Mexico Missouri message., 1908-12-10

In substance. provision should be made
that no injunction or temporary ro-
notice. except whore irreparable injury
would otherwise result; and in such case
hearing on the merits OF the order
should be had within q short fixed Pc
Rod. and, ~ not then continued after
hearing. u should forthwith lapse. De-
cisions should be rendered Immediately,
and the chance OF delay minimlEed In
every way. Moreover, I believe that the
procedure should be sharply defined. and
the Judge required minutoly 10 state the
particulars both OF his action and Of his
reasons therefor so that the congress
can ~ II desires examine and investigate
the same.
For many OF the shortcomings of.
justice in our country our people as n
whole are themselves TO blame. and the
Judges and juries merely bear their
share together with the public as
whole. II II discreditable TO us ms n
people that there should be difnculty In
convlcting muTderora. or In bringing Go
justice men who as public servants
have been guilty OF corruption, or who
have pronted by the corruption OF
public servants. The result Is equally
unfortunate. whether due TO hairsplit-
ting technlcalities In the Interpretation
Of law by judges. TO sentlmentality and
class consciousness on the part OF
jurlcs, or to hysteria and sensational
this failure Of justice no responsibility
whatever lies on rich men as such. We
who make up the mass OF the people
cannot SHIFT the responsibility from our
own shoulders. But there ~ an impor-
tant part OF tho failure wiuch has spe-
clal,y to do with inability to hold
70 proper account men OF werlth who
behave badly.
The Modern Corporation.
The huge wealth that has been accu-
mulated by few individuals OF recent
years, In what has amounted to n So
clRl and Industrial revolution. has been
as regards some OF these individuals
made possible only by the improper use
OF the modern corporation. a certain
type OF modern corporation. with It's
officers and agents. its many issues OF
securities and It's constant consolida-
ton with allied undertakings. finally
becomes an instrument so complex as
to contain greater number OF cle-
mcnts that. under various judicial de-
clsions. lend themselves to fraud and
oppression than any device yet evolved
in the human brain. Corporations are
necessary instruments of modern busi-
ness. They have been permitted to
become a menace largely because the
governmental representatives OF the
people have worked slowly in provld-
ing for adequate control over them.
our great clusters OF corpora
tons. huge trusts and fabulously
wealthy multimillionaircs. employ the
very best lawyers they can obtain to
pick flaws in statutes after their
passaEe; but they also employ n class
OF secret agents who seek. under the
advice OF experts, to render hostile
legisla aion innocuous by making IL un-
constitutional. often through the inser-
ton OF what appear on their face to be
drastic and sweeping provisions against
the interests OF the parties inspiring
them; while the demagoguos the cor
rupt creatures who introduce black
| mailing schemes to strike" corpora
TONS and all who demand extreme,
| and undesirRbly radical, measures,
| show themselves to be the worst enc
| mics OF the very public whose loud
| mouthed champions they profess 20 he.
| Real damage has been done by the
| manifold and conflicting interpretations
| oil the interstate commerce law. Con-
| troll over the great corporations doing
| Interstate business can he effective only
| II II is vested with fun power in an
administrative department. n branch of
| the federal executive. carrying out n
| federal law: II can never be effective IL
| a divided responsibility Is left In both
the states and the nation; IL can never
| bo effective ~ left In the hands OF the
courts TO be decided by lawsuits.
Respect for Law Must Be Upheld.
The courts hold place OF peculiar and
| deserved sanctity under our form OF gov
| ernment Respect for the law Is essen
| tial to the permRnenco Of our institu-
| tlons: and respect for the law is largely
| conditioned upon respect for the courts.
| II Is an ofIenso against the republic 20
say anything which can weaken this re-
spect. save for the grnvest reason and in
| the most carefully guarded manner. In no
| other nation in the world do the courts
WELD such vast and far-reaching power
as in the United States. All that In nee
essRry Is that the courts as a whole
should exercise this power with the far
sighted wisdom already shown by those
judges who scan the future while they
act In the present Let them exercise
this great power not only honestly and
brRvely, but with wise insight into the
needs and fixed purposes OF the people
so that they may do Justice. and work
equity. so that they may protect all per.
sons in their rights. and yet break dowr
the barriers of privilege. which In the fo'
OF right.
Forest Preservation.
II there Is any one duty which mor'
than another we owe IL to our children
TO perform at once, Il Is TO save the for
ests OF this country. for they constitute
the first and most important element IL
tho conservation OF the natural re
sources OF the country. . . lust al
| farmer. after all his life making hi
living from his farm, will. II he Is an ex
pert farmer. leave Il as an asset OF In
creased value TO his son. so we should
leave our national domain TO our chill
dren. increased in value and not woTi
out. There are small sections of our owl
country. In the east and in the west, II
the Adirondacks. the White mountains
and the Appalachians. and in the Rock!
mountains, where we can already see 10
ourselves the damage in the shape o
permanent injury to the soil and tn
river systems which comes from reckles
deforestation. II matters not whethe
this deforestRtion is due 60 the Rctua
reckless cutting of timber. TO the fire
that inevitably follow such reckless cut
ting Of timber, or TO reckless and uncon
trolled grazing. especially by the grea
migratory bands OF sheep. the un
checked wandering OF which over tn
country means destruction 20 forests an
disaster 20 the small home-makers. IN
settlers OF limited means
Thanks TO our own recklessnea
a.