The independent., 1903-12-17
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Join the Old Guard of Populism.

The courts took another step toward
absOlutism last week. Judge Jesse
Holden OF Chicago fined a labor union
as a body $1,000 How he is going to
collect that fine, the dispatches do not
say. Will he slap the whole mem
bership in Jail A labor union is not
an incorporated body. 1t is simply a
voluntary association and has no legal
existence. The judge might as well
assess fine against whole commun-
ity because some member Of it was
charged with contempt of court. The
judge has been trying government by
injunction and as that did not turn
out as he wished, he is now going to
try government by fines.
The congressman declare that il
there was a recess long enough be-
tween the special and regular session
for the president to send in 16S ap-
pointments, that it was certainly long
enough for them to draw mileage for
going home and coming back, al
though they did not leave Washing
ton. However, some of the congress
men are said to be hesitating. Some
of them have a recollection of GER
tain salary grab that resulted disas-
trously and the fear that a mileage
grab might end in the same way.
Mr.. Rockefeller did not like some de-
cisions of the courts out in Montana
concerning his copper mines. So he
concluded to get rid of the obstreper-
GUS judges and the work was of the
finished kind for which Rockefeller is
famous. He closed down his mines
and threw 10000 miners out of work
at the beginning of winter in a coun-
try 1000 miles from supplies. To prs-
vent a scene of starvation that would
have been worse than a plague famine
in India, the governor called a special
session of the legislature and passed
a law so that Rockefeller's cases could
be tried by other judges. Legisla-
lures and courts are but as chaff be-
fore the wind when Rockefeller ap-
pears.
The farmers around Bloomington,
ILL.,, held meeting and urged the re-
tail meat dealers to return to the old
method of killing and dressing their
own hogs and cattle. The farmers say
that conditions have become SO un-
bearable to them as it is to the dwell
ers in the city who have to pay such
exorbitant prices for meat. The farm
ers further declare that high freight
rates and exorbitant charges fol- yard
age and feed at Chicago, together
with the low prices that the trust has
installed for live stock, renders their
fat cattle and hogs almost worthless
to them. Nothing appears to have
been said by these farmers concern
ing the fact that the meat trust ex-
lists in direct violation of the anti
trust law and that Knox refuses to
bring criminal proceedings against it.
They will get out at the next election
and "whoop 'er up for the grand old
party of trusts, because Lincoln freed
The slaves.
Senator Teller introduced a bill for
probate courts in the Ind
an Territory. The editor of The In
dependent has been trying for the last
,wenty years to get congress to es-
ablish probate courts on all Indian |
reservations for the settlement of Ind
an estate and keeping record of |
births and deaths so that when the |
indians are given title to their al
otted lands that there will not be
inending litigation concerning who
he rightful heirs are Within the
lext five or six years these titles will
,egin To be made out and in the end
he lawyers will get most of the
ands.
Tho ..Dingley tariff was going 10
make the farmers who raise sheep
ich. SO oil the tarifI grafters said. but
he last report OF the secretary OF
griculture says: THE national assoc
iation Of wool manufacturers estI-
mates the number Of sheep on hand
\ the United States April /, 1908, al
I. .2si 900 head against i2.lst.i22 head
a the same date In 1909, a decrease
Dr the year OF s.ao0.i22 head" what
! the matter with the republican. Din
ley tariff, prosperity business. any