Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-04-04
Roosevelt CritiCises President

)uS ODSJhcleb ludl lney udF9 OhSSAA
tered during the many years that they
have been trying to save American
women and children from destruction
In American industry have been the
courts. That is the judgment OF al
most all the social workers l know
and OF dozens OF parish priests and
elergymen and Of every executive and
legislator who has been seriously at
tempting to use the government as an
agency for social and industrial bet
lerment. What is the result OF this
system OF judicial notification? It
was accurately stated by the court
Of appeals, New York, in the employ
ers' liability case, where It was calmly
and judiclally declared that the peo-
pie under our republican government
are less free to correct the evils that
oppress 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-
public OF ours, such condition is In
tolerable. It 10 not government by the
people, but mere sham government In
which the will Of the people is con-
Stantly defeated. II is out Of this ex-
perlence that my remedy has come,
and let Il be tried In this field
When as the result Of years Of edu'
cation and debate a majority Of the
people have decided upon a remedy
for an evil from which they suffer
and have chosen legislature, legis'
lature pledged to embody that remedy
in law, and the law has been finally
passed and approved, regard 1t as
monstrous that a 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 a new law (which will take
two years more); third, carry that
new law over It's 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, II your patience holds out and
you finally prevail, the will of the ma
jority of the people may have its way"
Such a system is not popular govern
ment, but a mere mockery Of popular
government.
The decisions Of which we complain
are, as rule, based upon the CON
Btitutional provision that no person
shall be deprived Of life, liberty or
property without due process Of law.
The terms 'llfe, liberty and property"
have been used in the constitutions
Of the English speaking people since
Magma Charta. Until within the last
sixty years they we're treated as hav-
Ing specific meanings-"property"
means tangible property; Liberty"
meant freedom from personal re.
straint, or in other words, from inn
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 n 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, II
Is told by the courts that this law de-
prives them Of their liberty" and
when II restricts the manufacture of
tobacco in a tenement II is told that
the law deprlves 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 a bench OF judges.
Every people has defined that term
for itself in the course OF its develop
ment
The Task 10 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. Tho methods for achieving
the end arc merely expedlents to be
finally accepted or rejected according
as actual experience shows that they
work well or Ill., But. In our hearts
we must have this lofty purpose, and
we must strive for II in all earnest.
ness and sincerity or our work will
come to nothing In order to succeed
we need leaders Of inspired idealism,
leaders 10 whom are granted great
visions, who dream greatly and strive
to make their dreams come true, who
can klndle the people with the hre
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 II he 10 worth his salt be |
will care no more when he Is broken |
NhhM NNAAANA ANANN MNNN NN ~ hlNk j
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
,ausc OF mankind We, here In Amer. |
oa, hold In our hands the hope OF the |
world, the fate Of the coming years. |
and shame and disgrace will be ours
Il, In our eyes, the light OF high re.
lolye Is dlmmed, n we trail In the dust
he golden hopes OF men. II, on thia
lew continent, we met6ly build an.
,ther country Of great but unlusuy
iiyidod material prosperity, we shall /
have done nothing, and we shall do as
title III we mereiv act the ,.rona ~