The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-06-16
undisguised sympathy for capitalists
and employers.


trict Judge disgraced himself by hold
ing court when the room was filled
with armed soldiers with their belts
filled with cartridges. No such scene
as that has occurred since the dark
ages. 1t was disgrace to the bench
and encouraged the military to assume
superiority over the civil power.
The last act of the courts was worse
than the first. The supreme court of
Colorado abdicated it's functions and
transferred the power conferred on
courts by the state and national con-
situations to the military power. That
is a revolution in our form of gov
eminent as marked as that when our
fOrefathers threw off the government
of kings and despots and established
a government as they thought by the
people. 1t is this abdication of power
conferred upon it by the constitution
by the supreme court of Colorado that
has astOnished the whole world. The
members of that court have denied
that they have the power to try men
accused of crime and imprisoned, or
to inquire into the justice or consti-
tutionality of acts Of the military
They have declared that the military
is superior to the civil power when
ever the governor is pleased to de-
clare that there is a state of insur-
rection anywhere They have declared
that the courts could not even insti-
tute an investigation of the question
The order OF the governor is just the
same as an ukase issued by the car.
Lest there be a question in regard to
this decision we quote it:
First "The governor is the COM
manderin-chief of the military forces
of the state, and he is by the constitu-
ton empowered to call out the militia
to suppress insurrection." Second.
1T must, therefore, become his duty
to determine as fact when condi-
tons exist in given. locality which
demand that in the discharge of his
duty as chief executive OF the state,
he shall employ the militia to suppress
it," Third. This being true, the re-
citals in the proclamation to the effect
that state of insurrection existed in
the county of San Miguel cannot be
controverted."
Ii that does not make a governor as
complete and absolute an autocrat as
the car of Russia, no words can do
it. That the military SO understand
it is proved by it's acts.
The military have with force of
arms arrested the civil officers lawful
ly and constitutionally elected, placed
a rope with hangman's moose at
their feet, presented to them written
resignation and demanded that it be
signed. 1t has ordered mine to be
closed where the proprietors were
peacefully carrying on their business
and around which there has been no
disorder or lawlessness of any kind
because the said proprietors had en-
ployed some men who belonged to a
labor union although scores of other
men who did not belong to any union
were employed in the same mine. 1t
has invaded the homes of people at
midnight, taken husbands and fathers
from their families and deported them
to desert where there was no food
and no water and left them helpless on
the barren prairies. And the supreme
court of Colorado says that there is
no relief in law for the men who have
suffered these wrongs, and that the
orders of the governor under which
| these things are done cannot be con-
| troyerted." The men so treated can
not appeal to the federal government.
They cannot appeal to the courts.
These conditions shall continue just as
long as the governor chooses. He is
sole arbiter. He is responsible to no
one. He is an absolute ruler
This state OF affairs is not a Colo
RADIO matter. IL concerns every man,
woman and child In American and In
directly every man. woman and child
In the world. IL In a precedent that
plutocracy will be quick To follow ev-
erywhere. III governor of any one
OF these As states can nj any time sus-
pend. not only the writ of haheas cor
pds. but all constitutions and all laws.
II Tn very serious matter.
There may be l. dispute here in Lam
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