Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-10
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d resulting rSQuCllOn VI PRICES, mas
proved irresistible in a number Of
cases. All men must agree mat tie
net result of enacting laws that fOs-
ter such negotiable conditions, is
most unfortunate for the people as
| whole. and il would seem as if all
ought to agree that the effective rem
edy would be TO appropriately mOdi-
fy the offending law. The growth of
monopoly, OF which complaint is just
ly made, cannot be laid at the doors
of the courts of this country. The de
cisiOns of the supreme court of the
| United States. the court of appeals of
this state and the courts of last re-
sort in many other states, warrant the
assertion that the common law as de
| veloped affords a complete legal rem
edy against monopolieS. The fact that
they have multiplied in number and
increased in power has been due, not
TO the failure of the courts to apply
the law when properly moved by adj
ministrative officials or private indiv-
| idualS, bUt to the failure of officials
charged with the duty of enforcing the
law to make the necessary procedure
TO procure the judgments of the courts
| in the appropriate jurisdiction, coupled
with the fact that the Legislative de
| paTtmentS of some of our state gov
| ernments. as well as congress in the
manner already referred to, have. by
| legislation: encouraged their propaga-
| ton. What is needed-in addition to
the passage of a statute revising the
| tariff duties to reasonable basis-iS
not so much other and different laws.
1
| and the courage to enforce existing
law. While this is my view of the
| scope of the common law, if it should
| be made TO appear that it is a mis-
| taken one, then | favor such further
| Legislation within constitutional limi-
tations as will give the people just
and full measure of protection.
| Government of Philippines.
| 1t is difficult to understand how any
citizen of the United States, much less
4 descendant of revolutionary stock.
| can tolerate the thought of permanent
| ly denying the right of self-gOvernment
| to the FilipinOS. Can we hope to in
| still into the minds of our descendants
| reverence and devotion for Il govern
| ment by the people, while DENYING III
| timately that right to the inhabitants
/ of distant countries, whose territory
we have acquired either by purchase
| or by force? Can we say to the Fill
| pinOs, Your lives, your liberty and
your property may be taken from you
| without due process of law for all
| time" and expect we will long glory
in that feature of Magma Charta,
which has become Incorporated, in
| SIIhCtnnPn
| tuition of every state. as well as into
the fourteenth amendment to the con
| stitution of the United States? Can
we hope for the respect of the civilized
| world. while proudly guaranteeing to
every citizen of the United States that
no law shall be made or enforced
which shall abridge the privileges or
| immunities of citizens of the United
| States. or deny to any person the
| equal protection of the laws, and at
| the same time not only deny similar
rights to the inhabitants OF the Phil
| ippines, but take away from them the
right of trial by jury, and place their
| lives and the disposition of then prop
| erty in the keeping of those whom we
send to them to be their governors?
We shall certainly rue it as a nation
| if we make any such attempt View
| ing the question even from the stand
point of national selfishnesS. there is
no prospect that the twenty millions of
dollars expended in the purchase OF
the islands and the six hundred and
ifty millions said to have since been
GisburScd will ever come back to us.
The accident of war brought the Phil
ippines into our possession and we are
not at liberty to disregard the rcSpOn-
Sibility which thus came to us, but
that responsibility will be best sub
served by preparing the islanders as
rapidly as possible for self-goyernment
and giving TO them the assurances
that it will come as soon as they are
reasonably prepared for it. There
need be no fear that the assertion so
otter made of late, that we have now
become a world power. will then be
without support. Ours is a world
power. and as such it must be main
tanned. but | deny that ii is at all re-
Gently that the United Etates has at
tanned that eminence. Our country be
came world power over a century
ago, when. having thrown off foreign
domination. the people established a
free government, the source of whose
authority sprung, and was continuous
~ to proceed, from the will of the peO-
pie themselves. 1t grew as a world
power as its sturdy citizens. to whose
natural increase were added immi
grants from the old world seeking tOl
obtain here the liberty and prosperity
denied them in their own countries.
spread over the face of the land. re-
duced the prairies and forests to cul
tivation, built cities, constructed high
ways and railroads. till now a nation
which at the formation of the govern
ment numbered only three millions in
population. has become so millions.
and from ocean TO ocean and the lakes
70 the gulf. the country is the abode
of a free and prosperous people, ad.
vanced in the highest degree in the
learning and arts of civilization. II is
the liberty. the advancement and the