The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-05-08

islation asked for BY organized labor
for the protection Of child labor In
factories
UTILITIES COMMISSION.
Il favor the creation OF a commits
sion BY the enlargement OF the mem
bership and the duties Of the Railroad
Commission, or otherwise, which shall
have general supervision over all
franchise or public utilities corpora
tons. not simply, or even chiefly. TO
regulate charges. but TO compel
better service. Every business which
is monspOlistic in its very nature or
inevitably tends to become so. should
be subject 20 public regulation. | be
Iieve that a board composed Of prac-
tical. intelligent and conservative
men, armed with proper authority
would accomplish great good for the
people, and that IL would be the means
Of adjusting all troubles between such
corporations with the least possible
friction. AS the great and peculiar
powers enjoyed by these corporations
makes the necessity for such regula-
ton, they should bear the cost.
ENFORCEMENT OF
CRIMINAL LAWS.
LEGISLATION should be had to COM
pei a more rigid and effective admins
tration of the criminal laws. The i'm
mense and increasing number Of
crimes of violence in the United States
is a great blot upon our civilization.
| have obtained from the Census Blu
reau some figures as to homicides in
the United States, and they show an
increase not simply an actual in
crease, but an increase in proper
ton to population, of 100 per cent,
within the last few years. Making all
proper allowances for defects in the
early statistics, the facts remain APP
palling enough. We are, as | have
said, the most homicidal nation in the
whole world. There are five homi-
cides for every 100000 of population
in the United States to where there
is one in England; and, as have said,
there are more homicides in each of
the two largest cities, in Tennessee
than in the great City of London.
There needs, of course, to be a
great awakening of public sentiment
upon this question before there can
be anything like the improvement de-
sired, but believe that much can be
a more perfect enforcement of the
law. Anyone who has attend
ed criminal trials knows how in des-
perate cases the great effort of the
defense is to obtain one weak or cor
rupt man on the jury to defeat a YER
dict; and this is made more easy Of
accomplishment by the great dispari-
ty in favor of the defendant in the
number of premptory challenges. In
view of the fact that the State must
secure the concurrence of all twelve
If the jurors, where the defendant
only needs one to prevent a verdict,
here can be no good reason why they
should not be placed on an absolute
equality in this respect.
OF
ANTITRUST LAW.
81 favor such amendments to our
law as will make corpora
ions, as well as individuals, more GER
ainly liable in criminal prosecutions.
Under the law as it stands these I'M
awful combinations may be banished
rom the State only to re-enter it in
lisguise, but are not subject to fine A
leavy fine for every day they do BUSH
less in violation of the law would, in
ny Judgment, prove a most effective
EDUCATION.
81 believe the State should continue
is wise and liberal policy in the mat
er of public education and in the
of it's charitable institu-
ions.
ROADS.
mot second in Importance in it's
fleet on commercial and Industrial
evelopment even to the railroad, Is
he country road. For a great body of
Laple commodities the beginning of
is the country road and the
must wait for the wagon.
90 much stress, therefore, cannot be
lid on the improvement of our road
ystem.
PENSIONS.
The State must never depart from
or slacken its liberality toward Con-
'derate pensioners. AS to those
erolc Survivors of that great army Of
eroes, do not feel that in the grant
g OF pensions to the needy the state
doing an act of charity, but simply
lying pittance upon a debt which
N never be discharged. Their blood
Id valor have written for Tennessee
e most glorious chapter in her his
ry and the State owes 1t no less to
II own honor than to them to add
the comfort of their declining years.
AND now, my countrymen, / have
presented my cause
your just and deliberate consider
ION. III know my own heart, | be-
III 10 g.