The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-08-06
OUR IMPERIAL MAsrxRs

But II he were resident of that state
it would have no effect in restraining
him from expressing his opinion of
that body of imperial tyrants. When
We have arrived at the point where it
is a crime, lese majesty they call it
IN Germany, to express an opinion
concerning the decisions of our courts,
some of the old farmers of the west
will come home some night, call up
the boys and say: Johnny get your
gum"
To try to influence Judge or jury
while case is on trial, is manifestly
improper and no one would complain
If the courts should punish such acts
most severely, but the discussion of
case or the decision of a judge after
1T has been disposed of is another mat
ter altogether. When we have ar
rived at that point we shall have es-
tablished despotism-as damning a
any judge is libelled he has his rem
edy at law the same as any other man,
but when he undertakes to arrest and
try, fine and imprisOn man himself,
he is assuming as great an autOcratic
power as was ever exercised when
the doctrine that "the king can do
no wrong" was universally accepted.
The supreme court of the state of
Missouri rendered one Of the most
ahOminable railroad decisions ever
handed down by any judge. The edi
tor of the Marrensburg Standard
Herald denounced this decision just
as it should have been denounced and
the editorial of the Standard-Herald
was republished by the Sedalia Capt.
tai. The supreme court arrested these
men and the offending editors were
promptly hailed to Jefferson City, the
state capital, and the original Of
fender was fined $500, and in default
thereof was put in Jail; the other
editor, who was without means and
physically feeble, signed, under pro-
test, retraction and was released.
The citizens of Warrensburg paid the
fine of the editor who was imprisoned
and he was released
This was the supreme court of the
state of Missouri and there was no APP
peal from it's tyrannical exercise of
power. The orders of that court must
be obeyed just as the orders of a car
are Obeyed. What did these tyrants
90? They had grievance against
two of their fellow citizens. Instead
of bringing them into some unpreju-
diced court where they could have
had a fair trial, these judges, being
one party to the suit, proceeded to ar
rest and try the editors themselves and
administer just such punishment as
they saw fit.
The Independent knows nothing
about the charges made against these
judges, and does not pretend to say
whether they were true or false. 1t
will say, however, that it knows of
just such judges and courts. In fact,
a large proportion of the citizenship
of these western states look upon the
courts in just the same way that the
editor of the Standard Herald did upon
this Missouri court and hold the same
opinion concerning them. What the
editor of the Standard Herald said
about the Missouri legislature has been
proved to be true in more than a
score of cases and that leads the peo-
pie to believe that what he said about
the supreme court is also true. His
charges were as follows:
"The victory of the railroad has
been complete and the corruption
of the supreme court has been
thorough 1t has reversed and stul-
titled itself in this case until no
sane man can have any other
opinion but that the judges who
concurred iii the opinion dismiss
ing the Oglesby case have been
bought in the interest of the rail-
road. The corporations have long
owned the legislature; now they
own the supreme court, and the
citizen who applies to either for
justice against the corporation
gets nothing. RUDE Oglesby and
his attorney, O. l.. Houts, have
made a strong fight for justice.
They have not got it. The quiv-
ering limb that RUDE left beneath
the rotten freight car on Indepen-
dence hill and his blood that
stained the right of way of the
soulless corporation have been
buried beneath the wise legal
verbiage Of venal court, and the
wheels of the Juggernaut will con-
tinue to grind out mems lives,
and crooked court will continue