Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-05

secure, and Sucn man pfe-eHlllehtlS -
William II. Taft.
The Supreme Court.
Not only will the coming election di-
| rectly affect the executive branch of the
| government. but it is most important in
| it's relation to the judicial branch. Rarely
! has the choice of President involved more
| far-reaching consequences For l. Is not
| improbable that the next President will
| appoint at least four judges Of the United
States Supreme Court. Upon these ap-
! pointments will largely depend the quality
| of the judicial work of this great court
| for years to come. Congress may pass
! laws, but the Supreme Court interprets
! and constructs them. and determines their
! validity. The Constitution, with its guar
antees of liberty and its grants or federal
power. is finally what the Supreme Court
determines It 10 mean.
! Upon the learning. wisdom and charac-
! ter of the judges OF the Supreme Court
rests not merely the just determination or
! the important matters OF private right
which cone before that august tribunal.
| but to very large degree the course OF
our political history and the develop
! ment and security of our institutions. In
! view of the vacancies which in the natu-
raj course Of events will most probably
! occur during the next few years, we must
| remember that we are about to choose a
! representative of the people to whom IS
! con.ded the nomination of federal Judges,
! President the exercise OF which calls for
| the highest judgment
Both parties demand Il revision Of the
| tariff. But they differ in the principle
and aim of such revision The republican
party stands for the policy of protection.
i 1t maintains its historic position in de-
| Tense of American standards of living and
/ of the American scale of wages. The
democratic party seeks. as Mr.. Bryan con-
strues its platform. to overthrow protec-
/ ton and to establish q revenue tariff In
stead Of REIMBURSEMENT of protective rates
and fair arrangement of schedules con-
! StStent with the long established policy
of the country under which our trade has
been developed and our industrial actvi-
ties have attained their notable expan-
! sion. he insists on an overthrow OF the
| entire system of protection, thus threat
ening the dislocation of trade and the
most serious disturbance of industry. He
seeks not tariff revision but tariff revo-
| luton Mr.. Bryan appears TO recognize
the serious consequence of such a course,
and in announcing his position he hast
ems to assure us that the democratic plan
does not contemplate an immediate
change from one system to the other; it
expressly declares that the change shall
be gradual. and a gradual change is only
possible where the country is satisfied
wtuh the results of each step taken.
Bryan's Remedies for Trusts.
when. however, We consider these
trusts, we find ourselves journeying in a
land of dreams. Again the magician Of
1896 waves his wand. At a stroke diff
ficulties disappear and the complex prob
lens Of modern business are forgotten in
the fascination Of the simple panacea.
And as the free coinage of silver in the
ratio of Is to 1 was to destroy the curse
of gold. so the new-found specific of
equal perfection Is to remove the curse
of industrial oppression. The delusion Of
1908 is comparable only to that of twelve
years ago.
The patent laws confer true monop-
oily in the exclusive right to manufacture
and sell Are these laws to be repealed
because a private monopoly is indefensi-
bic and intolerabe? Is it PROPOSED TO
apply the prohibition of control of more
than 10 per cent to patented articles?
1T is the function of law to define and
punish wrongdoing. and not to throttle
business. In the fields of industrial ac-
tivity the need is that trade should be
fair: that unjust determinations and il
legal allowances giving preferential access
to markets should be prevented: that
coercive combinations and improper prac-
tees to stifle competition should be dealt
with regardless of individuals; but that
honest industry. obtaining success upon
its merits. denying no Just opportunity
to its competitors. should not be put I'M
der prohibitions which mingle the inno-
cent and the guilty in common con-
demnation
THE plan proposed by the democratic
platform to provide for a guarantee of
bank deposits is also open to serious OBJ
lection. Mr.. Taft promptly pointed out
Its weakness, and Mr.. Bryan. despite his
skill. has been unable effectively to an
swer his criticisms. The plan proposes to
make the honest and prudent banks meet
losses for which they are in no way re-
sponsible. Mr.. Bryan replies that all bank
ing restrictions operate to curtail the
freedom of the prudent because of the
dangers arising from the abuses of others
But it is one thing to put a business I'm
der needed restrictions operating impair
TALLY and quite another to compel banks
to make good specific losses not attribu-
table in any way to their neglect or de-
fault.
Interests Of Labor.
1.-The republican party has been solicit
tous Of the rights of labor. Mr.. Taft Is
clearly right when he says that not since
the beginning of the government has any
other national administration done so
much for the cause of labor by the enact
ment OF remedial legislation as has Theo-
dore Roosevelt and the republican con-
crosses elected to sit during his term of
office. And in support of this assertion
he instances the re-enacted employers
liability act, the safety appliance acts, the
government employees compensation act,
provision for the Investigation of mine
disasters and legislation with respect to
child labor in tn" District of Columbia.
He has exposed the disingenuousness of
the plank in the democratic platform that
| injunction should not be issued in any
cases in which injunctiOnS would not issue
if no Industrial disputes were involved'-a
Janus faced proposal. meaning what you
like. The republican party has taken
reasonable attitude upon the Injunction
question. But more important to labor
than any benefits which may reside in i'm
proved procedure in injunction cases is
In Ia.