Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-09-22
Nebraskan Declares Wage-Earners
Deserve Participation in the
Government Councils.
TEXT IS THE INJUNCTION.
Republican Candidate Not Unbiased
Judge Where Jury System Is
Under Consideration.


in Michigan avenue, watched the army of
thousands of toilers pass by in review and
was cheered until he was forced to make
an impromptu speech; anocher came
when he was whisked away in an auto to
the Iroquois Club for luncheon. in COM
pany with labor leaders, when he had
to speak again. and the final one came
just before he began his main speech of
the day before the mighty throng which
had awaited his coming for hours at
Forest Park, Here Mr.. Bryan, in an
address to union men, said in part:
If it were proper to speak from text.
| would select passage from Proverbs
for | know of no better one than that fur
nished by the words of Solomon when he
declared that as a man ''thinketh in his
heart, so he is This is Bible doctrine :
1t is common sense, and it is human ex-
perience. We think in our hearts as well
as in our heads-out of the heart ARE the
issues of life. 1t is poor head that can
not find a plausible reason for doing what
the heart wants to do | begin my speech
with this proposition because | want to i'm
press it upon the minds of those who listen
to me, and upon those who read what I say
to you. The labor question is more of a
moral than an intellectual one
The world is growing toward brother
uOOu, anu our udllOn Is ItduIUg Ine WAY.
There is more altruism in this country than
anywhere else in the world, and more to-day
than there ever has been before. There is
more recognition of the kinship that exists
between us. more thought about the queS
tons which concern a common humanity
than at any preceding time
The labor organization helps those out
side of it as well as its members, because the
increa sed wages and improved conditions are
shared by non-union men as well as by
union men.
Do not understand me to say that la
Dor organization is perfect: 1.-THE king can
do no wrong can no more be spoken of a
group than of individuals The labor or
ganization is composed of men; its affairs
are controlled by human beings not per-
feet. All that man touches is stained with
mans imperfections, and his frailty can
be traced through all his works. But, for
tunately for the laboring man, the judg-
ment pronounced against his mistakes must
be tempered by the fact that those with
whom the laboring man comes into contact
are also likely to err. When the employee
deals with the employer, he is dealing with
one of like passions with himself Each
is likely to be insistent upon what he be-
lieves to be right, and the opinion of each,
as to what is right, is likely to be colored
by selfish interests and affected by incom-
plete information as to the facts.
The labor organization has been seriously
handicapped by the fact that it has been
and | am not sure that it has not been
done unwittingly-yoked up with the indus
trial combinations known as trusts The
proneneSs of trust defenders to use the
labor organization as an excuse for COM
binations in restraint of trade has aroused
the suspicion that they have been claSSed
together for the purpose of shielding the
combinations of capital As the result of
eighteen years of antitrust legislation, only
one man has been given a penal sentence
for violating the Federal law on this sub
ject, and that man was member of labor
organization rather than a trust magnate.
The laboring man is justified in his de-
mand that distinction shall be drawn be-
tween the labor organization and the indus
trial monopoly.
The trust and the labor organization can
not be described in the same language. The
trust magnates have used their power to
amass swollen fortunes, while no one will
say that the labor organization has as yet
secured for its members more than their
share of the benefits arising from their
work. But there are fundamental differ
ences. The trust is a combination Of dol
lars; the labor organizati is in associa-
ton of human beings. In a trust few
men attempt to control the product of 9th
ers in labor organization. the members
unite for the protection of that which is
their own, namely, their own labor, which,
being necessary to their existence, Il a part
of them. The trust deals with dead mat
ter; the labor organization deals with life
and with intellectual and moral forces. No
impartial student of the subject will DENY
the right of the laboring man to exemption
from the operation of the existing antitrust
law.
If the labor organization needs to be reg
ulated by law. let it be regulated by a law
which deals with man as man, and not by a
law that was aimed to prevent the corner
ing of a commodity or the forestalling of
the market
Trial by Jury.
fhO irrrv TVoF aJo
takes issue with us. He is thoroughly
aroused by what he regards as a menace to
the courts. Here is his lament:
Never in the history of the country has
there been such an insidious attack upon
the judicial system as the proposal to in
teriect a jury trial between all orders of
the court made after full hearing and the
enforcement of such orders"
This would come under the head of I'm
portant. if true" But the fact is, our
platform specifically declares that we favor
measure (which passed the United States
Senate in 1896. and which a Republican
Congress has ever since refused to enact"
etc. providing for trial by jury in cases of
Indirect contempt. Are not the proceed
ings of the United States Senate a part of
the history of the country? This measure
passed the United States Senate more than
twelve wears ago, and the vote upou if wa 8
demanded. The bill was not struggled
through without discussion. 1t was amend
ed in open Senate and the members of the
Senate had ample opportunity to understand
it. 1t would have passed Congress and be-
come a law long ago but for the fact that
a few large corporate employers Of labor
have kept lobby in Washington ever
since, and have been able to coerce Con-
gress into ignoring the laboring mems plea
Mr.. Taft is not an unbiased judge where
the jury system is under consideration He
is not only known as the father of govern
ment by Injunction. but he is prejudiced
against the jury system Every man is I'M
consciously influenced by his environment
and Mr.. Taft's long service upon the bench
has led him TO underrate the Importance of
the jury system. In his address TO the stu
dents of Yale. entitled "A judge on the
bench" he shows a decided leaning toward
an increase of the authority of the Judge
and praises the procedure in the Federal
court at the expense of the Western courts.
even though he admits that THE jury sys-
TEN popularizes the court and gives the
people TO understand that they have, not
only an interest, but also q part. in the
administration of Justice" He has fallen
into the error OF assuming that any i'm
provement in the method of, court procedure
Is an attack upon the authority of the
court. This is an ancient method of op-
posing reforms. Lord Macauley had to en-
counter a similar objection when he IA
vored the reform OF the rotten borough svs-
TEN of England Those who were opposed
to the reform construed it as an attack
upon the throne and as a menace TO the
stability OF government. but the reform was
secured and the government OF England
was improved rather than impaired So the
reform attempted by the Senate twelve
years ago, and endorsed by three Demo
cratic national conventions. is in the in
terest of justice and has for its object the
strengthening of the court in public esti-
nation.
While the laboring men have been the
frs - complain of this denial OF the right
of trial by Jury in cases of indirect con.
tempt. ii ought not 10 he considered a labor
question. The jury system is so essential to
the administration of justice that the sub
jeet ought to appeal TO all who make
study OF the science o. government. If
citizens would only Je on their guard
against the beginnings of evils, it would be
very easy 10 apply necessary remedies. bat
in the struggle for existence the voters are
often Indifferent TO the application OF an
erroneous principle until repeated applica-
lions establish a custom. and in time
custom crystalizes into law. 1t behOOves us.
as lovers Of our country and as the friends
of liberty. 70 insist upon the Independence
OF the different departments OF our govern
uent and upon the maintenance of their
rights which have been shown by expert
enee 10 be essential TO freedom and SEE
government. The jury system Elust be pre-
served. and we cannot hope 10 preserve it if