son why the trusts are shipping their
products to Europe and selling them
SO much cheaper than the same class
Of goods are sold for in this country
Is because these European shipments
are surplus" and the trusts are willing
to sell this surplus at cost in order to
keep labor employed in America. 1t
cannot be disputed that Judge Rich
ards is logical, but 1t may occur to the
people to ask why, II this surplus is
sold at cost for the benefit of Ameri-
can labor, does the philanthropic. trust
give the European purchaser the bene-
mt of this cost price. And why, if 1t
is to the interest of the American