Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-09-21
PROP HESIES
Their DEFEAT
Roosevelt Challenges Enemies
to Fight II They Dare
DEFENDS COURT CRITICISM

DEFENDS COURT CRITICISM
Quotes His Successor and Lincoln In
Favor of Free Comment on judiciary
Reviews Taft's Work as Chief
Executive and Endorses Many of Ad-
mnistraton's Acts-Has Something
| to Say on New NationaIisn
| Syracuse, N. Y, Sept. 19.-Com-
| ing into a stronghold of the opposi-
| tiOn, eX-President Roosevelt boldly
challenged the opponents of his politi-
cal doctrines to come out in the open
and fight if they dared. He prophe-
sled that if they did they would be
| beaten
| The former president also warmly
! commended President Taft as a pub
| lie official and expressed his approval
Of a number of the accomplishments
! of the Taft administration Roosevelt
| did not indOrse the administration as
a whole
What he did have to say, however,
| placed him on record for the first time
in regard to many of the more import
ant features Of it, breaking the silence
| which he had maintained steadfastly
on the subject except for his few
| brief references to his successor on his
western trip.
| He also defended his recent criti-
cisms of two decisions Of the United
States supreme court, made in
speech in Denver, and quoted the
words of Mr.. Taft, written when he
was a Judge, to support his conten-
ton that the people have the right to
! criticise decisions of the courts.
| Il merely took the view which the
| learned justice had taken in his dis
senting opinion" said Roosevelt.
Those who criticise me are also criti-
| cisfng a justice of the supreme court,
! Mr.. Harlan"
" = 3 If | have erred in comment
ing as l have commented upon the de-
| with Abraham Lincoln. who, fifty
three years ago, was assailed for his
| repeated criticisms Of the supreme
court in the bred Scott case. Let me
quote him: We believe in obedience
to and respect for the judicial depart
ment of government. But We
think the decision erroneous and we
shall do what we can to have it over
| ruled
Nor do l have to go only to the
statement of the past for precedents.
The President Of the United States,
Mr.. Taft, has served his country hon
! Orably and uprightly in many posi-
tiOns-as Judge, as governor Of the
| Philippines, as secretary of war, and
now as president, for to him and the
congress acting with him we owe the
| creation of a tariff commission; the
| adoption of maximum and minimum
| tariff law treaties with foreign powers;
the proper treatment of the Philip
pines under the tariff the increase in
the efficiency of the interstate COM
MERGE law; the beginning of a ma
| tiOnal legislative program providing
for the taxing power in connection
with the corporations doing an inter-
| state business; a postal savings bank
| bill; the constitution of a commission
to report a remedy for over-capitaliZa-
ton in connection with the issue of
| stocks and bonds; but few of his SER
vices are more deserving of record
than what he said in this very mat
ter of criticism of the judiciary.
Mr.. Taft, 3 3 $ speaking as a
United States circuit Judge, fifteen
years ago, said: The opportunity
freely and publicly to criticise judicial
action is of vastly more Importance to
the body polite than the immunity of
courts and judges from unjust as
pensions and attack.
Abiding again to his new nation
alism," Roosevelt put this clean cut
issue to his critics:
is any party willing to take the
other side of the propositions of which
complaint is made? If so, it would be
a good thing to have the issue before
the people, for in the end the people
would most certainly decide in favor
of the principles embodied in the new
nationalism, because otherwise this
country could not continue to be true
republic, a true democracy"
When Roosevelt arrived here from
New York the state fair grounds, on
which he spoke, were thronged with
crowd of more than 40, 900. Roose-
welt rode around the mile track at the
head of parade and received cor
dial welcome.