The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-12-07
Compliments Congress on
It's Treatment of Inn
pOrtant Issues
COVERS MANY POINTS.
Renews Recommendation That He
Made in Famous "Muck Rake"
Speech-Strikes at Race Feeling
Immigration Restriction a Topic
Regulating Divorce Evil.

Washington, D. Cat the OPEN
ing of Congress the annual message
of the President was read in both
Senate and House. 1t is, in part, as
follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
AS a nation we still continue to en-
10Y a literally unprecedented pros
perity, and it is probable that only
reckless speculation and disregard of
legitimate business methods on the
part of the business world can mate
rally mar this prosperity.
No Congress in our time has done
more good work of Importance than
the present Congress. There were
several matters left unfinished at
your last session, however, which l
most earnestly hope you will COM
plete before your adjournment.
| again recommend law prohibit
ing all corporations from contribut-
ing to the campaign expenses of any
party. Such bill has already passed
one house of Congress. Let individ-
uas contribute as they desire, but
let us prohibit in effective fashion all
corporations from making contribu-
lions for any political purposes. di-
rectly or indirectly.
Another bill which has past one
Nf iol, to
urgently necessary should be enacted
into law is that comforting upon the
Government the right of appeal in
criminal cases on questions of law.
The message explains that the wheels
of justice are sometimes blocked for
lack of this power and that failure
to pass it will result in seriously
hampering the Government in its eff
fort to obtain justice, especially
against wealthy individuals or cor
porations who do wrong, and may
also prevent the Government from
obtaining justice for wageworkers
who are not themselves able effect
lively to contest a case where the
Judgment of an inferior court has
been against them.
After calling attention to the alb
surdity of permitting a district judge
to declare a law passed by Congress
unconstitutional" the message adds
that the Importance of enacting into
law the particular bill in question is
further increased by the fact that the
Government has now definitely be-
gun campaign in those trust and
interstate commerce cases where
such a course offers a reasonable
chance of success.
Mr.. Roosevelt believes it would be
well to enact law providing some
thing to the effect that:
No judgment shall be set aside or
new trial granted in any case, civil
or criminal, on the ground of misdi-
rection of the jury or the improper
admission or rejection of evidence,
or for error as to any matter of
pleading or procedure unless, in the
opinion of the court to which the ap-
plication Is made, after an eXamina-
ton of the entire cause, 1t shall af-
firmatively appear that the error
complained of has resulted in mis-
carriage of justice.
On the subject of injunctions the
President says 1t is at least doubtful
whether a law abolishing altogether
their use in labor cases would stand
the test of the courts. 1t is criminal
to permit sympathy for criminals to
weaken our hands in upholding the
law, and If men seek to destroy life
or property by mob violence there
should be no impairment of the pow
er of the courts to deal with them in
the most summary and effective way
possible. "But so far as possible"
remarks the President, "the abuse
Of the power should be provided
against by some such law as l advo-
Gated last year"
The document then gives a large
amount of space to the prevalence of
crime among us, and above all to the
epidemic of lynching and mob VIC
lence that springs up, now in one
part of our country, now in another.
Each section, North, South, East or
West, has its own faults; no section
can with wisdom spend its time jeer-
Ing at the faults of another section
IL should be busy trying to amend its
own shortcomings. To deal with the
crime of corruption 1t is necessary to
nave an awakened public conscience,
and to supplement this by whatever
legislation will add speed and GER
tainty in the execution of the law.
When we deal with .lynching even
more is necessary. A great many
white men are lynclld but the crime
is peculiarly frequent in respect to
black men. The greatest existing
cause of lynching is the preparation,
especially by black men, of the hid
eous crime of rape-the most ahom-
mable in all the category of crimes,
even worse than murder. Mobs fire.
quently avenge the commission OF
.hls crime by themselves torturing tc
ueath the man committing it, thus
aVenglng in bestial fashion a bestial
oeed, and reducing themselves to a
level with the criminal.
There is but one rule in dealing
win black men as with white men,.
is the same rule that must be APP
phed In dealing with rich men and
poor men; that is, to treat each man.