Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-12-15

lawfully expressed and deliberate judgments
shorld be given effect by the courts, save
IN the extreme and exceptional cases where
there has been a clear violation of a constI-
tutionai provision. Anything like friyoiity
or wantonness in upsetting such clearly taa-
en- governmental action is grave ofense
against the republic.
For many of the shortcomings of justice
in our country our people whole are
themselves TO blame and the judges and
Jdiies merely bear their share together with
the public as whole. 1t is discreditable to
as a people that there should be diff
Ing to justice men who as public servants
have profted by the corruption OF public
servants The result Is equally unfortu-
nate. whether due to hairspIitting techni-
caiitles in the Interpretation of laws by
judges. to sentimentality and class CON
seriousness on the part OF juries. or iS hys
terra and sensaticnaiism in the daily press
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
our own shoulders. But there is an i'm
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
ne new relations that arose from the nu-
tualism. the interdependence of our time
Every new social relation begetS a new
type of wrongdoing-of sin. to use an CID
fashioned word-and many Years always
eiapse before society is able TO turn this
sin into crime which can be effectively pun
ished at law. During the lifetime of the
older men 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
net only shared this confusion. but by some
OF their acts have increased ii. are certain
Judges Marked ineficiency has been shown
In dealing with corporations and in re-
settling the proper attitude to be taken
by the public not only towards corporations
but towards labor, and towards the social
questions arising out of the factory sys-
tenn. and the enormous growth of our great
cities
The huge wealth that has been accumu-
lated by a 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
corporation. A certain type of modern
corporation, with its officers and agents. its
many issues of securities. and its constant
consolidation with allied undertakings
finally becomes an instrument so complex
as 10 contain greater number of elements
that under various judicial decisions, lend
themselves to fraud and oppression than
Corporations are necessary instruments of
modern business. They have been permit
ted TO become menace largely because
the governmental representatives of the
people have worked slowly in providing for
adequate control over them.
The courts hold place of peculiar and
deserved sanctity under form of gov
eminent. Respect for the low is essential
to the permanence" of our institutions; and
respect for the law is largely conditioned
upon respect for the courts. 1t is an Of
Tense against the republic to say anything
which weaken this respect. save for
the gravest reason and in the most care
fully guarded manner. Our judges should
be held in peculiar honor. On on average
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
delights to honor. But we must face the
fact that there are wise and unwise judges
just as there are wise and unwise execu-
tives and legislators. When a President or
a governor behaves improperly or unwise
~, the remedy Is easy. for his term is
short; the same is true with the legislator.
although not TO the same degree for he is
one of many Who belong to some given
legislative body, and II is therefore less
easy to fix his personal responsibility and
hold hiI1 accountable therefor. 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 response
bility Under ordinary conditions the only
forms of pressure to which I've is in any
way amenable are public opinion. and the
action of his fellow judges. 1t is the last
which is most Immediately effective. and TO
which we should look for the reform of
abuses. Any remedy applied from without
Is fraught with risk. 1t is far better, from
every standpoint. that the remedy should
come from within. In no other nation in
the world do the courts weld such vast
and far-reaehing power as in the United
N,to- ~, 1. =. hoe . tn
courts as a whole should exercise this
power with the farsighted wisdom already
shown by those judges who sean the flu
ture while they act in the present. Ia
Forests.
If there is any one duty which more
than another we owe it to our children and
our childrens children TO perform at once,
1t is to save the forests of this country. for
they constitute the first and most impor-
tant element in the conservation of the
natural resources of the country. 1t mat
tiers not whether this deforestation is due
10 the actual reckless cutting of timber. to
the fires that inevitably follow such reck
less and uncontrolled grazing, especially by
the great migratory bands of sheep. the
unchecked wandering of which over the
country means destruction TO forests and
disaster to the small home makers. the
settlers of limited means.
Shortsishted persons, or persons blinded
to the futrre by desire to make money in
every way out of the present, sometimes
speak as if no great damage would be done
by the reckless destruction of our forests
1t IS difficult to have patience with the ar
guments of these persons. Thanks TO our
own recklessness in the use of our spien-
did forests, we have already crossed the
verge of timber famine in this country
and no measure that we now take can. at
least for many years. undo the mischief
that has already been done. But we can
prevent further mischief being DONE and
II. Al. ~
hnSibe to let any consideration of temper
airy convenience or temporary cost inter
fere with such action. especially as regards
the national forests which the nation can
now, at this very moment, control.
Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith. during
The present session of the Congress, for the
improvement of our inland waterways
action which will result in giving us not
only navigable but navigated rivers. We
have spent hendricks of millions of dollars
upon these waterways, yet the traffic on
nearly ali of them is steadily declining
This condition is the direct result of the
absence of any comprehensive and far-see-
ing plan of waterway improvement. OBJ
viously we can not continue thus TO expend
the revenues of the government without re-
turn. 1t IS poor business to spend money
for inland navigation unless we get 1t.
Such shortsighted. vacillating, and futile
methods are accompanied by decreasing
water-borne commerce and increasing traf-
nc congestion ON land by increasing floods,
and by the waste of public money. The
remedy lies 4, in abandoning the methods
which have so signally failed and adopting
new ones in keeping with the needs and
demands of our people. The time for play
ing .Fith our waterways is past. The coun-
try demands results.
National Parks.
/ urge that all our national parks ada
cent 10 national forests be placed COM
petely under the control of the forest
service of the agricultural department, in
stead Of leaving them as they now are.
under the interior department and policed
by the army
Pure Food.
The pure food legislation has already
worked benefit difficult TO overestimate.
Indian Service.
Ii has been my purpose from the begin
ming of my administration to take the In
dian service completely out of the atmos
phere of political activity and there has
been steady progress toward that end.
Secret Service.
Last year an amendment was inco vpor-
ated in the measure providing for tn, Sc
cret service, which provided that there
should be no detail from the secret service
and no transfer therefrom- Ii IS not too