Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-06-12
COURAGEOUS SENATOR kern


| Senator Kern, of Indiana, proves
himself to he a man who has the
courage to be just That may seem
easy on first thought, but it is not as
| easy as it looks-at least for a man
In Kern's position In order to be
just he had to defend members Of a
small, unpopular group, to which he
does not belong, against prejudices
held by many members of his own
party. He had to take the risk of
being misrepres scented, as he since has
been Bestowal of praise for an act
of such courage should not be limited
to members of the group he defended.
Speaking of conditions in West Vir
ginia, where a corporation controlled
governor has illegally suppressed
freedom of speech and of the press,
and has been upheld by the courts,
Senator Kern spoke as follows:
81 had a telegram the other day
from a leader Of socialism, denuncia
tory of these conditions. When
showed it to senator here he dep
recated the idea that there was such
relationship between me and that man
that he would feel free to telegraph me
Men are being imprisoned in West Vir-
ginia today because they are Social
lists; newspapers. are being suppressed
because they teach the doctrines of
socialism; men are discharged gfrom
mines, according to the testimony
taken before the military commission,
because they vote the Socialist ticket
and because they belong to labor
union; and while the doctrine of judi
ciaI recall gains favor with the people
whose rights are stricken down by I'M
just decisions, so do the forces Of So
cialism multiply i'm such breeding
grounds as those in parts of West Vir-
ginia decision, and the Iawess action
hand eating out the substance of the
people, and with judges setting aside
constitutional safeguards to the end
that the people may be oppressed and
denied rights for which their fathers
fought and died.
Socialism has grown in this country
until more than million men cast
their votes for the Socialist ticket at
the last election. The fire Of Socialism
Is fed by such fuel as this West .Vir-
ginia decision, an dthe IawIess action
there of men charged with the execu-
| tion of the laws. Socialism grows and
will grow in exact proportion as
wrongdoing is countenanced and up
held, not only by the strong Iegisla-
tive forces Of the country, but especial
Iy when they are backed up by the ju-
diciaI arm of the Government
Senators these million men who
voted the Socialist ticket last Novem-
Der are the men who ought to be full
of that kind of patriotism in time of
war that would impel them to go out
and walk on the uttermost ridge of bat
tile, to peril their lives in defense of
their country and their country's flag
because they love their country, be-
cause they venerate the laws Of the
land. 49,
This great body of million or more
men whose loyalty you question, and
the millions more who make up the
organized, labor forces Of the land,
and who are not yet Socialists, will
love their country and their flag if you
will permit them, and not drive them
away by making them constantly real
ize that they cannot expect fair treat
nmet either in the administration of
the law by executive officers or in the
construction and enforcement Of law
by the courts.
II the time comes-We all pray It
may be averted-when the integrity of
this Nation is assaiIed either from
within or Without the time comes
when the American Republic is
brought face to face with the march,
ING armies of the nations beyond the
Seas, we will need these million Of men,