The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-12-04
ROOSEVELT
SPEAKS FORTH
He Would Curb Growth of
Colossal Fortunes and
Give Poor a Chance.
JAPANESE As CITIZENS
Touches on Negro Question and Sug-
gests on Currency Reform and
the Trust Regulation.
Especial to Lake County Tlmea).

Washington, Dec. 8.-President
Roosevelt's message to the second ses-
sion of the Fffty-ninth congress deals
with a number of new and important
subjects, chief of which is the govern
ment prosecution of the trusts, the
abuse of injunctlons in labor troubles,
the negro question, the preaching Of
class hatred between capital and labor,
additional legislation for the control
of large corporations, a federal inner
itance and income tax law and cur
rency reform.
Tho message opens with statement
of what the last congress left unfin-
ished, and Of this he says:
"I again recommend a law prohibit
ing all corporations from contributing
to the campaign expenses Of any party.
Such bill has already past one house
of congress. Let individuals contrib
ute as they desire; but let US prohibit
in effective fashion all corporations
from making contributions for any po-
litical purpose directly or indirectly.
Another bill which has just past one
house of congress and which is urgent
Iy necessary should be enacted into law
Is that comforting upon the government
the right OF appeal in criminal cases on
questions Of law. This right exists in
many of the states; it exists in the Dis
trict of Columbia by act of the con-
gress 1t is of course not proposed
that in any case a verdict for the de-
fendant on the merits should be set
aside Recently in one district where
the government had indicted certain
persons for conspiracy in connection
with rebates, the court sustained the
defendants demurrer; while in another
Jurisdiction an indictment for conspi-
racy to obtain rebates has been sus
tanned by the court, convictions OBJ
tained under It, and two defendants
sentenced to Imprisonment. The two
cases referred to may not be in real
conflict with each other, but 1T is un-
fortunate that there should even be
an apparent conflict. At present there
is no way by which the government can
cause such a conflict, when it occurs,
to be solved by an appeal to higher
court; and the wheels of justice are
blocked without any real decision Of
the question. I cannot too strongly
urge the passage of the bill in ques-
tion. a failure to pass will result in
seriously hampering the government in
Its effort to obtain justice, especially
against wealthy individuals or corpora
tions who do wrong; and may also pre-
vent the government from obtaining
justice for wageworkers who are not
themselves able effectively to contest
case where the Judgment of an In
ferlor court has been against them. 1
have specifically in view a recent de-
cision by a district judge leaving rail-
way employees without remedy for vio-
lation of a certain so-called labor
statute. 1t seems an absurdity to per-
nit single district judge, against
what may be the Judgment OF the i'm
mense majority OF his colleagues on
the bench to declare a law solomnly
enacted by the congress to be "uncon-
stltutional," and then deny to the gov
ernment the right to have the supreme
court definitely decide the question"
Evasion by Technicalities.
I'm connection with this matter. ]
would like to call attention to the very
unsatisfactory state of our criminal
law, resulting in large part from the
habit of setting aside the judgments
of inferior courts on technicalttes alb
solutely unconnected with the merits
of the case, and where there is no at
tempt to show that there has been any
failure of substantial justice 1t would
be well TO enact a law providing some
thing to the effect that:
NO Judgment shall be set aside oil
new trial granted in any cause, civil
or criminal. on the grounds Of mis-
direction of the jury or the improper
admission or rejection OF evidence oil
for errors as to any matter OF pleading
or procedure unless, in the opinion OF
the court to which the application /:
made, after an examination of the en-.
tire cause. it shall atfirmativeIy appear
that the error complained OF has re.
suited in a miscarriage Of Justice"
Injuncttons.
on the subject OF the abolition o,
tnjunctions in labor disputes. he says
ia my last message I suggested tn,