The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-11-25
GOVERNOR HADLEY
ADDRESSES A. F. of L.

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of criticism, to the extent that the man
who is rendering the decision should
he criticised in advance for a decision
! he may or may not render; but when
the final decision is rendered and il
then becomes the law and all people
will have to obey it until it is changed
| by subsequent decision or an act
of the legislature it becomes the right
and not only the right, but the duty
of American citizens to criticisc that
decision if they think it is wrong
| Otherwise progress would never be Sc
found when the case of Holden against
Hardy went before the supreme court
of the United States. that public
/ thought and public consideration had
advanced to such an extent that the
Judge rendered the public Judgment of
the people upon greater public ques-
ton; because. after all. legislature
made law or court made law is only the
I expression of the moral Judgment OF
the people and the period to which it
applies.
"When | began litigation against the
Standard Oil trust in this state, some
thing like four years ago, it was at
peace with the entire world and it was
protected by rule of law that had
peen laid down by the supreme court of
Missouri and the supreme court of the
! United States to the effect that a cor
poration, through its officials, could not
be required to produce books or papers
or make statements that might subject
it to Il penalty or a forfeiture. When
| summoned those officers in the state
of Missouri they refused to answer my
questions because it would subject the
corporations they represented to a pen
poration was a creature of law. that
it came into existence under Il contract
with the state, that it should obey the
laws of the state, and the state had Il
right to call it to account and show
whether it had obeyed its contract OF
not. That was answered by the state
ment that it enjoyed the same imnun
ity that did an individual. Temporarily
defeated here / went to New York and
summoned the chief officers of that
company, and the claim again was as
serted that corporation was above
the law that brought it into existence
because it could not be compelled tc
incrimnate itself
That question was fought through
the supreme court of New York, the
supreme court of Missouri and the su
preme court of the United States, and
all three of those courts within period
of something like two weeks rendered
decisions overriding their previous de
cisions, and holding that a corporation
was a creature of law and could not
set itself above the sovereignty that
created it. That was an example OF
the advancement in public thought, anc
the decisions of the supreme court Of
the United States, of the supreme court
of New York and the supreme court
of Missouri registered in the year OF
grace 1906, the moral Judgment of til,
people and the period to which it APP
piled, while their previous decisions
rendered some seven years befor reg
stered the Judgment of the people OF
that period The way to secure prog
ress in Just law. whether through leg
islation or judicial decisions is by ;
free and frank discussion of the sound
ness of the reasons upon which laws
are based
"This great economic waste incident
to our modern system of industrialisn
demands correction, and the question
is how it is going to be secured. Tit
progress made in foreign countries il
familiar in general way to most o
you. They have either adopted 4
changed rule of employers liability o
adopted laws requiring compulsory in
surance of employees. or workmen'
compensation laws which give to then
automatic compensation for Injuries il
; the conduct of modern industry, II
this country we are standing but at tn
; threshold of an investigation into thi
question, and we are Just beginning t.
realize the Importance of applying
; new principle in the conduct of indus
e trial affairs in this country. No one
CONTINUED on Page Four.)