Putnam patriot., 1908-12-11

! &tslettA> t4af decide that men and women are hy the constitution guar. snteed tAeir liberty to contract 10 enter dangerous occupation. or to ~or6 an undesirable or improper num- Der of hours. CT to work in unhealthy surroundings. and therefore carnot re- cover damages when snaisned in that eeSupafinn and cannot be forbidden to "ofS what tine legislature decloes is aA excessive number of hours, ar to carry ea the work under conditions ! which the legislature decides 10 be un- healthy
 There is also. l think. ground for the belief that substantial InjuStIee is often suffered by employees in eanse- | aaence ef the custom of courts fsSu. ing temporary injunctions without mo- tlee to them and punishing them for contempt of court ia instances where. as matter of fact they have no Knowledge of any proceedlngs. Pro ! Eisien should he made that uo infunc- ton or temporary restraining order issue otherwise than en notice. exeepg where irreparsble injury would other
 
 ing on the merits Of the order should be had within q short fixed period. and If not then continued after hear Ing 1t should forthwith lapse Deci- sIess should he rendered immediately and the chance of delay minimized in every way.
 The courts are to be highly com. mended and stanchly unheld when they set their faces against wrong doing or tyranny by majority, but they are to be blamed when they fail to recognize under government Ike ours the deliberate judgment of the majority as 10 matter of iegiti- mate policy when duly expressed by the legislature. The people should not be permitted to pardon evil and slipshod legislation on the theory that the court will set 1t right. They should be taught that the right way to get rid of bad law Is to have the legislature repeal it and not to have the courts by ingenious hair splitting nullify it. People Themselves to Blame. For many Of the shortcomings of
 
 whole are themselves to blame. and the judges and juries merely bear their share together with the public as whole. It is discreditable to us as a people that there should be difficulty in eonvieting murderers or in bringing to justice men who as public servants have been guilty of corruption or who hov "a prnffa.l hv tho enrrupfia,, .,s Y1ph- lie servants.
 The huge wealth that has been ac- cumulated by few individuals of re- cent years. in what has amounted to social and industrial revolution. has been as regards some of these individ- uals made possible only by the improp- CT use of the modern corporation. Cor porations are necessary instruments of modern business. They have been per mitted to become a menace largely be- cause the governmental representatives of the people have worked slowly in providing for adequate control over them.
 Real damage has been done by the manifold and conflicting interpreta- tions of the interstate commerce law. Control over the great corporations do ing interstate business can be effective only if 1t is vested with full power in an administrative department. a branch of the federal executive. carrying out a federal law. IL can never be ef- fective if divided responsibility Is left in both tine states and the nation IL can never be effective If left in the hands of the courts to be decided by lawsuits
 The courts hold place of peculiar and deserved sanetity under our form of government Respect for the law is essential to the permanence of our in- stitutions, and respect for the law Is largely conditioned upon respect for the courts But we must face the fact that there are wise and unwise judges. just as there are wise and unwise ex- ecutives and legislators When president or governor behaves improp- erly or unwisely the remedy is easy, for his term Is short. The same is true with the legislator. although not to the same degree. With a judge who, being human. is also likely to err. but whose tenure Is for life, there Is no similar way of holding him to responsibility. Under ordinary condi- tfons the only forms of pressure to which he is in any way amenable are public opinion and the action of his fellow judges. It is the last which is most immediately effective and to which we should look for the reform of abuses.
 Forests.
 If there is any one duty which more than another We owe it to our children and our children's children to perform at once 1t is to save the forests of this country. for they constitute the first and most important element in the conservation of the natural re- sources of the country.
 Shortsighted persons. or persons blinded to the future by desire to make money in every way cut of the present. sometimes speak as if no great damage would be done by the reckless desfruction of our forests- It is difficult to have patience with the arguments of these persona Thanks to our own recklessness in the use of our splendid forests, we have already crossed the verge of timbee famiDs In this country. and no msasures that we DOW take can. at least for may ysars, undo ths mischief that hAs al- ready been done. But we can pfevo0f further mischief being done. anA it womb be in tho hiRhest deKroo supgp- hensibIs to l1t any considsrat1A e temporary convenience of tempeeaxy cost interfere with such actio0. eopo-