The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-01
Parker q, Reactionary.


The address of Judge Parker before
the American Bar association may be
| read between the lines to express the,
Judges views of certain men now prom
inently before the public. His rap at
| executive interference in legislation is
quite possibly aimed at Roosevelt. His
attack upon the sensational newspaper
that outward sign Of inward popu-
lar corruption or hysteria lis quite
palpably aimed at Hearst. Bryan is
not clearly pointed out, but there arc
enough references to legislative aipeomas
petents, and public amateurs to include
him.
Judge Parker's speech was an ar
raignment Of overlegislation, whose
springs he found in the hysteria
aroused by sensational newspapers, the
desires of bosses to have laws which
they can either sell or trade, the over
wcening ambition of executives to pro-
cure laws which will carry out their
personal aims and the yearning of anna
teur legislators to connect their names
with some new law as a stepping stone
to further political advancement.
1t is a great vista of confusion
which he opens up before us, but to
look for moment at the other side of
the picture. What would be the status
Of American Legislatures if all of these
influences were Quoted or removed9
! With no newspapers watching the mem
bers, with no executives. urging legis-
lation, with no members ambitious to
make record, who would guide the leg
islatures? Would they make no laws,
or would they continue to make laws
under other influences than these
against which he inveighs?
The experience of the American peo-
pie has been that when they did not
watch the legislature some one else, did.
The special interest Hobbies were afWHys
there. Of late years the people have
awakened to this truth and they have
| begun a defensive campaign on the
other side. They now pay special at
tention to the election of members. Of
congress and the legislatures. They
watch these persons after elected. They
read what the newspapers say about
them; they even hire attorneys to ex-
anime all bills introduced and give ex-
pert opinions upon their probable effect
if enacted into law.
Can Judge Parker or any one else
claim that these precautions have been
an iniury?., Can he. or any lone, else
assert that they have not been forced
upon the American people? ! )
Judge Parker in especial complains
of tampering with the election laws.
Inasmuch as he has recently come
from the labors Of proving to court
that the people of New York city had
no right to open their own ballot boxes
to learn whether their will had been
carried out in an election, he is per-
haps an authority on this branch of
his subject. But he will be long
time convincing the American people
that the tampering with election laws
has not been a pretty steady advance
toward decent conditions. These tam
perings have given us the secret
ballot, the individual registration, the
prohibition upon solicitation at the
polls and many other needed protec-
tions. Looking back to less than
generation ago, it is almost unconceiv-
able that then the American voter took
his ballot from a private source, that
he never knew whether it was genuine
or full of fraud, that he was obliged
to pass thru mass Of putrid, bowling
and sweating humanity to reach the
polling place, that he handed his bal
lot thru slot in "a window and never
knew whether it was cast or thrown
away. These We're the actual sur
roundings Of voting twenty years ago.
American legislation perpetually ham
mering at these abuses has finally
cured many Of them. A good deal Of
the work was done by 'tamateur leg
islators,:''' some of it was brought
about by "executive interference"
Not little Of it was the product Of
sensational newspapers Presuma:
bly, in Judge Parker's opinion America
during all these years should have been
content to be ruled by quiet, we'll
poised and sleek judges, neutral execu-
tives and "expert' legislators.
When Cecil Rhodes made his appear