Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-07-15
MR.. rArr.s GREAT POWER

MR.. TAFr's GREAT POWER
On the announcement Of the death
of Chief Justice Fuller, we called atten-
ton to the wonderful power which
had within year almost, slipped into
the hand of Mr.. Taft, in that he has
now filled two vacancies on the Su-
preme Court, has the place of Chief
Justice to fill, and if Justice Moody re-
signs will have fourth place to fill.
This is nearly half that body. If JUS
tice Harlan resigns, as there is talk of
his now doing, the fifth vacancy will
have occurred, all to be filled by Mr..
Taft. If such power were ever before
in the hands of any president it must
have been Washington. The charac-
ter of that court has heretofore been a
subject of pride TO the American peo-
pie. AS constituted just before the
numerous deaths, indeed as it
now stands, it is not lat its
highest tide in public esteem. Mr..
Roosevelt's appointments did not a1d
any peculiar luster to it. Yet it is still
a strong body. What it may be when
Mr.. Taft has worked on it is ques-
ton to be hereafter solved. He has
done fairly well SO far.
This court is probably only fully ap-
preciated by those in high place, and
by members of the legal profession who
have studied its monstrous powers. 1t
passes, on any and every question,
arising in the lower courts. 1t passes
or has the power to pass on every act
of Congress. 1t interprets the consti-
tuition, and all the statutes, Fedora
and State. 1t passes upon treaties be-
tween this and other nations, it has
even gone SO far as to assist in the
seating of president. That the stand
ard of this high tribunal should be
maintained is of the most vital impor-
lance and that Mr.. Tart will do it, is
only problematical.T The men about him
have not given full assurance that he
is gifted In choosing the best. Yet it
is to be hoped he will he guided by
wisdom, if he does not possess it.
Col. Mosby is informed that he can
now "write book ON the civil war;"
He will possibly say something about
the civil service as he goes along, and
m ay also not be very civil toward some
pc rsons now in high places. There is
a little fight left in the Colonel yet,
even though, at present he is only a
civilian.
PULLING UNCLE SANS LEG.
The irrigation projects of the west
are we'll known to be like other pro-
jects in which Uncle Sam dabbles gen.
orally, very full of graft. He cannot
h"ild court house, 6 ?estoffice, sol
dier's home, or anything else, that his
leg is not pulled. 1t was pulled here
in Staunton some years ago, and this
is no exception. But when we speak
of irris alton projects. when he digs q
million dollar hole in a mountain and
cuts canals costing million more, to
irrieate some desert section, we know
there is not now any necessity for such
expenditure, because our population is
so sparse that it can find remunerative
profit in farming and fruit growing
hereof anywhere in 80 States without
the expenditure by the general gov
eminent of cent. We know, or feel
sure, that ten times the population
could live and prosper in the older
States where the government would
not be obliged to spend cent, than
are now there. Take the county OF
Augusta. If our farms were cut into
100 or $50 acres and closely farmed we
would raise vastly more than we do,
and have far greater population and
far richer county. In many of the
Northern States people who have SO
or 60 acres of ground, are thought to
be very rich. The trouble is that when
farmers go out and buy their homes In
a county like ours, there is no room
for the CRATER. He does not see a
chance to get before Congress and pull
millions out of Uncle Sans pockets.
In the South swamp would not be
drained if thereby a million acres of
the richest lands in the world were re-
claimed. In the far West, hidden
back in the desert among the treeless
m ountains, where nobody goes to see
what is being done, and where there is
no interest by the public generally,
these fat jobs go on, and the people of
the East pay for them. They have be-
come part and parcel of the assets of
republican rule, and we suppose will
continue unchecked.
Mr.. Sibley has established that it
takes 10000 to get nomination for
Congress in Pennsylvania; Mr.. Lori
mer has not yet shown the expenses of
an election to the Senate in Illinois;
nor has Mr.. Scott shown what amount
is required for similar accomplish
ment in West Virginia.
Many HinduS are coming to this