The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-07-11

while over in the house of representa-
tives they refused to suspend the roll
call of the house to receive the COM
mnnication which had been sent there
from the White House
The Chicago platform points with
pride to the passage of the childlabor
law fCr the District OF Columbia. Let
the Republican party go further than
the enactment of penal laws and in
the name of humanity use its vast en-
orgies for the removal of the condi-
tions that are forcing our children into
| the labor market
II is the reign of monopoly that is
tmptying our schoohouses and fill
ing the sweat shops with child labor
and this same system Of monopoly is
fast limiting the opportunities for in
dependent livelihood among those
who are forced into the industrial
field, and thus il is doubly bightng
taat hope of youth which in former
stages of our national growth opened
an avenue of honor and independence
to every child reared upon our soil.
The most palpable instance of the
insincerity of the Chicago platform is
issuance of injunctions. 1t would
have been entitled to more respect If
| it had omitted all mention of it. At
session after session of congress labor
/ has pleaded for relief from the abuses
of iniunctions, but appeals have fallen
| on deaf ars and there has been no
indication that remedial legislation of
any character would be enacted. The
oligarchy in house and senate has de-
| cided that nothing shall be done to
| weaken any advantage that corpora
tions have gained in labor disputes.
The fact is that all our citizens.
without respect to station or occupa-
| tion in life, have genuine respect for
the courts and desire to maintain their
| integrity.
! The charge that the courts are being
assailed is simply made for the pur-
| pose of diverting attention from the
real issue. Heretofore it has not been
| considered treason or an unwarrant-
able attack upon the honor of the
courts to define their jurisdiction. pre-
! scribe their procedure. restrict their
processes and generally to fix the
| bounds within which judicial functions
| Shall be exercised.
| 1t makes no difference whether the
courts are acting in excess of their
| jurisdiction or strictly within their
| delegated powers. In either case the
| people have right to throw addition
al safeguards around human liberty.
| There can be no reflection upon the
| honesty of the courts in the passage
| of measure that will confine the
equity powers of the federal judiciary
within such bounds as the people Of
| the United States, through the legisla-
| lative branches of their government,
nay determine. This Democratic con-
vention must formally and unequivoc
ally pledge itself to such legislation as
will prevent the writ of injunction
from being converted into an instru-
ment of oppression.
We have something to do in this
convention besides pointing out evils
| and taking the Republican party to
| task for the part it has played in
creating and perpetrating abuses. De
mocracy is once more called to the
| frcnt to battle for the sacred princi-
| rles of self-government. 1t must wage
| an uncompromising war for the return
| of the government to the hands of the
| people, and this means that the
| phalany of special interest must be
broken. The triumph of the people
can come only through the Democratic
| party, for the life of its chief political
| opponent is SO absorbed into the ar
| tificial life of the monopolies and
trusts that it excludes the hope that
the Republican party will ever be able
or willing to regain a separate exist
| ence where it can honestly discharge
| its duty to the people.
| With the power and opportunity to
carry out Democratic principles. we
will be called upon to revise our tariff
| laws in the interests of the whole peo
| pie. This issue cannot be disposed of
| by the assertion that the Republican
party also stands for tariff reform
Republican revision and Democratic
revision are two different things.
The Democratic idea is that where
| the tariff enables the trusts to main
| tain a system of eXtortion the duty
should be removed from all trust-made
| goods, so that competition from abroad
| may compel reasonable prices to our
| own people. There is a vast difference
between the protection of American
| industries and the protection of Grim
| inal monopolies.
The expenses of our government,
even when most economically admins
| tered, will always require substantial
| tariff rates. for the customs duties will
| always be our chief source of revenue.
| The amount and distribution Of these
| rates must always be delivered along
equitable lines. keeping in view the
| greatest happiness to the greatest
number and particularly Withholding