The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-12-10
The Courts.

that the principle of the eight-houl
day should rs rapidly and as far al
practicable be extended to the entire
], work being carried on by The Govern
ment; the present law should be
amended to embrace contracts on
those public works which the presen,
wording of the act seems to exclude
| l most earnestly urge upon the con
gress the duty of increasing the to
tally inadequate salaries now given
to our Judges. On the whole there is
no body of public servants who dc
as valuable work, nor whose moneyed
reward is so inadequate compared to
their work. Beginning with the Su.
preme Court the judges should have
their salaries doubled. 1t Is not befit.
ting the dignity of the Nation that its
most honored public servants should
be paid sums so small compared to
what they would earn in private life
that the performance of public service
| by them implies an exceedingly heavy
pecuniary sacrifice. .
1t Is earnestly to be desired that
some method should be devised for
doing away with the long delays
which now obtain in the administra-
ton Of justice, and which operate with
peculiar severity against persons OF
small means, and favor only lie very
criminals whom it is most desirable
to punish. These long delays in the
Nf IN "a
aggregate crying evil; and RENE.
dy should be devised. Much of this
intolerable delay Is due. to improper
regard paid to techniealities which
are mere hindrance to justice. In
some noted recent cases this over
regard for technicalities has resulted
in a striking denial of justice, and
fragrant wrong to the body polite.
At the last election certain leaders
of organized labor made a violent
and sweeping attack upon the entire
judiciary Of the country, an attack
couched in such terms as to include
the most upright, honest and broad
minded judges, no less than those of
narrower mind and more restricted
outlook. 1t was the kind of attack
admirably fitted to prevent any sue
cessful attempt to reform abuses OF
the judiciary, because it gave the
champions of the unjust Judge their
eagerly desired opportunity to shift
their ground into championship
Of just judges who were unjustly as
sailed. Last year, before the House
Committee on the Judiciary, these
same labor leaders formulated their
demands, specifying the bill that con-
tanned them, refusing all compromise,
stating they wished the principle of
that bill or nothing. They insisted on
provision that in labor dispute mo-
injunction should issue except to pro;
tect a property right and specifically
provided that the right to carry on
business should not be construed as
property right; and in second pro,
vision their bill made legal in labor
dispute any act or agreement by or
between two or more persons that
would not have been unlawful IL done
by a single person. In other words,
this bill legaliZed blacklisting and boy
cotting in every form, legalizing, for
instance, those forms of the secondary
boycott which the anthracite coal
strike commission SO unreservedly
condemned; while the right to carry
on business was explicitly taken
out from under that protection which
the law throws over property. The
demand was made that there should
be trial by jury in contempt cases,
thereby most seriously impairing The
authority of the courts. Al this rep
resented a course Of policy which,
IL carried out, would mean the en-
thronement of class privilege in its
crudest and most brutal form, and
the destruction of one of the most es-
sential functions of the judiciary in
all civilized lands.
The violence of the crusade for this
legislation, and it's complete failure,
illustrate two truths which it Is es-
sential our people should learn. In
the first place, they ought TO teach the
workingman. the laborer, the wage
worker, that by demanding what is
improper and impossible he plays into
the hands of his foes. Such a crude
and vicious attack upon the courts,
even If 1t were temporarily successful,
would inevitably in the end cause a
violent reaction and would band the
great mass of citizens together. fore
ing them to stand by all the judges,
competent and incompetent alike,
rather than to see the wheels of JUS
tice stopped. A movement of this
kind can ultimately result in nothing
but damage to those in whose behalf
1T is nominally undertaken. This is a
most healthy truth, which it is wise
for all our people to learn. Any move
ment based on that class hatred
which at times assumes the name OF
"class consciousness" is certain ulti.
mately to fail, and If 1t temporarily
succeeds, to do far-reacaing damage.
Glass consciousness, where it is
merely another name for the odious
vice of class selfshness, is equally
noxious whether in an employers as
ISOLATION or in workingman's associa-
ton. The movement in question was
one in which the apneal was made to