The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-05-28
The Case Of the Election Crooks


ton as one of the worst OF crimes
because it strikes at the very root
of popular government. So long as
elections are untainted there is little
to fear in a government like ours.
True, the voters will often make mis-
takes. They will sometimes follow
the lead of designing and dishonest
demagogues who, while loudly pro-
Tossing their devotion to the people,
as a matter of fact are aiming to get
selfish advantage that will increase
their own power and wealth.
Sometimes also, the people make
the mistake of selecting officials who
are incompetent rather than dishon-
est. They may vote to adopt policies
that prove to be a failure when
tried out. There are u good May
chances in fact, that the people Will
make mistakes when given the op-
portunity to govern themselves, but
so long as their elections are I'M
tainted and their courts reasonably
just and able, they can correct tie
mistakes, and learning wisdom from
experience, avoid the same mistakes.
The dishonest official may be le-
moved from office. The incompetent
one will soon run his course. The
designing demagogue may fool the
people for a time but they will find
him out after a while and pay no
further attention to him.
But if the elections are controlled
by fraud and that fraud goes unpun-
ished, the people lose control of the
machinery with which they can cor
rect their mistakes and if that condi-
ton becomes general the republic is
doomed.
So men and women who love their
country, who love liberty, who in
dulge in dreams of a coming time
when tyranny will be abolished, and
all the people, rich and poor, white
and black, learned and unlearned,
will enjoy a liberty and justice as
nearly perfect and ideal as is posi-
BILE for an imperfect human race to
attain, ought to approve of the con-
viction and punishment of this Terre
Haute gang.
But have been reading the sequel
to this story. 1t is the account OF
the reception of these men at the
Federal prison. They had tried on
the road to the pen to keep up ali
appearance of boisterous cheerful
ness, evidently for the purpose OF
creating the impression that they
didn't care, but when finally the
prison gates swung open and they
were face to face with punishment,
there was no more hilarity. 1t was
sorry looking lot of law breakers
who got off the car and lined up ~
he taken to the room where they
were to be photographed and meas
ured and where they were to lose
their identity for a while and be
numbered like impersonal things.
Seated together on the road from
Indianapolis to Leavenworth were
Judge Eli Redman and his son, the
Judge coming to begin serving his
term of five years and the son to
begin serving his term of two years
When the prisoners were unloaded
from the car they were lined up two
abreast to march to the place where
they were ticketed, measured and
given their suits of prison clothes.
In lining them up the judge and his
son were separated. The Judge
asked pathetically that he might Be
permitted to go with his boy but w-s
informed that the prison rules wouI
not permit 1t. And then the oloe
man broke down, overcome with the
weight of grief and shame. Amor q
all the culprits perhaps none was
more blameworthy than this judge.
In our government we have no tit
ular sovereign. Theoretically even
the highest officer in the land is on y
"a servant, but we have voluntary
set up a theoretical sovereignty
which we call law. We yield part
of our individual and natural rigk3s
for the common good, for we under
stand that organized society can "a
maintained only by the relinquisE-
ment of a part of their natural rights
by all the citizens who make up that
society. 1t is the province of TIE
courts to hold the balances of jIs-
tice, to see that one citizen Is hc-
corded no greater privileges by tA.s
sovereignty which we have created
than another. The province of tie
courts is to arbitrate the differences
between citizens. 1t is therefore e.
sential tn the welfare and even IN