The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-07-14
JUSTICE DIscARDs BONDAGE.

JUSTICE DIscARDS BONDAGE.
Tradition has pictured Justice as
blind, and for once tradition took the
form of truth. But at last the strum-
pet with the scales has torn the band
age from her eyes, and now is WELD
ing the sword she SO long held in
rest. For the first time in America,
freight brokers' have been sent to
prison for giving rebates, besides be-
Ing heavily fined. Also, members of
the ice trust have been imprisoned
and fined, and severe penalties have
been imposed upon meat packers who
violated the law. These things hap
pened in the states of Missouri and
Ohio.
In the United States district court
in Kansas City, June 20, Judge Smith
Mcpherson imposed a fine of $4,000
upon George L. Thomas, a New York
freight broker, and sentenced him to
four months in the penitentiary, for
giving rebates to shippers. A fine of
$4,000 and three months in the peni-
Tertiary. was the punishment inflicted
upon L. B. Taggart, Thomas chief
clerk. Judge Mcpherson also hand.
ed out fine Of $4,000 to the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy railway,
and the same amount to eacn or the
following packing companies: Swift
& Co., the Cudahy Packing company,
the Armour Packing company and
Nelson Morris & Co. r.
Five men who stood high in the
commercial circles, OF Toledo are now
branded as COMMON criminals and are
serving warehouses sentences as a
result of violations of the Valentine
antitrust law, which makes it crime
to enter into a conspiracy in restraint
of trade. The wealth of at 1east three
of these men is rated above $100, 900.
All are officers of local ice companies
that had raised the price of ice 100
i:per cent, regardless OF the great suf-
fering such action would place upon
the poor during the heated season. 1t
may not be irrelevant here to remark
that, despite this increase in price of
their product, the employees of these
| companies are now on strike because
the concerns refuse to pay union
wages. The convicted ice trust men
were each fined $4,000 and sentenced
to one years imprisonment, the max
imum punishment provided by law for
their offense
1t is not often that an opportunity
is presented for truthfully saying
anything good about our judiciary;
therefore, the infrequent chance
should be embraced right joyously.
Politics is the path to the bench
and 1t is fniry one. Methods of elec-
ton to criminal hopors are bad enough
but we all know what federal an.
pointment usually means. Yet In
sending these railway criminals "over
the road and putting the ice trust
robbers In the Cooler" these two
Judges have done much to restore
confidence in the courts.
Lawyers will now cease to laush at
the law, and they may have more re-
spect for the courts-some courts
Something of real law has been re,
Vealed. No more can inadequacy of
the statutes be pleaded by those Off.
cia1s who would violate their oath OF
office by affording immunity to cor
poration criminals. And right here is
case OF strong contrast. What time
at Washington our president is shout.
OF the great things he Is going to do.
while he leaves all things undone, and
our attorney general declares that the
laws cannot reach the offenders,
these just judges go ahead and do
things and prove how long really is
the reach OF the law when once it's
mighty arm is stretched forth in its
punitive strength.
For the multiform square DEAL"
the souhd Of which has become a
mockery to the ears of the many, let
US substitute new deal"
Let us put stop to Juggling with
justice.