The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1907-09-27
A Disgrace, Yes.

A Disgrace. Yes.
The most important l1t'gat1oi
ever instituted in Minnesota, and al
issue fraught with the most TAI
reaching consequences to the public
is the case OF the stockholders o.
the various railroads dong business
in the state against the attorney
general and state railroad commits
sion IN which it sought to set aside
most Of the important railroad leg
islation enactd last winter, oomprls
1pp tho two cent fare law, and the
SO merchandise and commodity rate
laws. Judge Lochern, of the federal
court at st. Paul, before whom the
case had been heard, last wees
granted a temporary injunction Of
to the last law but the first two
will stand for the present. In rem
derine his decision the judge sub
iected the late Legislature to Il
scathi ne arraignment, making use
of the following startling language
in criticising the penalty provision
of the rate law:
''Such legislation is vicious and
a disgrace almost to civilization.
1t is a reproach to'any set of officers
who would enact it. "
We are not a lawyer, and 1t Is
probably true that the distinguish
ed jurist forgets more law in a min
ute than we ever knew, but It oc'
ours to us that he has lost slght OF
the basic source OF the law, the
will Of the people. The legislators
rho enacted the laws now being
tested simply executed the will OF
the people, and many of them dld
80 reluctantly. Whether Of not the
will Of the people is a disgrace to
civilization we may not be a com"
petent final judge, but Judge Loeb
rem g Incorporate outburst hardly
qualities him for the position
Most OF the captains Of industry
as we'll as large proportion of the
legal profession, including not to"
of tho judiciary, seem to hold the
doctrine of "divine right Of prop
erty or vested rights paramount to
tho riehts of the people, indi vidual-
" or collectively, and that any new
expression Of the will Ut the people,
conforming to the new condition.
when it interferes with oppression
long entrenched, is ''vicious,' an
archistlc, and ''almost a disgrace
to civilization: The trouble with
the beneticiaries Of many vested
rights, which through changed con-
ditions have long since tecome vest
ed wrongs, and their champions ike
Judge Luchren, is that they appear
to have fallen b.hiud the procession
of modern Thought and IDEAS Ut IN
dustrial equity.
There are anarchists and anarch-
lists. There is the comparatively
harmless idiot who denounceI all
government as oppressive ana on-
necessary. Then there is the greedy
crafty AMI dangerous captain OF
industry' who employs every avail
able tuuct,on Of government ami
intricacies If the legal jungle to &C.
cumulate by hook or crook sucn
swollen fortunes as now menace
society with danger 80 grave
that the antics Of the wlld-eyeu,
DO Jze-guzzllug anarchist OF the
Most or Goldman type become a
ludjcrous farce by comparison, and
who. the inmate their depreta'
tious are threatened with aDrldSe'
meu1, turn Oh the ntate Win I
viyor ana persistence that truly
bodies Ill for popular government,
ana employ evcly form or 'eS"]
trickery to paralize the strong am
that tysrered and protectd them.
The stockholders at the railroads
and vh5r nlu!,upolia>; have ron
trolIed the :r..,e and enjoy ed thel:
fat graft so long that they natur
ally regard any attempt ID ciorta1
their eHtortlpns as vicious, anarch
istic and q disgrace to civilization
From the utterance OF Judge Loch
rem the impression is unavoidable
that taerea!ty dangerous anarcnls