The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-06-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Alter winter OF naf0 WOrK ana tnS
handing down of many important decis-
ions the Supreme Court has adjourned
for the summer, and the various Justices
have left the bench for the beach, the
woods, the mountains. Chief Justice
Fuller and family went last week to their
summer home at Sorrento, Maine, and
not Italy, as some papers gave it out.
Justice Harlan and his daughter have left
town for "Pointe- au- Pic, y Quebec, where
he will play golf instead of expound con-
stitutional law. Mr.. Justice Brown re-
mains in Washington for the present, and
so will Justice and Mrs. McKenna. JUS
tice and Mrs. Day will adjourn without
day to Mackinac Island, Mich. to remain
for the season Nothing could keep JUS
tice and Mrs. Holmes from their pleasant
place near Boston. Justice and Mrs.
Brewer have been visiting in. Albany, but
have returned. Mr.. Justice White, after
a peep at Louisiana. will summer at Mar
ragansett Pier. Mr.. Justice Peckham
goes to his New Jersey Hills.
Just before they adjourned they decid-
ed, S to d, that editors Dorr and O'Brien,
of Manila, were not entitled to the jury
trial which they had demanded. Justices
Harlan, Peckam, Brewer, and Fuller dis
scented. Justice Harlan declared that
the Philippines were part of the United
States and that the Constitution extended
to those islands and that the right of trial
by jury was fundamental right which
necessarily existed in every place owned
by the United States, and could not be
taken away by Congress. The decision
of the court, he claimed, was an amend
ment of the Constitution of the United
States by judicial constructions and was
most dangerous step. Dorr and O'Brien,
Americans born and reared, were con-
victed of libel and punished without
trial by jury. The fact that some filipinos
are not sufficiently educated to under
stand the full meaning of the Constitu-
ton was no reason he said, why they
should be deprived of their rights under
it. There might be some Americans Of
whom the same could be said
Nv
It seems now that Secretary Shaw's
optimistic anticipation of surplus during
this fiscal year is not to be realized, for
what with the Panama Canal and the St.
Louis Exposition we shall be out of pock-
ct more than fifty million dollars on June
90. The result of this will be-that Uncle
Sans purse strings will be drawn tighter
next year. Whichever party elects a
President in November, will inherit what
is practically bankrupt treasury, but our
recuperative power is tremendous and it
is not likely that we shall suffer very
grievously.
How much may an editor say in the
way of denouncing court and heaping
obloquy upon its findings? That is pre-
cisely what Josephus Daniels is trying to
find out down in North Carolina. He
said as many hard things as he could
think ofzthings that woald have made
an average fire eater draw his gun-and
then the judges arrested him for contempt
of court and fined him Sc Half the
State rose up to pay his fine and shouted
Outrage But Josephus refused to
let them pay his fine and he hasn't gone
to Jail up to the present writing. The
question is, brethren, how much ought
an editor to be allowed TO say in denun-
citation and disparagemento of local court
and Judge? Anything he pleases?
Everything? 1t must seem to laymen
and jurists, if not to editors, that line
ought to be drawn somewhere, and that it
ought to be ineligible and unmistakable
But Daniels is evidently exhibiting the
same sort of bumptiousness that made
him unpopular when he was serving as
Hoke Smiths secretary in Washington.
~
The War Department does not accept
with favor the fantastic suggestion that
all of our regiments in the regular army
should be named after the towns they
came from, "as they do in England" 1t
would no doubt be delicate compliment
to our cousins, but it would sound oddly
enough to hear the roll of regiments
called, dublin Regiment, Leipzig Reg
iment, Naples Regiment, Tipperary Reg
iment, Buda-Pesth Regiment, Warsaw
Regiment. Limerick Regiment, Stock
holm Regiment, wouldn't it sound
cnriously? 1t seems after all as if United
States was good enough designation for
regiment. especially asthere is no reg