South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-09

things Systematically. and all the year
round; and / for my part hope that
il Will do that. If l were writing an
additional plank for a democratic
platform l would put that In.
And there is another thing that
needs very much to be done. 1 am
not one of those who doubt either the
Industry or the learning of the integ
rity Of the courts OF the United States,
but l do know that they have a very
anuQuated way Of doing business. l
do know that the United States in its
judicial procedure is many decades
behind every other civilized govern
ment In the world; and / say that it
Is an immediate and imperative call
upon us TO rectify that, because the
speedineSs Of justice, the inexpensive
ness Of Justice, the ready access of
justice, IS the greater part of justice
itself. If you have to be rich to get
justice, because of the cost OF the
very process itself then there is no
justice at all. So I say there is an
other direction in which we ought to
be very quick to see the signs of the
times and to help those who need to
be helped. -
And then there is something else.
The democrats have heard the repub-
licans talking about the scientific way
in which to handle tariff though the
republicans have never given any eX-
hibition of a knowledge of how to
handle it scientifically. If 1t is scien-
tific to put additional profits into the
hands of those who are already get
ting the greater part of the profits,
then they have been exceedingly sci
entific. 1t has been the science of
selfishness, it has been the science of
privilege. That kind Of science L do
not care TO know anything about ex-
cept enough to stop it.
Has Commission.
But if by scientific treatment of
the tariff they mean adjustment to
the actual trade conditions of Amer
lea and the world, then 1 am with
them; and / want to call their attcn-
ton for though they voted for it they
apparently have not noticed it, to the
fact that the bill which creates the
new trade commission does that very
thing. We were at pains to see that
it was put in there.
That commission IS authorized
and empowered to inquire into and
report TO congress not only upon all
the conditions of trade in this country,
but upon the conditions of trade, the
cost of manufacture, the cost of trans
portation-all the things that enter
into the question of the tariff-in for
eign countries as well as in the United
States and into ali those questions of
foreign combinations which affect in
ternational trade between Europe and
the United States. 1t has the full
powers which will guide congress in
the scientific treatment of questions
of international trade. Being by pro-
feSsion a school master, l am glad to
point that out to the class of unin-
structed republicans though / have
not always taught in the primary
grade.
THE things that the progressive re-
publicans have proposed that were
practicable the democrats either
have done or are Immediately propos-
ing to do. If that is not our bill of
particulars to satisfy the independent
voters of the country / would like to
have one produced. There are things
that the progressive program contain
ed which we, being cOnStitutionalist
lawyers happened to know cannot be
done by the congress of the United
States. That Is a detail which they
seem to have overlooked. But so far
as they can be done by state legisla-
lures I for one, speaking for one dem
Ocrat, am heartily in favor of their
being done-because democrats do not
cOngregate merely in Washington
they cOngregate also in the state cap
ltals, and they cOngregate there in
very influential numbers and with
very influential organizations.
Would Have Majority.
"Just before / came away from
Washington I was going over some
Of the figures of last elections, the
elections of November last. The off
cial returns have not all come in yet.
1 do not know why they are so slow
in getting to us; but so far as they
have come in they have given me this
useful information that taking the
states where senators were elected
and where senators were not elected,
taking the election of governors and
where governors were not elected,
taking the returns for the state legis-
latureS or for the congressional dele
gates democrats, reckoning state by
state. would, If it had been a presiden-
tial year have had majority of about
so in the electoral college. Forum
ately this is not a presidential year
but the thing is significant to me for
this reason. A great many people
have been speaking CT the democratic
party as a minority party. Well, IL 1t
is, il is not so much of a minority
party as the republican, and as be-
tween the minority's l think we can
claim to belong to the larger minority.
NJ o r +
THE moral of that is merely what
that neither party in its regular mem
bership has a majority. l do not want
TO make the Independent voter too
proud of himself, but 1 have got to
admit that he is our boss and l am
bound to admit that the things that
he wants are, so far as I have seen
them mentioned, things that / want.
Independent Person.
81 am not an independent voter but
/ hope l can claim to be an independ-
ent person and 1 want to say this dis
tinctly, / do not love any party any
longer than it continues to serve the
immediate and pressing needs of
America. / have been bred in the
democratic party; L love the demo-
cratic party, but / love America a
great deal more than 1 love the demo-
cratic party and when the democratic
party thinks that ii is an end in it
self then L rise up and dissent. 1t
is a means to an end, and its power
depends and ought to depend, upon its
showing that il knows what America
needs and is ready TO give what 1t
needs.
That is the reason that I say to
the voter YOU have got us in the palm