The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-09-13
The Emancipation of q State

EVERY scnoolDoy IN the STATE OF new
Jersey, If he cared to look into the
matter, could comprehend the fact that
the laws applying to laboring men
with respect of compensation when
they were hurt in their various en-
pigments had originated at a time
when society was organized very diff
ferently from the way In which 1t is
organized now, and that because the
law had not been changed, the courts
were obliged to go blindly on admin
istering laws which we're cruelty un.
suitable to existing conditions, so that
1t was practically impossible for the
workingmen of New Jersey to get JUS
tice from the courts; the Legislature
Of the commonwealth had not come
to their assistance with the necessary
legislation. Nobody seriously debated
the circumstances; everybody knew
that the law was antiquated and i'm
possible; everybody knew that justice
waited to be done. Very well, then,
why wasn't it done?
Force and Ignorance.
There was another thing that we
wanted to do. We wanted to regulate
our public service corporations so that
we could get the proper service from
them, and on reasonable terms. That
had been done elsewhere, and where it
had been done 1t had proved just as
much for the benefit of the corpora
lions themselves as for the benefit of
the people. OF course 1t was some
what difficult to convince the corpora
tons. 1t happened that one of the
men who knew the least about the
subject was the President of the Pub.
lie Service Corporation of New Jersey.
have heard speeches from that gen.
tlemen that exhibited a total lack Of
acquaintance with the circumstances
of our times. have never known
ignorance so complete in its detail;
and, being a man of force and ignor-
ance, he naturally set all his energy
to resist the things that he did not
comprehend.
| am not interested in questioning
the motives of men in such positions.
am only sorry that they don't know
more. If they would only join the
procession they would find themselves
benefited by the healthful exercise,
which, for one thing, would renew
within them the capacity to learn
which hope they possessed when they
were younger. We were not trying
to do anything novel in New Jersey
in regulating the Public Service Cor
poration; we were simply trying to
adopt there a tested measure of pub
lie justice. We adopted it. Has any
body become bankrupt since? Does
anybody now doubt that it was Just
as much for the benefit of the Public
Service Corporation as for the people
of the state?
Corrupt Practices Act.
Then there was another thing that
we modestly desired: We wanted fair
elections; we did not want candidates
to buy themselves into office. That
seemed reasonable. So we adopted a
law, unique in one particular, namely:
that If you bought an Office you didn't
get 1t. l admit that that is contrary
to all commercial principles, but I
think 1t is pretty good political doc.
trine. 1t is all very well to put A
man In Jail for buying an office, but
1t is very much better, besides put
ting him in jail, to show him that if
he has paid out a single dollar for
that office, he does not get it, though
huge majority voted for him. We
reversed the laws of trade; when you
buy something in politics in New Jer.
;ey you do not get it. 1t seemed to |
is that that was the best way to dis.
courage improper political argument.
+ your money does not produce the
foods, then you are not tempted to
pend your money.
We adopted a Corrupt Practices Act
he reasonable foundation of which
10 man could question, and an Elec-
ion Act, which every man predicted
'as not going to work, but which did
'ork-to the emancipation of the
oters of New Jersey.
All these things are now common
faces with us. We like the laws
nat we have passed, and no man
entures to suggest any material I
mango in them. Why didn't we get {
lem long ago? What hindered US {
my, because we had a closed gov. I
'nrnent; not an open government. 1t {
d not belong to us. 1t was man. G
ed By little groups of men whose I