The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-02-22
Oh tie nation in case but few

o. tie nation in case but q few
weeks old
ACCORDING to enc OF the highest
Judges then and now on the Supreme
court of the nation, we had lived for
hundred ye6rs under Constitution
which permitted national income
tax. until sslddei..y by one vote the
Supreme court reversed its previous
decisions for q century. and said that
for a century We had been living under
. wrong interpretation OF the Constitu
hon (that Is, under q wrong Constitu
donD, and therefore in effect estab
lshed d new Constitution which We
are now Iaboriousty trying to amend
so as to get 1t back to the Constitu
ton that for a hundred years every
body, including the Supreme court
thought II TO be. When | was presi
dent, we passed National Workmen's
Compensxtion act Under it rail-
way man named Howard. think, was
killed in Tennessee. and his widow
sued for damages. Congress- bad
done all it could TO provide the right.
but the court stepped n and cecreed
that congress had failed. Three OF the
judges took the extreme position that
there was no way III which congress
could secure the helpless widow and
children against suffering, and that
the mans blood and the blood OF all
similar men when spilled should for
ever cry aEoud In vain for JUSTICE
This seems q strong statement. but
1t is far less strong than the actual
facts; and / have difficulty in making
the statement with any degree OF
modification The nine Justices OF the
Supreme court on this question spit
into Eve fragments. One man, ex'
Justice Moody, In his opinion stated
the case In IT'S broadcast way and de-
manded justice for Howard. on
grounds that worid have meant that
In all similar cases thereafter justice
and not Injustice should be done. Yet
the court, by a majority { one. de
oided as do not for one mon ent be
aieve the court would now decide. ano
not only perpetuated lamentabIe In
Justice In the case of the man himself
but set standard of Injustice for all
similar cases. Here again / ask you
not to think OF the mere legal formal
ism. bat to think of the great Inn,
musable principles OF justice, the
great fmmutabie principles Of right
and wrong, and to ponder what II
means 10 men dependent for their live
lihood, and to the women and chill
drsn dependent upon these men, when
the courts of the land deny them the
Justice to which they are entitled.
Now, gentlemen, in closing, and IN
thanking you for your courtesy. let me
add one word. Keep clearly in view
what are the fundamental ends OF
government. I hope that not only
you and but ali our people may ever
remember that while good laws are
necessary, while 1t Is necessary to
have the right kind Of governmental
machinery, yet that the all-importani
matter is to have the right kind OF
man behind the law. A good Constt
tuition, and good laws under the Con,
stttution, and fearless and upright of
fcials to administer the laws all
these ar, Necessary; but the prime re
Iouisite In our national life is, and mrst
always be, the possession by the aver
age citizen OF the right kind of char
actor. Our aim must be the moraiize,
ton Of the Individual of the govern
Iment. OF the people as q whole. We
desire the moralization not only OF
political conditions but Of industrial
conditions, SO that every force in the
community, Individual and collective,
may be directed toward securing for
the average man, and average woman,
higher and better and fuller life, liz
the things Of the oody no less, than
those of the mind and the soul.