Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-12-12

or wantonncss In upsetting such clearly TAX
en- governmental action Is grave offense
against the republic.
For many Of the shortcomings Of Justice
In our country our people as a whole are
themselves to blame. and the judges and
jules merely bear their share together with
the public asa whole II is dscrediable TO
us as a people that there should be diff
Guilty In convicting murderers. or In bring.
Ing to Justice men who us public servants
have protited by the corruption of public
nate. whether due to hairsplitting techni.
calities In the Interpretation of laws by
judges. to sentimentality and class con.
seriousness on the part Of juries, or to hys.
For much of this failure of Justice no re.
sponsibility whatever lies on rich men as
such. We who make up the mass of the
people cannot shift the responsibility from
portant part Of the failure which has spe.
cially to do with inability to hold to proper
account men Of wealth who behave badly.
The chief breakdown Is In dealing with
tualism, the intcrdepcndence of our time.
Every new social relation bcgets a new
type Of wrongdoing-..of sin TO use an old.
fashioned word-nnd many years always
eiapsc before society Is able to turn this
sin into crime which can he effectively nun.
ished at law. During the lifetime OF the
older men now alive the social relations
have changed far more rapidly. than In the
preceding two centuries. The immense
growth Of corporations. Of business done by
associations, and the extreme strain and
pressure Of modern life. have produced con.
ditions which render the public confused
as TO who Its really dangerous foes are :
and among the public servants who have
not only shared this confusion. but by some
Judges. Marked incf1ciency has been shown
In dealing with corporations and In re-
settling the proper attitude to be taken
by the public not only towards corporations
l.,s Nx.s.o e1a IahA ~.sv.. IL
questions arising out Of the factory sys.
TEN. and the enormous growth of our great
cities.
The huge wealth that Inns been accumu.
lated by few individuals OF recent years.
In what has amounted to a social and In.
dustrial revolution. has been as regards
some Of these individuals made possible
only by the Improper use OF the modern
certain type "n, Of modern
many issues Of securities, and Its constant
consolidation with allied undertakings.
finally becomes an instrument so complex
that. under various judicial decisions, lend
themselves to fraud and oppression than
any device yet evolved In the human brain.
Corporations are necessary instruments Of
ted to become n menace largely because
the governmental representatives Of the
people have worked slowly In providing for
adequate control over them.
deserved sanctity under our form Of gov.
crnmcnt Respect for the law IL essential
TO the permnnencc OF our institutions; ana
respect for the law Ia largely conditioned
upon respect for the courts. 1t Ii an Of.
tense against the republic to say anything
which can weaken this respect. save for
the grnvest reason and In the most care:
fully guarded manner. Our Judges should
they stand above any other servants Of the
community. and the greatest Judges have
reached the highest level held by those few
greatest patriots whom the whole country
fact that there are wise and unwise judges.
Just MS there are wise and unwise cxecu.
tivcs and legislators. When u President or
q governor behaves improperly or unw'S :.
short: the same is true with the legislator,
although not to the same degree. for he Ii
one OF many who belong to some given
legislative body. and y Is therefore les.
hold him accountable therefor. with u
Judge. who. being human. IL also likely To
err. but whose tenure liz for life. there is
ne similar way of holding hin to fsspSns;,
forms Of pressure TO which he Is In any
way nmenablc are public opinion. and the
action OF his fellow Judges. II II the last
which Is most Immediately effective. and to
abuses. Any remedy applied from without
Is fraught with risk. II is far better. from
every standpoint. that the remedy should
come from within In no Other nation ~
md far-renching power as IN the untso
courts ms whole should exercise this
power with the fnrsightcd wisdom already
shown by those Judges who scan the ~
turc while they act In the present.
II there Is any one duty which more
than another We owe II to our children and
our childrcn's children to perform Mt once
II In to save the forests OF this country. FOL
they constitute the first and most impor
tnnt element In the conservation OF th'
| natural resources OF the country. 1t mat
tcrs not whether this dcforestnt ion " due
to the actual reckless cutting Of timber y
the fires that inevitably follow such reck
less and uncontrolled grazing. especially b,
| the great migratory bands OF sheep, thu
| unchecked wandering Of which over thu
| country means destruction TO forests nnt
disaster to the small home makers, tn
| settlers of limited means
ShOrtslghtcd persons, or persons blinded
| 10 the future by desire to make money II
| every way out Of the present, sometimes
by the reckless destruction OF our forests
1t IL difficult to have patience with the ar
| gumcnts OF these persons. Thanks TO on
| own recklessness In the use OF our splcn
| verge Of u timber famine In this country
| md no measure that we now take can, u
least for many years. undo the mischie
that has already been done. But we cal
II would be In the highest degree repre-
hnsible TO let any consideration OF temper
| AIRY convenience or temporary cost Inter
fere with such action. especially ns regard
| the national forests which tho nation caI
now. at this very moment. control.
| Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith, durinl