New-York tribune., 1922-11-26
The High Court of Public Opinion de-
cided against Senator NesObcrry, and
he goes out of public life
The Last Appeal
tsee "The Last Appeal")

~ ENalOh NEWBEkh1 found that the
Supreme Court of the United States is
49, not the court of last resort in America.
He thought when the Supreme Court had sus-
tanned his contention that he had won his case,
but he found that still another court rises
above the Supreme Court-the court of pub
lie opinion. There Senator Newberry lost, and
Newberry accepted the verdict and resigned.
The decision of the high court was clear cut
and appalling. Two-thirds of the Republicans
OF his state voted against Newberry in the
Republican primary last summer majority
Of all the people of Michigan voted against
him at the recent election and to make the
result more convincing nine Republican United
States Senators who voted for Newberry in
the Senate failed to return to their seats
Stripped of sophstry the Newberry case as
1t came before the court of public opinion
amounted to this: Can rich man buy his way
into the Senate by advertising? Senator New
berry himself, not counting the money that
MS friends spent, used nearly two hundred
thousand dollars for advertising himself as a
candidate he was running against another
rich man who was already we'll advertised by
his cheap automobiles. Clearly Newherry had
no appeal except his paid advertising. Granted
that some one should have defeated Ford;
but the defeat of Ford should have come not
from mere money but from public sentiment.
II the patriots of Michigan desired the defeat
Of Ford they should have organized their VIC
It. The job was poor mans job backed by
patriotic fervor; not rich mans Job, backed
solely by his money. Money talks, of course,
but something in the nature OF the American
people revolts when money talks in politics.
So the high court of public opinion decided
against Senator Newberry and he goes out of
public life with the decision against him.
Hereafter eminent counsel may cite all kinds
of decisions in the state and Federal reports
where judges have said that money could be
used in public affairs. Indeed, the very de-
clsion of the State of Michigan versus New
berry in the United States Supreme Court
may be cited by counsel, but the appeal from
that court will become the law, and the case
of the American People versus Newberry like
that of the American People versus Lorimer,
Will proclaim the law and the gospel upon the
subject of money in American politics.
In this court of last resort laws precedents,
the plea Of counsel and the resolutions Of Sem
ates count for little. There the common sense
and common morals of the people write the
opinion. and back of that opinion is force
stronger than governments, for it makes gov
ernnients; stronger than armies, for it re-
criits armies and de1nobilizes them; stronger
than money and place and distinction, for they
all rest upon the consent of public opinion 1t
speaks slowly, often hesitates and sometimes
breaks into babel, but when it speaks clearly
that is the end.
The door of hope is not closed to Truman
Newberry A man always has another chance,
but he must ask it with clean hands and with
works meet unto repentance