The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-03-28
again earnest workers for social Just
zee nave said to me that the most seri-
Gus OhStac las tha. A. -, -

'ereu during the many years that they
nave been trying to save American
women and children from destruction
III american industry have been the
courts That is the judgment of al
nost all the social workers | know
anu OF dozens of parish priests and
eieIsymen and OF every executive and
legislator who has been seriously at
'elh ptlhg to use the government as an
agency tor social and industrial bet.
terment. What is the result of this
system OF judicial notification? IL
was accurately stated by the court
ot appeals, New York, in the employ
eIs liability case, where it was calmly
ana Judlclally declared that the peo-
PIE under our republican government
are less Tree TO correct the evils that
Cypress them than are the people OF
the monarchies OF Europe. To any
man with vision, to any man with
broad and real social sympathies, to
any man who believes with all his
heart In this great democratic re-
pune OF ours, such a condition is in
toi@rable, 1t IS not government by the
people, but mere sham government in
winch the viii of the people is con
sJaAtly defeated. Ii is out of this ex-
perence that my remedy has come,
ana let 1t be tried in this field.
hen as the result of years OF edu.
cation and debate a majority of the
people have decided upon remedy
Tor an evil from which they suffer
ana have chosen legislature, a legis-
nature pledged to embody that remedy
IN law, and the law has been finally
passed and approved, | regard it as
monstrous that bench of judges
shall then say to the people: you
must begin all over again. First,
amend your constitution (Which will
take four years.; second. secure the
passage of new law (Which will take
Two years more); third carry that
new law over its weary course of liti
cation, which will take no human be.
ing knows how long; fourth, submit
the whole matter over again to the
very same Judges who have rendered
the decision to which you object
Then, if your patience holds out and
you finally prevail, the will of the ma
Jorlty OF the people may have its way"
Such a system is not popular govern.
ment, but mere mockery of popular
government.
The decisions of which we complain
are, as a rule, based upon the con.
stitutional provision that no person
Shall be deprived of life, liberty OF
property without due process of law.
The terms life, liberty and property,
have been used in the constitutions
of the English speaking people since
Magma Charta. Until within the last
sixty years they were treated as hav.
ing specific property"
means tangible property; Liberty"
meant freedom from personal re.
straint, or in other words, from i'm.
prisonment in its largest definition.
About 1870 our courts began to attach
to these terms new meaning. Now
property" has come to mean every
right OF value which person could
enjoy, and liberty" has been made
to include the right to make contracts.
AS a result, when the state limits the
hours for which women may labor, it
is told by the courts that this law de-
priveS them of their liberty" and
when 1t restricts the manufacture OF
tobacco in a tenement it is told that
the law deprives the landlord of his
property Now, do not believe that
any people, and especially our free
American people, will long consent
that the term liberty" shall be de-
fined for them by bench of judges.
Every people has defined that term
for itself in the course of it's develop.
ment.
The Task Is To Strive For Justice.
Friends, our task as Americans Is
to strive for social and industrial just
ice, achieved through the genuine rule
of the people. This is our end, our
purpose. The methods for achieving
the end are merely expedients to be
finally accepted or rejected according
as actual experience shows that they
work we'll or i'll. But, in our hearts
we must have this lofty purpose, and
we must strive for it In all earnest
ness and sincerity or our work will
come to nothing In order to succeed
we need leaders of inspired idealism,
leaders to whom are granted great
visions, who dream greatly and strive
to make their dreams come true, who
can kindle the people with the fire
from their own burning souls. The
leader, for the time being, whoever
he may be, is but an instrument to be
used until broken and then to be cast
aside and if he is worth his salt he
will care no more when he is broken
than q soldier cares when he is sent
where his life Is forfeited in order
that the victory may be won. In the
long fight for righteousness the watch
word for all of US is spend and be
spent. 1t is of little matter whether
any one man fails or succeeds, but
the cause shall not fail, for it is the
cause of mankind. We, here in Amer
lea. hold in our hands the hope OF the
world, the fate of the coming years,
and shame and disgrace will be ours
ii. in our eyes, the light of high re-