Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22
BONAPARTE ON LAWS
Tells Some Obstacles to Their
Right Enforcement.
SPEECH AT ILLINOIS A. c.
Gives Some Pointers on Choosing a
President.
NEGATIVE TESTS OF FITNESS
Takes Sidewise Fling at Some Can
didates Who Are Backed by
Corporations.
SPEECH AT ILLINOIS A. C..
NEGATIVE TESTS OF FITNESS

CHICAGO, December 21-Attorney Gen
eral Charles ]. Bonaparte today was the
guest of the Illinois Athletic Club, and
tonight was the principal speaker at
banquet of that organization in honor OF
its officers Others who responded to
toasts were Representative Frank o.
Lowden and James Hamilton Lewis.
Mr. Bonaparte spoke on obstacles to
the Execution Of the Laws"
Mr.. Bonaparte's Address.
Mr. Bonaparte, after conveying the
Presidents regrets at not being able to
attend. said that he spoke for no one but
himself For my many sins of commits
sion and omission as Attorney General,
he said, 1.-THE President must bear his
share of responsibility, but for my faults
as a postprandal orator it would be hard
to hold him to blame The subject of
Mr.. Bonapartes address was obstacles
to the Execution of the Laws and he
quoted from that part of the Constitution
wherein it says: HE shall take care that
the laws be faithfully executed This
duty, he said, was probably the most I'M
portant and the most clearly vital to the
peoples happiness and safety of all the
Presidents duties; but, he said. IF, when
is placed in his path, if the faithful exc
cution of the laws is made difficult or I'M
certain in whatever measure or from
whatever cause, the American people
should be plainly told that the American
people may find and apply remedy"
Continuing. Mr.. Bonaparte said that 1t
had been his experience as Attorney Gen.
eral that some people think or talk and
''5rite as though the law specially ex-
empted them.
'.In the eastern states" he added. ''any
enforcement of federal statutes forbid
ding conspiracies in restraint of trade or
favoritism by common carriers is greeted
by chorus of walls as aunsettling bust
ness and breeding or keeping alive pam
les. In certain western and southwestern
states the prosecution of men who have &C
qured vast tracts of public lands through
fraud and perjury, in plain violation or
law and with enormous profit to them
selves, is fiercely denounced as perse-
cution' of prominent and philosophical
citizens. Finally. in some southern states
attempts to bring to punishment under
the laws of the United States forbidding
peonage those who virtually enslave help
less negroes and no less helpless foreign
ers provoke like outcry.
Idea Underlying Complaint.
I'm all these cases alike the idea I'M
derlying the complaint. an idea often more
or less concealed by sophistry and false
hood. in that laws are not really intended
TO be really obeyed by some people. These
critics might perhaps consent that some
show of enforcing such laws should be
made. After a tedious and expensive in
Quiry has shown clearly that wrong had
been committed the culprit may be called
10 answer for IT, but when he shows by
way of answer that he is a captain of
industry or a 'generalissimo of finance
or at least a leading citizen in other
wort<, that he is rich or otherwise irff1u-
nj h0x-
isheu, or. at worst, escape with a sham
penalty about Jas formidable as burning
with cold iron.
Now, in our Sountry neither the Presi-
dent nor any one else can execute the
laws faithfully or execute them at all
unless the American people wishes them
executed. If 1t be truly the peoples wish
that any laws or that all laws shall be-
luSD tial men find their faithful execution
sSixee of loss OF danger to themselves
thenNuch laws cahnot be and will not be
enfoSSSagainst/ such men. But L. for
one. believe firmly that the people have no
such wMh: and / believe further that
PRACTICALLY. every one else believes about
thF as>1 do; SD that the very raen who
raise-lAese misleading clamors do not,
I because they dare not. say plainly what
they mean and what they think
Il believe tnatkn they said this so that
" could be Understood they and every one
else as -ySfl would Isarn quickly and I'M
fhsstakably that the people think and wish
nnshing Of the sort: Americans, as a ma
lion. think their laws are meant to be
oRSed by all alike. by the rich no less
thar2 by the poor. by the enlightened no
less&han by the ignorant; moreover, they
wish and intend their laws to be thus
obeyed. and that the richest lawbreaker
who ever crushed out competition through
a trust shall find no greater favors from
ennrts or juries or. public prosecutors
than the meanest criminal who counter
mr.
throuGhs the mails
The Danger.
The danger. in this respect is that the
people may be deceived; and. in fact, 1
believe that widespread. persistent. sys-
tematic and INSCRIPTIONS attempt to de-
ceive the people as to these things has
been in -ngress during the entire official
life of the present national administration,
and is In progress today" y
After relating Aesop's story of the
wolves persuading the sheep to send away
their watchdog. Mr. Bonapar;e said:
Just now the denizens of that great
sheepfold. the American Union, are be-
ginning to turn their thoughts to the
grave problems of choosing a head watch
dog to guard them for four long years I
cannot help thinking il may aid them in
this weighty task to establish. first of all,
a negative test of fitness; whatever appli-
want tne JOD Is viewed with particular
favor by the wolves may we'll be left in
his home kennel: wolves can be trusted to
know what they want and to want what
the sheep don't want. In palmer Ian
Huage, no man can be safely trusted to
take care that the laws be faithfully ex-
ecuted' IL his choice be longed for and
urged by all or many of those who have
INSTRUCTED the faithful execution of the
same laws in the past, and whose infiu-
ence and resources are formidable obsta-
Giles to their faithful execution today.
Il have said that many attempts have
been and are daily made to so mislead
public opinion as to these matters that il
may be a hindrance. not a help. In the en-
forcement of the laws. My attention has
been called to one expedient in this
scheme of deception which merits men
ton.
Revelations in Suits.
Testimony taken in some pending suits
under the Sherman antitrust act has re-
GENTLY shown the public what had been