Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-08-31
BIG BUSINESS,
NOT CRIMINALS,
FOES OF LAW
So Saws Dougherty In
Speech To American
Bar


in President Hardings cabinet, At
torney General II. M. Dougerty, in
| an address before the JOINT session of
the American Bar association and the
| Ohio State Bar association here this
afternoon, declared that big business
and the murdcrers, robbers and 9th
er such criminals, were the real un
/ dermncrs of the law. His topic was
Respect the Law" In it some saw
! revealed his recommendation to Pres
idcnt Harding on the application for
the pardon of Eugene V. Debs, serv-
/ ing ten years in the Atlanta federal
prison for violation of the espionage
laws during the war, he declaring il
MS od3rcss that propaganda Is now
| being carried on in Ciis country to
| dignity such crimes, and thai, 50 fan
| as the government was concerned
| the only sound view to be taken is
/ law-enforcemcnt, and that those who
| do not believe in our government
and the enforcement of our laws
should 90 to country which gives
| them their peculiar liberty.
Mr. Daugherty said in part:
"Thc supremacy of the law, though
challenged, is not undermined by the
ordinary criminal who commits muir
der, robbery, larceny, etc. TO the
contrary, every occurrence of crimes
of this sort tends to impress uron
society the profound importance o.
! the supremacy of the law and its vi
/ gCrous enforcement. The supremacy
/ Of tch law is and has been challcng
/ ed mainly in that class of
/ LEGISLATION where there exists a diff
ference of opinion as to govern
/ mental policy in enaCtng the Icgisla-
ton in question.
, CORPORATION Offenders.
"Diercspect for law has manifested
itself in the past mainly by large
cCrrorations or aggregations of
wealth. COMMONLY known as big busi
ness. and bv labor organizations IN
relation to such business. | am not
in favor of new nostrums and pana
cpas TO cure the ills Of she body po
litic. but | venture to make The fol-
following suggcstions:
"First It is an undispuaed fact that
the public have right to know what
thc quarrel is about in every actuai
or threatened strike or lockout, and
similar controversies.
Second, there should be some
definite agcnc.es in government for
asccrtaining these facts fully and
making an impartial finding by those
osneciallv qualified both by tempera-
ment and training to do this partjcu !
lar kind of work; and such finding
should be reported so that it will be
q reliable source of knowledge to
which students and publicistG and
statesmen can resort.
"Third, compulsory jurisdiction |
over these two factors to compel them
to submit to an inquiry of this sort
is not only desirable but just.
"Fourtb. at present our study Of |
this question has not been sufficient |
lv thorough to warrant legislation |
compclIing the acceptance of such
finding by the partieg thereto. There. |
fore the jurisdiction of the proper |
agency should be obligatory upon the |
no,+ioe to euhn,it to the investiga-
tion tho accentancc- of the finding
b,, tbo nar,ios shouId be voluntary.
Publicity Controls.
"Fifth. the experience of the past |
elbows that in most cases full, accu- |
rata roiiahIc nublicitv has been suf |
ficient 70 comneI an adjustment of
these cases, Public sentiment is a |
controlling factor. and if is impor-
+on+ i, iretice To both of the mar
tice that # should depcnd upon
son,othino more accurate than sue
co~ef1l nronapanda
"Sjxtb, Gin the course of time
l,nowledgo Of tho nature and causes
nf ~ +5oco controyorsics derived in this
,u.T nav n crystalIize public sentiment
70 tho extent that laws can be en-
oo+od I ,,,oiina eucb controversies i'm |
,,os.T rossih,o ,,'''''''s7
P0,,, .tCon;otv ;s vitaI1v Interested in the
,,,.oror 1Ue',,I soIr4ion ii Of This Question.
W., W. no,,,o e,,cb ,,Iar as have sup- |
taa neil 9J,,'T gLnn ba,,a boor mt in onera-
~ tbo,, ,,,' wa ,r;Il have a more intelli- :
o'oat' Inr;s t'al, ,,no,' Mich fo enact com
S-Ii' H0''I' "t" g.,